Category: Foundation News

Almost every spring for the last three decades, hundreds of scholarship recipients, donors and their respective guests, as well as university faculty and staff, have gathered for the annual Scholarship Honor Brunch. The weather, often unpredictable, has allowed guests to don their springtime Sunday best one year and required their winter coats the next; but the lightning that strikes when a donor and individual beneficiary meet is always guaranteed.

Started in 1993, the scholarship reception, or “Tea” as it was referred to for several years, was started by the development arm of Marshall University to bring together the beneficiaries of privately funded scholarships with the philanthropists who made their awards possible.

Dr. Carolyn Hunter, the vice president for development when she retired in 2003, recalled fondly the desire the donors had to meet the students.

“At the time, we were surprised at the extent donors would want to be involved with their scholarship recipients,” Hunter said, “but folks loved interacting with their students.”

Jean Augustine, an administrative assistant in the Office of Development for 12 years in the mid-90s to late 2000s, grew the event from more than 100 people in attendance to crowds of 300-plus by the time of her retirement in 2007. Participants today still remember the receptions that Augustine coordinated and how she often allowed folks in the audience to “pass the mic” around.

“People enjoyed sharing their history with the group in attendance,” said Augustine, who encouraged Marshall students to attend scholarship receptions as well as write thank you letters to those from whom they were supported. “It does matter when people say thank you.”

Hunter remembers paying $43 dollars a semester for tuition when she attended Marshall for her undergraduate degree in the mid-1960s, and understands that as the years have passed, scholarships have become increasingly more vital to students and the accessibility of higher education.

Dr. Ron Area, CEO and senior vice president for development of the Marshall University Foundation since 2007, delivered a special welcome to more than 400 students and donors who attended this year’s event in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center.

“The Scholarship Honor Brunch brings together scholarship beneficiaries and award benefactors and highlights our mission to maximize continuous financial support for Marshall University and its students,” Area said. “We are absolutely committed to increasing the accessibility of education for our students and are thankful for the benevolence of our donors who truly support their Marshall family through their donations as well as their presence at this event.”

Marshall President Brad D. Smith and his wife Alys established their family scholarship in 2014 prior to serving as the president and first lady of Marshall University. President Smith, who served as the featured speaker for this year’s event, spoke about the role scholarships play in Marshall’s past, present and future success.

“Education is the great equalizer, but we know that the cost of an education is becoming more burdensome on our students,” Smith said. “Together, we have already built a strong foundation at Marshall, and I cannot wait to see what we can do to ensure Marshall for all, Marshall forever.”

To Nikki Riniti, a rising senior and theatre major who grew up in Wayne, West Virginia, scholarships are not only economically important, but they are also motivational.

“My scholarships are important to me for numerous reasons,” Riniti said. “They bring such a financial relief for me, especially as a first-generation college student. They act as a reminder of what I am working toward and show that my dedication is acknowledged. Through scholarships, I know that I am not only recognized but also appreciated.”

As a recipient of the W. B. “Bart” and Doris Andrews Fine Arts Scholarship, Riniti enjoyed being able to spend one-on-one time with the donor of her scholarship, Mrs. Doris Andrews, who often attends art exhibitions, concerts, and for Riniti, theatre performances, to support her scholarship recipients.

“She never fails to congratulate me on my work,” Riniti said. “She sends me sweet letters including newspaper clippings about my shows I am in. With our busy schedules, it is rare that I can see her in person, so the brunch is a wonderful opportunity for us to chat. We even got our first picture together!”

Riniti not only attended the 2023 Scholarship Honor Brunch as a recipient, she also performed in an interdisciplinary effort with the College of Arts and Media’s School of Theatre and Dance, along with the School of Music, put on as part of the program’s student entertainment; a sneak peek of a then, upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

“The brunch also provided the theatre an opportunity to perform, which gives other people a look at what we do,” Riniti said. “We had so many people who had never seen a performance by us that were astounded by our work. That was the greatest gift of the brunch.”

With over 800 donor households and more than 1,600 individual students invited each year, Riniti recognized that the Scholarship Honor Brunch is a unique event with the diversity in the honors represented, the intermingling of different backgrounds and majors and the opportunity for students and donors alike to learn from one another.

“At the table with my donor were all types of different people and I got to hear about their programs,” Riniti said. “Amazing people got to share their talents with each other.”

As a coordinator for the event since 2013, Krystle Davis, senior director of donor relations with the Foundation, believes it’s the relationships that are formed between the donors and students that make this event unlike any other event on campus, and a highlight for participants who annually look forward to attending.

“Each table is thoughtfully curated with students and their specific donors, whenever possible,” Davis said. “With a list of thousands as possible attendees, it is truly a blessing when multiple donors and their specific students are both able to attend and be seated with one another. Our students are so very thankful for the impact scholarships have on the trajectory of their career as a student and beyond, and they truly enjoy being able to share a meal with the person who is directly involved in making their dream of an education, come true.”

At once a yearly letter, the Foundation sends bi-annual reports to the contacts of the scholarships that shares not only the financial status of the fund but the name, hometown, major, college and class year of the recipients. While the donors appreciate receiving those updates, Augustine believes there’s no substitute for the meetings over brunch.

“Nothing can take the place of face-to-face interactions between the student recipient and scholarship supporter,” Augustine said.

Dr. Hunter appreciated how the event has carried on and grown since its inception and echoed that, while the program and attendees of the event may vary from year to year, the importance of community fostered through this event has remained constant.

“Students and donors coming together to tell their stories is wonderful,” Hunter said.

To learn how to establish a scholarship to help students at Marshall, contact Krystle Davis at the Marshall University Foundation by phone at 304-696-6781 or by email at krystle.davis@marshall.edu.

To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).

It is an adage as old as time, and one that has guided countless individuals throughout history to carefully assess their worldly deeds and accrued possessions, giving back to others whenever possible. It is a statement as complex as it is simplistic, one that reminds those who have been blessed in life to in turn do the same for others.

For John Rahal, he counts himself as one of the lucky ones.

A Huntington native and Marshall business graduate, Rahal aspired to one day take over his grandfather’s accounting practice and make a life for himself in the Appalachian region. What he didn’t expect was that his life journey would lead him to the boardroom of a Fortune 300 company as a corporate executive.

“My career journey has far exceeded anything that I ever thought possible while I sat at my Marshall graduation in the Civic Center,” Rahal said. “I never dreamt I would have gotten here.”

Rahal is a principal with the financial-services firm Edward Jones, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Marshall in 1991, and later earned his MBA from the Kellog School of Management at Northwestern University.

Rahal joined Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 1997. In 2000 he became a limited partner with the company and was named a general principal in 2007. He’s held many roles at Edward Jones, serving on the firm’s management committee from 2012 through 2017.

Today, Rahal is responsible for Edward Jones’ transformation. In that capacity, he is responsible for anticipating and identifying roles, capabilities and strategies to enable the firm to transform towards its vision of improving the lives of clients, their families and their communities. Edward Jones is one of the largest financial services firms in North America with nearly 19,000 financial advisors.

Throughout his burgeoning career, Rahal has remained grounded in his West Virginia roots, and counts his education at Marshall as a key cog in the wheel of his professional success.

“I become more appreciative every day of the grounding and hard work instilled in me by my Huntington upbringing and Marshall University,” Rahal said. “I was in Boston recently co-leading leadership courses for Edward Jones at Harvard University. In the financial services industry, we consult and prepare people for an intangible. That intangible is a vision of what retirement might look like,. what putting a child through college looks like, or what a legacy left to the next generation might look like.

“Our roles, as financial advisors, is to create the pathway to fulfill someone’s purpose in life. I am sure there are a lot of people with a lot of purposes in West Virginia that far exceed what they might know of. That is unleashing human potential, unleashing dreams. There is just something about West Virginia that I love. I think if you are born and raised there, you get it. I want to see the people of West Virginia prosper and realize that potential, which is why I give back.”

Holding tight to that same adage about personal responsibility, Rahal has made a commitment to his alma mater and to future students that will one day call Marshall home. He established the Rahal Family Education Fund in 2016 to support the College of Business and its most pressing needs. In 2021, he donated $1 million to support the Rahal Center for Strategic Engagement within Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business.

Rahal also remains an active member of the Marshall community, contributing to the growth and success of the Lewis College of Business as an advisor, as well as supporting the Thundering Herd athletic programs and other initiatives at the university. He has also supported the new business facility being built adjacent to campus and looks forward to seeing the great things that will come from the new building.

“I look forward to seeing what great ideas, concepts, theories, businesses and entrepreneurship comes from those four walls,” Rahal said. “I love that we have brick and mortar, but what I can’t wait to see is what is produced within its walls.”

More recently, Rahal included Marshall in his estate plans with the hope that future contributions to the university will help impact the region in profound ways.

“Marshall University is an opportunity factory,” Rahal said. “I have always been intrigued by the NCAA’s advertising campaign about how many student-athletes there are in America and how few will turn pro. Almost all of them, however, will earn a degree and have an opportunity to do something amazing with their lives. I want those that go to Marshall to think in terms of what is possible.”

When speaking about the limitless potential of a Marshall education, Rahal is quick to point to another West Virginia product who has done great things in the world – current Marshall University President Brad D. Smith. Smith, from Ceredo-Kenova, spent 11 years as CEO of Intuit, transforming the company’s business model and earning high marks as one of the top CEOs in the United States.

He, too, has made his impact on Marshall through philanthropy, and Rahal noted that his vision for the university and leadership-by-example has been an inspiration to him and many others.

“It is hard not to be inspired by Brad’s commitment to our university. And for those of us who can, we need to help him by stepping up and meeting that commitment,” Rahal said. “A kid from CK that goes on to be the CEO of Intuit and a kid from Huntington being on the executive leadership team of a financial services firm, there are not too many stories like that.”

Smith recently announced the Marshall For All, Marshall Forever program at the university, placing students on a path toward a reduced or debt-free education through a unique combination of scholarships, grants and work opportunities. The program will begin this fall with a pilot program of 100 students, and Rahal said that innovative ideas like this are exactly why he continues to be engaged with the university.

“If you look at some of the most successful people in the world, I bet you will see that many left unincumbered by student debt,” Rahal said. “With that burden lifted, it allows for them to take risks and allows for them to have a growth mindset of what is possible. Student debt, on any level, limits the growth mindset and forward thinking that needs to happen to move ahead.

“Lifting student debt sounds grandiose, but it really is not. By others knowing that I, or whomever else, made the opportunity present itself for a free education through giving, hopefully they will pay it forward as well. When I hear Brad talk about Marshall For All, Marshall Forever, I think what he is saying is that the opportunity for greatness should be available to everyone and no one should be limited with a debt load that prevents them from realizing their full potential. At Marshall, we know what we do well, and we know what we don’t do, and we need to leverage that to position Marshall as a global leader.”

From a bright-eyed accountant fresh out of college, to his current role as a leading voice in the global financial services industry, Rahal lauds what Marshall has meant to his life and is eager to pay that forward to impact future generations.

“I never saw myself in a role like this, and I certainly didn’t see myself as a corporate executive,” Rahal said. “Obviously my mother and father and my grandparents had a lot to do with the molding of who I am as a businessperson, but it was Marshall that gave me the skills. I can tell you that I wouldn’t trade my time there for the world. That is why I give back to Marshall.”

If you ask high school football coach Larry Choates to define the word “winner,” his answer would have little to do with athletic achievement. It would not be defined by wins and losses, nor would it show up in statistics or in shiny trophies on a shelf.

A winner, according to Choates, is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others. It is an adage he hopes to instill in his young players every time they step foot on the field of play.

“I was lucky. I had both of my parents in the house growing up, but I still needed more,” Choates recalled. “I needed guidance and friendship, and I got that from my football coaches. They provided all the extra things that I needed after school. They kept me out of trouble and gave me some purpose. I want to provide that for the people and players at this school.”

From the guidance of his own coaches, to having the opportunity to inspire young men himself, Choates was selected earlier this year by the Washington Commanders to represent John R. Lewis High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, as its nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. The Commanders selected Choates after having previously recognized him as their coach of the month.

Despite serving at the high school as head coach for only two seasons, Choates’ immediate impact on the program and the players made him an easy selection.

“We are an emerging program, but we are growing,” Choates said. “During the COVID season, before I became head coach of the program, we only had 40 kids. We’ve been working to get more and more kids to come out and play football. I have a lot of kids that their parents didn’t grow up playing football and they had never played before. A lot of kids work right after school, or are taking care of their younger siblings, so we are trying to build our program up the right way while looking after these young men.”

Choates grew up playing football in a small town in northern Virginia, reveling in the grace and beauty of player movement combined with the raw violence of grown men smashing into one another. But there was another element to the game that immediately struck a chord with a young Choates – the chess-like strategy of coaching.

While playing the tight end position in high school, Choates became quick friends with the team’s quarterback, a young man who also happened to be the son of the head football coach at the time. And that relationship quickly blossomed into a sea of opportunity.

“I knew I loved football a lot, not just playing the game, but the other things that went along with it like the organizational pieces,” Choates said. “The son of our head coach was our quarterback and he and I were really tight, so in the offseason I got to see behind the scenes some of the things his dad did. We had a couple of camps at our school that I got to be a part of and when I was a kid, I was always an organizer. I recognized early that was a skillset that I had.”

While Choates found plenty of success on the gridiron in those early years, it was actually another team, competing nearly 400 miles away, that would change his life forever. Choates grew up watching Marshall University in the early 1990s on television and dreamed of one day cheering on the Herd as a fan.

“When I was a freshman in high school, there was a channel up here that used to play every Marshall football game, so I became a Marshall fan,” Choates said with a laugh. “I still remember the ’92 season. I watched Troy Brown, and the football stadium was brand new, it was all just really exciting. It was easy to fall in love with a team that is winning all the time. I watched the games, and I decided I wanted to be a part of a winning school so I came to Marshall.”

Encouraged by one his teachers, who was also a Marshall alumnus, and a few of his friends who followed him to Huntington, Choates enrolled at Marshall and immediately found the atmosphere exactly what he was looking for in a school.

“Marshall was a great decision. I got to see a lot of good football and met a lot of lifelong friends,” Choates said. “The people were so nice, I felt like a part of the family as soon as I got to campus. It was not too big, not too small, and far enough away where my parents weren’t knocking on the door at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. I even had a couple of friends from my senior class come with me to Marshall. It was a fresh new start for me.”

Choates would eventually earn a communications degree from Marshall in 2005, spending his spare time working at area radio-giant Kindred Communications, as well as part-time at The Union Pub and Grill and on campus at the award-winning WMUL-FM radio station. He also took in a few games while on campus, cheering on the Herd just as a new head coach was taking over the reins of the program – Marshall legend Bob Pruett.

“I watched (Pruett) a lot. I learned about halftime adjustments and just seeing him around town and how he carried himself, it was great to see the role of a head coach at a major university,” Choates said. “He always talked about, ‘we have the best coaches, the best facilities, we need to have the best team.’ They believed that all the way and won a lot of championships. Watching that rubbed off on me and, as we build the right way and take our time with these kids, hopefully we will have a championship program here at John R. Lewis High School.”

After graduation, Choates returned to Virginia and began working as a teacher at Edison High School, the same high school he grew up attending. It was there that he got his first taste of coaching young men on and off the field.

“When I started there, I became friendly with the head coach and one of the coaches from when I was in high school,” Choates said. “That is when I got interested in coaching and began helping with one of the positions. I was immediately hooked.”

After bouncing around to a couple of different high schools over the next few years, Choates landed at John R. Lewis High School in 2017. While serving as a social studies teacher, Choates finished up his graduate degree from George Mason University and continued down his coaching path as quarterbacks coach. He eventually took over the program with his first full-time coaching position in 2021.

While there is nothing glamorous about the football program at John R. Lewis High School, and the record of the team since he has taken over – zero wins in 2021, a single victory in 2022 – is nothing to write home about, it was the work that Choates is doing off the field that immediately caught the eye of the Commanders organization.

Things like reading days at the local elementary schools where players share in their favorite children’s books, and community service and mentoring programs like Rising Lancers where players and coaches work with younger athletes to prepare them for the rigors of high school and athletics.

“I want these kids to be good, outstanding young people who are going to be good fathers, good husbands and just good, community-minded people that help others,” Choates said. “That is what is important to me. Football is just the teaching method. What I am most proud of is that we have 26 kids in the program that had a 3.5 GPA or better and 12 of those kids had a 4.0 (GPA). One even had a 4.6. These kids are doing what they need to do in the classroom for sure.”

Once nominated, each coach worked with their local NFL team to submit a packet detailing their accomplishments, which were later judged by NFL coaches and former players such as Peyton Manning and Tony Dungey. The winning coach received a personal cash prize, as well as a cash prize for their school, along with an invitation to the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl events and recognition at the NFL Honors ceremony.

While he wasn’t selected as the national recipient of the award, just to be nominated by an NFL team was an honor. It meant that what he was doing was being noticed and was having an impact.

“It was an honor just to be nominated and to have your name on a list of coaches that have won multiple state championships and done other great things for these high schools,” Choates said. “But this wasn’t about me. It was about the work that me and the other coaches are doing to even get this accolade. This is a team award because I can’t be the coach of the year if I am not working with others. I can’t be recognized if the kids aren’t buying in to what we are doing. Getting more kids to come out and build the sport of football while making a difference in our community is what it translates to.”

Of course, there were benefits to the players as well. The team had an opportunity during the process to attend a Commanders game and be recognized on the field and will be participating in a camp at the stadium later this year, as well as community service opportunities with the NFL. And being the savvy marketing person that he is, Choates has used this as a recruiting tool to get more kids to come out for the football program.

“Now that people are starting to realize what we are doing with this program, more kids are coming out,” Choates said. “It takes a while for people to buy-in to what you are doing, but we are in year three and the kids are starting to buy-in to going to the weight room more, getting to class and maintaining their grades and just being upstanding citizens in the community. We are doing the grassroots stuff to get people involved in our program and for our kids to give back.”

Of course, the question remains, now that he is back in class following a dream experience working with the NFL, has his life changed at all?

“My students were pretty excited about it, but my wife didn’t know what to think,” Choates joked. “When I told her and we read through everything, we finished dinner and she said, ‘OK, now it is your turn to wash the dishes Mr. Coach of the Year.’”

The Marshall University Foundation and United Bank have announced that the bank has pledged a $100,000 gift in support of the new Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation at Marshall University.

In addition to investing in the new building, the student organization space in the facility will be named in honor of United Bank for their support of Marshall University.

Andrew Dawson, market president of United Bank’s Huntington market, said that investing in Marshall’s newest academic facility is also an investment in Huntington and the region.

“At United Bank, we are proud to invest in our communities, the state we call home and local students through education. It is important to invest in the new College of Business because of how pivotal Marshall University and the College of Business are to the local and regional economy,” Dawson said. “Marshall is integral in educating and training the next generation of talent in the region. Once graduates enter the workforce, it is going to raise the talent level in the region. We will begin to see an influx of high-level students and professionals to the region because of this significant investment in high-quality business education.”

Dr. Ron Area, chief executive officer of the Marshall University Foundation, added that it is strong partners like United Bank that are helping make the vision of this new facility a reality.

“The key to the success of the new College of Business facility is our partnership with local and regional businesses that will help us grow and provide a strong measure of support for Marshall’s students,” Area said. “United Bank is a great example of one of those partnerships. We thank them for stepping up and investing in Marshall and its students.”

Originally founded in Parkersburg in 1839, United Bank maintains a deep commitment to the communities it serves and a strong presence in its founding state, where its holding company, United Bankshares Inc., is the largest publicly traded company in West Virginia, headquartered in the state capital of Charleston. With nearly 250 locations and 3,000 employees throughout West Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast, United Bank has a history of safe, sound and secure banking practices dating back more than 180 years.

Heading up United Bank’s relationship with Marshall’s home in Huntington, Dawson has his own roots in this community. A 2008 graduate of Marshall’s College of Business, Dawson has spent the past 15 years with United Bank and is excited to see the new business facility open its doors in 2024.

“The new College of Business will bolster the local community, Tri-State and entire state by providing a new level of education to graduates,” Dawson said. “The graduates will be ready to enter the workforce and make an immediate impact on the companies where they begin their careers.”

The new state-of-the-art facility is currently being built in the 1400 block of 4th Avenue on a plot of land that formerly housed the Flats on 4th apartment complex. It is scheduled to open in January of 2024.

The building, which will also serve as a center for the economic development of the region, will provide conference facilities capable of hosting both small and large business gatherings. Additionally, the building will serve as the hub for student-centric activities, providing students not only with instructional facilities but also facilities encouraging interaction and collaboration.

As students return home for the summer, Marshall faculty, staff, alumni and community partners are once again joining forces for the second annual Community Cares Week: Giving Back to the Herd from May 23-26.

In the event’s inaugural year, 451 volunteers contributed a total of 1,240 hours of service doing landscaping, painting, pressure washing, deep cleaning and completing other special projects.

Marshall University President Brad D. Smith said the event is all about pitching in time and effort to help the university we all call home.

“Last summer, our campus and community came together to embrace the idea of seeking creative ways to support worthwhile causes by donating our time, our talent or our treasure,” Smith said. “The idea emerged to tap into the amazing talent in our community and enlist an investment of time to assist us with completing some projects across our campus. Our first Community Cares Week was born, and it was an amazing success.”

Matt James, executive director of alumni relations, said the event truly encompasses the idea of the Marshall family, so it’s especially important for alums to take part.

“Events like these are critical because our alumni are the lifeline of our Marshall family,” James said. “As President Smith says, ‘Marshall for all, Marshall forever!’ Our alumni are forever a part of our family, and they play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our institutional goals. We need ‘all hands-on deck’ for this year’s Community Cares Week—specifically, from our Herd alumni network around the world.”

The Marshall University Alumni Greater Annapolis Area Chapter formed earlier this year and has hit the ground running with its involvement in Community Cares Week being the chapter’s second event. The first event was a meet and greet on April 22.

“It was really important for our chapter to participate as our leadership team felt it was an opportunity for us to support the university by giving back to the community even many miles away,” said Megan Barbour, chapter president. “The Marshall family cared about each of us during our time at the university so it’s our turn to show we care about the community of Marshall.”

The Annapolis chapter will volunteer at the Kenneth R. Dunn Municipal Pool at Truxtun Park, which is gearing up for its summer season.

“The pool we are volunteering to clean at is always full of high school students and we hope our volunteering there continues to spread the word of Marshall and encourages young persons to be curious, explore their educational options and maybe find their college family in Huntington at Marshall,” Barbour said.

Down in the South, the Marshall University Alumni Association Raleigh-Durham Chapter will provide travel kits to its local USO, based at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, North Carolina. The chapter is also encouraging local teachers to send artwork or notes from their students to share with the military personnel.

“North Carolina is home to several military bases, including Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the country,” said Barbara White, chapter president and chair of the chapters committee of the Marshall University Alumni Association board of directors. “For many of us, we want to give back to people who make so many sacrifices for our country, and as Marshall grads, we realize that some of these members are from our home state, or perhaps even Marshall alumni given that we have an active ROTC program.  It’s a small way to say, ‘thank you for your service.’”

White said Annette Green, a member of the MUAA board of directors, identified the need for the travel kits and shared the idea with the chapter leadership team. Green is a USO volunteer at the RDU Airport and is spearheading this project in addition to her regular activities as a USO volunteer.

Members of the chapter’s leadership team will collect funds to purchase, assemble, transport and deliver the items to USO officials.

Back home in Huntington, the Marshall University Greater Huntington Alumni Chapter will contribute to an array of projects on Marshall’s campus.

Jill Jackson, co-president of the chapter alongside Melissa Blatt, said it was essential for the recently reestablished chapter to take part in Community Cares Week.

“It’s been my goal since I joined the MUAA board to relaunch the chapter,” Jackson said. “For this to be one of our first projects is just the perfect opportunity to be together. I want this chapter to be the flagship chapter as Marshall is right in our backyard and as such, we need to be involved with events like this.”

Other contributing alumni chapters include the Marshall Alumni of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Myrtle Beach Marshall Alumni Chapter, Marshall University Black Alumni, Marshall University Southern Coalfields Alumni & Big Green Chapter, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Alumni Chapter, Eastern Panhandle Alumni Chapter, and Society of Yeager Scholars Alumni Chapter. More than 80 volunteers from among the chapters will participate.