OHS Alumni Board launches campaign
August 2019 Shopping Spree winner Mark Besancon, second from left, a 2008 Orrville High graduate, is all smiles as he stands with board members of the Orrville High School Alumni Association: Katherine Anderson Blasingame (’00), left, Lauri Brillhart Besancon (’78) and Matt Plybon (’86).
Plans to continue the 20-year tradition of Orrville High School’s All-Alumni Reunions, held every five years since 2000, were disrupted when the pandemic brought things to a halt.
“Now we’re hoping some of our faithful alums will help us cover expenses as we gear up for Reunion 2021,” said Matt Plybon, a 1986 grad and OHSAA board chair, and the “Help ‘O’ Grow” campaign is a way to do just that.
Contributions to the “Help ‘O’ Grow” campaign will not only cover reunion expenses, but also will provide student scholarships and teacher grants. “We would hate to drop those support programs,“ Plybon said. “In 2019 we awarded $5,000 in teacher grants.”
The “Help ‘O’ Grow” campaign was first launched in 2015. Board members agree the time is right to offer alumni and friends a way to support the OHSAA efforts again.
“There are seven categories for giving,” said Barb Maki Bupp (’74), OHSAA treasurer.
The categories include OHS Forever, $5,000 and up; Rider Spirit, $2,500-$4,999; Red, White and Black, $1,000-$2,499; Graffiti Bridge, $500-$999; Memories, $250-$499; Rowdy Rider, $100-$249; and Friends Forever, $5-$99.
OHSAA is a 501(c)(3), and tax receipts will be forwarded to donors.
In other reunion years, there were opportunities to hold fundraising events in advance. “With the COVID-19 restrictions, we weren’t able to have more gatherings such as our very successful Blingo Night held in February 2020 and the Shopping Spree in August 2019,” Bupp said. “Our Buy-an-Engraved Brick fundraiser has brought in money over the years, but there was less interest in 2021. Reunions are free to attend, and we hope people will view this as an opportunity to say thank you.”
The 2021 reunion committee has limited the number of activities due to the lack of time and significant costs. “The heart of alumni reunions is to bring people back to Orrville to see friends, reminisce and bond,” said Katherine Anderson Blasingame (‘00), OHSAA board member and reunion chair. “We are dedicated to keeping that tradition alive and well, but we need help.”
There are several options for donating to the “Help ‘O’ Grow” campaign: checks made payable to OHSAA and mailed to P.O. Box 422, Orrville, OH 44667; PayPal via the website at www.Orrvillealumni.org; or Venmo via Orrvillehsalumni@gmail.com.
The mission of the Orrville High School Alumni Association is to support the strategic plan of the Orrville City Schools, to preserve historical records and memorabilia, to maintain an alumni database, to coordinate events that serve to connect and engage the alumni of Orrville High School, and to provide channels of communication among alumni and between alumni, students, faculty and administrators.