Four years ago I was sitting at a bar, watching a super important Mizzou game, and whining to a friend that there was no Madison chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association.
“It’s just not fair. I moved up here from Chicago and I still get their watch party notifications. They do all kinds of cool stuff. I bet they’re having so much fun right now, and here I sit watching a game all by myself.” Yep. I was super whiney. And a little pathetic.
“So, Cass, why don’t you shut the hell up and start it here, then?” You’ve gotta give it to Chris for being straight forward and to the point.
But…why didn’t I shut the hell up and start it here, then?
So I sent all sorts of emails to the Mizzou Alumni Association. I secured a space for our first ever watch party. I received Mizzou decor, door prizes, and party favors from the MAA. And I got super excited.
Three people showed up.
Turns out, starting something up comes with its own growing pains.
Determined to make it work, I planned the next watch party a little more strategically. Every time we met I collected email addresses, and created my own email list. Later, I developed our Facebook page and Twitter account. And I often connected with the MAA. Before I knew it, I had up to 40 people at each watch party, a group of runners and walkers participating on our team for the Crazylegs Classic, and a fun crowd cheering on the Mallards at our summer outing.
And I loved every minute of it.
But a lot of things are changing in my life right now. And I realized I don’t have the time or dedication to devote to our group anymore. So I asked people to step forward.
And I couldn’t be more thrilled with the two alumni taking over.
Melanie, the new social media coordinator, is so on top of things it’s amazing. And Brett, the new chapter president, is a dedicated, true leader. Tonight was our first ever happy hour event, planned by Brett and communicated by Melanie. And I proudly realized the Madison Chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association is being left in even better hands than when it started.
And I’m so excited to see where they take it.
M – I – Z!
