Lambda Chi Alpha - Oregon State University

Page 5 MOTHERS KNOW BEST Meet Mom's Club Board President Angie Portz A s Mom's Club Board President, Angie Portz was entrusted with the hard- earned savings of the previous volunteers and charged with providing for the well-being of the chapter's young men. Her first project was purchasing new couches for the chapter house, but during a tour of the residence, she found the house in need of a more significant "refresh." Her plan involved pulling together a team of volunteers that included alumni, parents, and undergraduates. "Our shared objective was to ready the house by the move-in date, so we combined resources to achieve it," Angie explained. With the support of the Corporation Board "we coordinated with contractors, handled the budget, set priorities, and tackled tasks like removal and installation, while summer work parties manned by the actives ensured we met our deadlines." This successful collaboration addressed the house's immediate needs and set the stage for a successful fall 2023 recruitment. Angie also made some much- needed updates to the Mom's Club fundraising efforts, including the relocation of the annual Mom's Club Auction to the Corvallis Country Club. "The move was primarily driven by the goal to cut costs, increase profits, and accommodate reduced parent volunteer participation compared to previous years," she said. "Hosting the event in the parking lot involved renting items from vendors, arranging equipment and permits, and extensive volunteer labor from parents. Changing it led to reduced expenses and an enhanced event experience for all ΛXA moms and families." ΛXA's fundraising success has been steadily improving since 2018 if you exclude the 2020- 21 year due to COVID-19. According to Angie, this is due to the unwavering support of the Mom's Club, which yielded an impressive average net of around $10,000. "2024 marked another milestone as we surpassed both the auction and the all-time ΛXA annual fundraising record!" In recent years, the Mom's Club has funded new couches for the chapter and TV rooms, new mattresses in the sleeping porches, a large-screen TV, kitchen supplies for Chef Greg, and more. Angie's fundraising goal for this year was $20,000 to replace the dining room furniture and chairs purchased by the Mom's Club 15 years ago. While that goal has not yet been met, the Mom's Club is currently exploring options to make that pursuit the chapter house's next significant project. "The Mom's Club remains committed to supporting our ΛXA sons in every way possible." Angie and her son, Jonathon Portz '23-2197, during Mom's Weekend. "I am deeply honored to uphold the enduring tradition of a strong Mom's Club at the OSU ΛXA chapter." As she looks to the future, Angie's vision is to "recruit and onboard freshman moms, ensuring a seamless transition, as my term ends in the summer of 2025." This fall, the Mom's Club will collaborate with the chapter's leaders to engage with the incoming members' parents and encourage parents to join the Lambda Chi Alpha Parents at Oregon State University Facebook group, which has more than 90 members. The other members of the ΛXA Mom's Club board, Zephyr Kamph, Helena Brill, and Jill Love, share Angie's goal of building upon the foundation laid by those before them and imparting as much knowledge as possible to the next group of moms for their continued success. "We hope to continue to build community and enhance engagement and communication with all chapter parents." Brothers and their moms during Mom's Weekend.

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