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May I take your pledge?

It was a cold dreary winter day. Grey clouds, rain and drizzle, and a blistery wind made the hair on my neck stand up from the chill. There was little hope that this Saturday would distinguish itself from countless other weekends. But deep within the recesses of the KERA studios, there was more action than on the set of a James Bond movie.

On Saturday March 18th, 2006 the University of Minnesota Alumni Association – North Texas Chapter members converged on KERA studios for their pledge drive. It was also a good day to promote the University of Minnesota, as KERA did turn on their camera to cast images of Gophers over the airwaves into the DFW TV land. When our merry band of volunteers arrived, we had a few moments to network and socialize before being whisked away for training to answer phone calls and accept pledges. KERA is a non-profit organization that relies on viewer contributions to survive. So as to identify us on camera, we all wore Maroon and Gold.  There was also a visit from Goldy in the KERA studios (see picture). During our shift, KERA aired two different segments: Making Your Fortune Online with Marsha Collier and Rick Steves’ Europe Classics. Volunteerism is powerful. Such grass roots efforts build and strengthen our nation, and can also be both fun and good for networking.

I would like to thank the volunteers for a good showing for what I think is a first time ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In addition, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association – North Texas Chapter would like to thank KERA, especially Barbara Wharton and Kimberly Campbell for helping us pull this off and make this an excellent event for the North Texas Chapter.

Harald Mallwitz, ‘84

UMAA – North Texas Chapter