I know many of you will be making the trip to Jacksonville for this weekend’s game against the Gators.  Before you leave I encourage you to take advantage of some discounts and benefits we offer.  If your car needs some attention before the big trip, Five Star Tire and Automotive in Athens offers a 10% discount.  If you need extra spirit paraphernalia, Bulldog Sporting Goods is the place for you.  The two Athens locations are offering 15% off any purchase.  If you’re not going to Florida and want an alternative to Saturday’s game, may I suggest the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta?  AHC is offering our members a $5 discount off general admission.  As you enjoy a relaxing day off, utilize two of our newest discount partners and get 10% off your bill at Willy’s Mexicana Grill in Athens while having your yard manicured by Four Seasons Lawn Maintenance.  The Watkinsville-based business is offering a 20% discount off your first month’s service.  To see all the great offers we have, please visit our Bulldog Benefits page.

Don’t forget to vote for Coach Richt for Liberty Mutual’s Coach of the Year.  Click here to vote.

It’s not too late to get involved with the “Food 2 Kids” project in Athens.  This worthy cause is being championed by several local organizations in conjunction with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.  The Alumni Association is playing a part as well and asking for your participation.  “Food 2 Kids” targets children who receive free and reduced breakfasts and lunches at school and sends food kits home with them on Fridays.  Without this project many of these kids would go hungry over the weekend.  The goal for October was to collect 2,500 cans of Ravioli and to date nearly 5,000 cans have been donated.  I am pleased to report that more than 250 cans were dropped off by the Wray-Nicholson House in one week!  Please call our office at 706-542-2251 for information about dropping off your cans of Ravioli. 

In another food raising campaign, the Alumni Association is actively participating in the Georgia/Georgia Tech “Food Fight.”  From Monday, Nov. 3 through Wednesday, Nov. 26 you can drop off nonperishable food items by the Wray-Nicholson House and help the Bulldogs beat the Yellow Jackets and fight hunger at the same time.  Click here to find out how you can help beat Tech.

ABC News Correspondent Deborah Roberts was honored this morning by the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York at its 16^th annual Women of Distinction Breakfast.  According to a Council news release, the event recognizes women who display exceptional leadership and “exemplify the Girl Scouts’ mission of helping girls grow into outstanding women.”  Deborah is a 1982 graduate of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and a proud member of the Alumni Association.  Fellow journalist and UGA alum, Deborah Norville ‘80, was the event’s Mistress of Ceremonies. 

Another alum I want to feature is Cindy Jerrell, a 1989 product of UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art.  An exhibit of her art work is on display through Oct. 31 at Flicker Theatre and Bar in Athens.  An recent article in the Athens Banner-Herald calls Cindy’s work “soulful.”  Click here to see more of Cindy’s creations.

Liberty Mutual is again sponsoring the NCAA college football Coach of the Year contest and like last year Coach Mark Richt is in the thick of the running.  When I last looked, Mark was in third place, trailing BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall and Georgia Tech’s first-year head coach Paul Johnson.  Click here to vote for Coach Richt!  I also want to mention our friends at Liberty Mutual are offering a discount for Alumni Association members.  Check our Bulldog Benefits page to see this and other great discount offers. 

Spurgeon Richardson ‘63 is being inducted this evening into the Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame.  He’s currently the President and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.  The annual event at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead recognizes individuals for their contributions to the hospitality industry.  Spurgeon has been consistently named as one of the “100 Most Influential Georgians” by Georgia Trend and as one of the “100 Most Influential Atlantans” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.  In 2005 he was awarded the Governor’s Tourism Champion Award.  He’s been at the helm of the Bureau for 17 years and is set to retire in December.   Congratulations, Spurgeon!

Ken Burger will tell you he’s no hero.  Yet his way with a pen is masterful.  Ken is a 1973 graduate of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.  He’s Executive Sports Editor of the Charleston Post and Courier.  But it’s not his sports writing that I want to highlight, rather the way he relates to his readers.  Nearly two years ago Ken was diagnosed with prostate cancer and, through a series of columns, kept his readers up-to-date with his treatment by documenting his struggle.  Ken said as a result of those columns he received a lot of response…words of encouragement and letters from other men who had been through the same ordeal.  Ken won his battle and is still writing in South Carolina’s Low Country.  Click here to read Ken’s inspiring words.

How much do you love the University of Georgia?  Well, let us know.  We have partnered with Bank of America to find out which alum feels most passionate about UGA.  “The MyExpression^TM Search for Alumni Passion” contest allows you to tell the reasons you love UGA while creating an opportunity to turn that passion into cash for not only you but also for the Alumni Association.  Someone will win the title as UGA’s most passionate alum.  If your college pride outshines all other schools in the contest, you’ll win $500 plus a donation will be made in your name to the Alumni Association.  Click here to get started and good luck!

Terry College of Business graduate Abby (Johnson) Port ‘97, of Woodstock, is one of three finalists vying for a national grant from Yahoo.  Abby is President and CEO of Red Koala Canvas Co., a children’s online art business she started a year ago.  She was one of 5,500 women who applied for the Seeds for Success: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs grant.  She now needs our help to win.   Click here to read all about Red Koala and to vote for Abby. 

I am always amazed, but never surprised, at the great accomplishments of our alumni.  Gwendolyn Jenkins ‘99, Development and Marketing Manager for Samaritan House of Atlanta, has let us know about a worthy upcoming event.  SamHouse will hold its third annual New Beginnings Photography Exhibit and Reception Oct. 30 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Frazer Center’s Cator Woolford Gardens, 1815 Ponce De Leon Ave. in Atlanta.  The title of this year’s exhibit is The Story of Homelessness and the Lives Transformed.  The fund raising event includes a silent auction, raffle, entertainment, food and beverages.  The mission statement of Samaritan House is to “transform lives by helping homeless men and women achieve self-sufficiency through personalized employment readiness and life-stabilization programs.”  For information and tickets visit SamHouse.org.

I hope you will join us this week for one of our Bulldog Breakfast Clubs.  On Tuesday, AT&T’s Paul Chambers ‘81 will host a BBC in Athens at the Association’s Wray-Nicholson House.  In Atlanta Thursday morning, ‘01 alum Keith Nesbitt will host at the Atlanta Alumni Center in Buckhead.  Both are scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m.

Paul earned an ABJ from UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is a 22 year veteran of AT&T and is the District Manager for Northeast Georgia.  Paul is extremely civic-minded having served as Chairman of the Board of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Northeast Georgia campaign chair, president of the Athens Rotary Club and is a former member of the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors. 

Keith also is a Grady grad, majoring in Advertising, and earned a graduate degree from the Keller School of Management at Georgia State.  Keith is a commercial and construction lender for Haven Trust in Atlanta and chairs our Association’s Young Alumni Council.

Please visit our web site for information about these two events as well as all the great things going on at the UGA Alumni Association.