Page 1 - June 2024 Insider

INSIDER June 2024

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE…
S ummer is finally upon us, after a few weeks of our

typical ‘June gloom.’ It is warm and beautiful in

San Diego and now the Summer issue of the
Insider newsletter is here. In the following pages you

will find all the latest and greatest news and photos
from recent ARCS-SD activities, information about
members, Scholars, and Scholar Alumni. I know you will
enjoy it!

On a personal note, the end of June also marks the end
Kathe Albrecht
of my two-year tenure as Chapter President. Wow, the
time flew by! Leading this organization has been an incredible experience and I
thank you for trusting me in this role. I believe that the president’s job is to gather
a strong team together to work toward a common goal. You are all important
members of that team and I thank you for your efforts. Our great chapter reflects
the old adage, originally coined by Aristotle, that “the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts.” Quite simply—and this is not the example Aristotle used!—you
can lay out all the parts to an automobile, but it is not a car until all those parts
are put together correctly, intentionally, and with great care. We as a team of
ARCS-SD members have pulled all the disparate ‘parts’ together and successfully
steered this organization smoothly and properly through the year. As a strong
team we have kept our membership happy and growing, our fundraising healthy
and expanding, our Scholars engaged and excited to do great things, and our
academic partners enthusiastic about their continued alliance with our chapter.

Thanks to all of you for those achievements!

This past year we completed our first round of formal Site Visits. We continued
our trend of record-breaking fundraising. And, although we welcomed fewer new
members, with our banner increase in membership during the previous two years,
it was time to engage our current members as we strengthened retention through
improved communication and participation. We saw big attendance numbers at
all our in-person events. Our Just for Fun Party last summer, held at the lovely
Coronado home of Carolyn Elledge-Baker, was delightful and drew a large
crowd. The December Holiday Party, hosted by Margaret and Daniel Dudas
at their home in La Jolla, was an elegant and festive gathering, full of new

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