Annual Fund Re-Established To Replace Kingdom’s 85-Year-Old Hardwood Floors
By Kenneth Jacobsen AD ‘66
Wishing all the Alumni and Brothers of the Alpha Delta chapter of Chi Phi a happy and prosperous year!
I have always heard that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and this is certainly true when you enter Chi Phi’s front door. I was always taken back at how impressive the club rooms looked when entering the house. These original 1932 hardwood floors are in need of replacement and cannot be refinished again. Hence, as we re-launch our annual campaign, we are designating the funds we receive this year to replace the hard wood floors. Click HERE if you’d like to make a contribution.
When we considered the scope of the original $2.0 million renovation, one of the important items on the list was the replacement of the entry foyer, club rooms and library hardwood floors. However, the actual $1.3 million budget in pledges and financing could not cover this cost, so it was moved to Phase II. When the house renovations were completed and we recolonized in 2013 to reopen the fraternity, all major Phase I renovations were completed, and the house was refurnished. You can read a terrific story that describes the success – http://onwardstate.com/2013/12/04/os-cribs-fraternity-edition-chi-phi/.
Note that when we embarked on the original Campaign for Alpha Delta, we suspended the annual campaign to focus everyone’s efforts on the capital we needed for renovations. As the campaign, renovations and pledge collections were drawn out for several years, the Board was willing to forego everyone’s annual $50-$100-$250 contributions to ensure that enough was raised and collected so we could actually keep the Kingdom.
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Here we are, 5 years after our grand re-opening, and we need an Annual Campaign more than ever, and this year, we need a little more than usual. Our annual campaign goal is to raise $50,000 to cover the floor replacement ($35,000-$40,000), and fund some minor maintenance projects, kitchen equipment replacements, and ensure that alumni relations and communications efforts are restored to previous levels. Please make an annual contribution, and consider stretching a little as a sort of 10-year catch-up so we can get the new floors done this summer. Certainly, a contribution of $1,000 or more will put your name on a stone that will forever be part of the gorgeous front patio as a reminder of your outstanding commitment, so if you missed the opportunity in the original campaign, now is your chance!
Kenneth Jacobsen, AD’66
House Association Board & Construction Advisor