Alumni & Friends Celebration with Robin Lee Berry!

(616) 454-9368

Join us for complimentry appetizers and live entertainment from fellow alumna  Robin Lee Berry ('76). 

Cash bar avaialable.

The Old Main Restoration Fund

The Old Main Restoration Fund was established through a generous gift from Harry (’60) and Sandy (’61) Giltz of Canton, Ohio.  The impetus for their philanthropy came after an alumni reunion in 2011 when the couple saw a need to invest in the iconic building.  A second group of alumni, under the guise of the self-coined nickname “Suomi Roomies”, (Classes of 1975-77) also shared in the Glitz’ vision of restoring Old Main.  This group arrived at a decision to support the project through a supplemental fundraising effort, and thus came about “The Race to Restore Old Main.”

“The Race to Restore Old Main” is actually a race within a race with one race literal and the other, figurative.  The literal race is the 37^th Annual Fifth Third River Bank Run to be held in Grand Rapids on Saturday, May 10, 2014.  A group of Suomi Roomies and other alumni/friends will be participating in the run to garner pledges for the figurative race – that which will help the restoration of Old Main, the beloved and much storied iconic landmark of Suomi College/Finlandia University.

The crux of the agenda is for a large group of alumni to pledge to race participants to raise money for good ‘ol Old Main. There is yet a third race – that of the race participants to see who can bring in the most pledge money.  Think about it: if each race participant is able to receive modest pledges of $10 from 20 people, they each will be producing $200 to this fundraising initiative.  The bottom line is that the Grand Rapids area alumni can make a significant cumulative contribution and set the tone for other alumni groups to help the Old Main cause.

And hey, if the race or pledging a runner isn’t your thing, just come to the Alumni & Friends event at Brann’s Steakhouse and Sports Grille the night before the race for food, music and beverages.  You can make a contribution at that time as well. 

I can't make the event, but I'd like to make a donation to the Old Main Restoration Fund.