Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Scholarshi​ps for Undergrads

There are several opportunities for undergraduates to participate in national Chi Phi programs this summer. If you are interested in donating and sponsoring the undergraduates to attend, the alumni association will be coordinating to help with attendance to COE (College of Excellence) and Congress.

COE will be held July 25th-29th at Emery University in Atlanta, GA. The undergraduate that attends would be responsible for paying for the airfare. The conference allows for 1 undergraduate member from each chapter.

Congress will be held June 22nd-24th in Atlanta, GA. The two undergraduates who attend would be responsible for lodging and airfare.

We would like to be able to significant offset, if not pay for, the costs associated with attending these programs. If you are interesting in donating/sponsoring the undergraduates to attend these great programs, you can donate via pay pal by clicking on the donate link to the right or by sending a check to:

Valley Alumni Association
1280 Riva Drive #6
West Sacramento, CA 95691

Any unused monies can be returned or earmarked by the association for future educational scholarships.

Please let Jeremy know if you have any questions.

Update on Emergency Renovations

Here is a copy of an email Jeremy sent out to the alumni after the renovations were completed this fall:

Dear Sigma Delta Alumni,

We are pleased to announce that the emergency renovations we first
contacted you about last fall have been completed. Our fundraising
campaign was very successful, and we would like to thank each of you
who donated for your support. We couldn’t have done this without your
help. We have attached several pictures of the renovated front part of
the house, and hope that you enjoy them as much as we have.

The following is a summary of the project, including project donations
and expenses. We have attached a separate document that outlines
project donations and expenses in greater detail.

Donations
We received $38,307 in donations from 26 alumni members. The attached
document contains a breakdown of the donation amounts with names
removed for privacy.

Expenses
Our initial bid from Morse Remodeling was for $72,651. We established
this as the baseline budget for the project. After receiving two
additional bids for the project from alumnus Jeremy Humble (SD ’95)
and Vista Builders of Sacramento, we selected Vista, whose bid came in
the lowest and included many extras that were not part of the other
bids. Special thanks to Jeremy for providing very helpful advice and
taking the time to submit a bid.

Vista came highly recommended to us by alumnus Erik Franks (SD ’05),
and we are very pleased with the final work product. Based on their
work and the great cost to value ratio that we have received on this
project, we hope to establish a long-term relationship with Vista for
future house projects. Another big special thanks to alumnus Ryan
Boynton (SD ’06) for being our local point of contact and always being
available to head over to the house to meet with the contractor!
The final project cost for the renovations was $71,525, and included
the following items listed below.

Summary of Project
• Abatement of asbestos in duct work throughout the house
• Abatement of asbestos in drywall for the front part of the house
(the old farmhouse)
• New duct work throughout the house
• Energy efficient HVAC system for entire house
• New staircase
• New electrical wiring for the front part of the house
• New electricial subpanels in middle and front of house
• Refinished hardwood floors in front part of the house
• Subfloor and tile replaced in front bathroom, along with new toilet
• New stucco and paint on exterior of the front part of the house
• Recessed lighting in front room
• New front and side doors

Next Steps
This project has mitigated the risks associated with last fall’s
emergency. As a result, we are now in a position where we can resume
long-term financial planning to ensure that the chapter house remains
a viable place to live for future generations of Sigma Delta.

In addition, the Valley Alumni Association will be working closely
with the chapter over the next several months to ensure that live-in
numbers for the 2012-2013 school year are sufficient for the chapter
to meet their full financial obligation to the Alumni Association so
that the rent we are collecting will cover our annual fixed costs
(monthly mortgage payments, property insurance, property tax).

Please stay tuned in the upcoming months for more details on both of
these ongoing initiatives as we embark in planning for the next
generation of Sigma Delta. The most recent renovations are an
excellent example of the great things we can do when we all rally
around a common cause.

We realize that we have asked each of you for donations several times
over the past two years. Although the latest round last fall was
outside of our control due to extenuating circumstances, we are now at
a point where we are ready to pick up our regularly scheduled
fundraising efforts for future structural improvements. Donations for
future house improvements can be made by:

US Mail/Check
Make Check Payable to “Valley Association of Chi Phi”:
Sigma Delta Alumni Association
Attn: Jeremy Donati
1280 Riva Drive #6
West Sacramento, CA 95691

or Paypal, http://davischiphialumni.blogspot.com/
Please note that a service fee is levied by Paypal on all donations
made via their website.

Thank you again for all your support.

Pictures of the renovations can be seen here