Salem alumni help athletes

SALEM -- Salem High has had an alumni association for 125 years, during which time it has given almost $3,500,000 in college scholarship money to 1,632 students.
The organization solicits and accepts monetary contributions from alumni, and uses only the interest earned from investments to provide college scholarship money for graduating seniors, including for athletics.
The principal invested remains intact so that it can continue to gro and generate interest and scholarship money year after year, and now has increased to more than $5,000,00.
The association, which is operated by volunteer alumni who serve as officers, committee members and on a board of trustees, is considered a model of success for other fledging alumni associations to learn from and emulate.
And it has developed into one of the top high school alumni associations in the United States.
So, if Salem could do it, any high school could do it, believes Helen Potter Hayes, who has been executive office coordinator for the Salem High School Alumni Association for the past nine years and is a 1957 graduate of Salem High.
"The common denominator for all high schools [which] is that all of the alumni would like to find memories, remember the good times, renew old friendships, reestablish ties to the school and give back to the school," said Hayes.
Big contributors help
She said big contributors have helped the Salem association to prosper and grow.
"We have been lucky. We have 16 people who have given big contributions, fairly substantial ones, so that has enabled us to make some big investments," said Hayes. "It is very helpful when you find a big donor."
Hayes said the organization, which leases remodeled office space at 328 East State Street, doesn't charge membership fees and has been successful attracting memorial gifts from alumni for college scholarships.
"I watch these new alumni associations get going and they charge a membership fee which we never have done. Anyone who graduates is a member," said Hayes.
"Another philosophy that really works for us is alumni giving gifts in memory of people. That works well. I don't know how that works for alumni associations starting out, but that's what keeps money coming in here."
Hayes said Salem uses alumni contributions only for college scholarships.
"We give it to the kids as they leave school," said Hayes of the particular model that Salem uses. But she said that other alumni groups may want to also solicit funding for school projects, thus providing a mixed use of incoming money.
Website is big help
She said Salem requests scholarship money from its alumni on its website and also on its printable biannual newsletter, but that it still publishes and prints the newsletter that is mailed to all alumni members who are listed in a permanent computer database.
The website also announces to students college scholarships that are available, and scholarships are presented to recipients each June at the alumni banquet.
Hayes said the key factors in launching a new alumni association are alumni leadership and funding.
"Getting one or more interested alumni together who can provide the funding to start the organization is important," said Hayes, noting that an executive office coordinator like her then can be hired to launch and develop the association according to whatever model the group chooses.
Or volunteers can join together to help start the association and create and design the website.
Wants to help other groups
Hayes said the Salem association is willing to help other interested alumni groups to get started forming their own organizations, and has done so in the past.
She said Salem can help fledging groups with a basic plan, and that the groups also can study and use the Salem website (www.salemohio,com/alumni/) for information and ideas that they can copy or tailor to their own model.
The website consists of 13 links to various information pages, including the printable newsletter, a list of class coordinators, class home pages and an e-mail search page to find graduates.
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Contact information: Salem Alumni Association, 328 East State Street, Salem 44460, telephone: (330) 332-1427, toll-free: 1-877-332-1427, fax: (330) 332-1427, e-mail: shsalumni@salemohio.com, website: ww.salemohio.com/alumni/