Clubs

While there has been a 30 percent drop in birthrate compared to 1991, according to the National Center of Health Statistics, the number of births has increased by 5 percent since 1997 and clubs are seeing more of a need to cater to alums with young children. Let's face it, many of these alums work hard to earn enough money to one day send their kids to Dartmouth. Understandably, they want to spend their free time with the wee tot who will siphon the alum's well-earned income, get a fine education, only to turn around and engage in intellectual one-upmanship. Ahh, such is the cycle of life!

Clubs who engage these alums and their young Sprogs are likely to win big points and get active members for life! With all they have to think about, plan and organize, it is a treat for alums to be able to just walk in and have everything set up for a fun day with the kids.

No one understands this better than the Dartmouth Club of Washington, D.C. It holds at least two events every year for alums with younger kids. The most recent event was this past July 30—a Saturday full of surprises at Glen Echo Park, an oldtime amusement park along the Potomac River. It started with a performance of the park's renowned puppet company in its brand newplay-house. "The production, titled A Dinosaur Book ofWorld Records, was a musical geared toward kids 2 and up, and featured interactive fun, including 'Who's the strangest looking dinosaur?' and 'Help unearth the newest info about natures own real life monsters, the dinosaurs,'" said the club's event coordinator, Meg Sommerfeld '90.

The performance was followed by a picnic with Dartmouth friends and a post-prandial jaunt to Glen Echo Park's other features, including a playground, antique carousel and Discovery Creek Children's Museum. All for the bargain price of $7!

"I think the key for organizing events for Dartmouth alums with families, especially those with younger kids, is to incorporate a fun, lowcost activity that both parents and children can enjoy, and schedule it at a time and place that is friendly for the kids. Unfortunately, for a lot of us with younger kids at home, many of the more typical Dartmouth club events, such as seminars, lectures, formal awards dinners, etc. are inaccessible due to schedules and cost," said Derek Symer '90, acting president of Dartmouth Club of Washington, D.C. Other recent events the D.C. club held were a performance of the Big Apple Circus and day ice skating at the National Mall. As to why they chose Glen Echo Park, Symer remarked: "It's a great place my family enjoys visiting once a year, and to go there with Dartmouth friends makes it all the better."

Now what about when the kids grow up and are accepted to Dartmouth? Leave it to the Dartmouth Club of Long Island to have a recipe for success in engaging alums and prospective alums.

"Many of our social activities are geared to the entire Dartmouth family," said the clubs district enrollment director, Mark Smoller '53.

Each year the club welcomes new first-year students and their families with a lovely dinner in their honor. The first-year kids are the dub's guests and the parents pay for themselves. There is a speaker from the College, usually a professor. This year it was Donald Pease; last year it was Susan Ackerman. They usually have about no to 120 people at this event. This year 32 of the 41 first-year students were present, most of them with their parents. Two others came to the one-hour reception before the dinner but had to leave early to attend high school award dinners.

Take a look at the Web sites of clubs across the world: www.dartmouth.org/about/clubs/.

If you have any comments about or news for Club Notes, please contact me.

Donna Soave '91, 3015 Alameda, Menlo Park, CA94025; (650) 234-8334; dsoave@mindspring.com