Officers and Board of Directors 2013, 1st Row L to R: Michael Hasty, (President), Robert Smith, Linda Mitchell, Kathy Haraway, 2nd Row L-R: David Gardner, Terry Mitchel (Treasurer), Ryan Zyac (Secretary), not pictured Adam Connolly (Vice-President)
FLORENCE – Four years ago seems like yesterday states Michael W. Hasty, President of the Shoals Area Auburn Club. “Four years ago a group of loyal Auburn alumni and friends set forth on a mission to endow an academic scholarship for Shoals area students to attend Auburn University. We elected new officers and directors for the Shoals Auburn Club and mapped a course to raise $100k in four years. In the past, this club never endowed a scholarship let alone raise $100k to do it. We had our skeptics but we pushed forward and reached our goal”.
The Shoals Area Auburn Club is an arm of the Auburn Alumni Association. The Shoals’ chapter is one of 98 national clubs whose mission is to promote Auburn University, raise funds for academic scholarships and spread the Auburn spirit. The Shoals Club has won top honors each of the last four years at the annual Leadership Conference held in Auburn. Hasty was national Club Leader of the year in 2009.
The achievement was announced this week to the club at the annual Long Term Planning meeting. “Our officers and directors along with members of our Long Term Planning committee have distinguished themselves in business, education, law, pharmacy, medicine and as elected officials. Together, we developed a model whereby with the use of sponsors we could maximize our fundraising. Each event we plan has all of the expenses prepaid by our sponsors resulting in a guaranteed profit”, Hasty explained.
The Shoals Area Auburn Club has three major fundraising events each year along with other events including “Paint Aubie with Carol Foret”, bus trips to away football games and game watch parties. “We raise money every time we meet. Our major annual events are Tiger Trek, Annual Scholarship Dinner and our Golf Outing”, Hasty explained.
Tiger Trek is held in the Spring and brings the head football coach to the Shoals. We have the largest turnout for this event. We have a pep rally atmosphere with our mascot Aubie and our head football coach. Our coach signs autographs and speaks to the crowd. Our next Tiger Trek is Thursday, June 6, 2013 at the Marriott Shoals Conference with Coach Gus Malzahn and Aubie. “Get on the Gus Bus” is our theme. Contact Club President Michael W. Hasty for reservations mwhau91@gmail.com.
Our Annual Scholarship Dinner is in August of each year. Pat Dye, David Housel, teammates Terry Henley and Bill Newton from the “punt Bama punt” team and Rod Bramlet “Voice of the Auburn Tigers” have been the headliners for the last four dinners. This year we will have a “Night of Champions” as Lloyd Nix (1957 National Champion) and Neil Caudle (2010 National Champion) entertain us with their memories from Auburn’s two national football championships. The dinner will be at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center, Singing River Room. Date and time TBA.
This year will mark the third year we have sponsored a golf outing. The first honored the 2010 National Championship Team and the second was in memory of Coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan. The events are held at the RTJ Shoals and draw former Auburn players and celebrities. This year our golf outing is in honor of leadundary coach Pat Dye at RTJ Shoals on Monday August 26, 2013. Contact Chad Oakley for sponsor and player details. Oakleycd@gmail.com.
“Many loyal Auburn alumni and friends have given of their time and money to help us reach our goal. Auburn has a large and devoted family in the Shoals. Reaching our goal was a team effort and we have no reason to stop. Our goal is to continue to raise scholarship dollars for our local students to attend Auburn University” stated Hasty
For further information contact Michael W. Hasty @ 256-762-8187 (cell) or 256-764-2889 (law office) or mwhau91@gmail.com (email)
Media release from SAAC
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