Say hello to Katherine Jeanne Little! And congratulations to her proud parents, Brett and Krissy Little! Kate was born on May 25,2008 at 3:51pm. She weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 inches long.

According to doting Dad Brett, "We are doing well. It's impossible to describe. We love her so overwhelmingly, joyfully, perfectly. She's a miraculous gift from God to us. She'a a manifestation of our love, and love has never seemed so perfect or so real. We are blessed."

Please join us all in welcoming Kate to the OSU family and in congratulating Brett and Krissy. Go Kate!

Paying forward

When I came to the Alumni Association four years ago, one of the motivating factors for me in taking this job was the fact that it would give me chance to pay forward for future generations of Buckeyes.

As many of you may know, the concept of paying forward has been one of the bedrock principles that I’ve used in my life. My college football coach Woody Hayes was a firm believer in this idea and it was something I heard him preach and watched him practice. Coach Hayes got the idea of paying forward from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on Compensation. Emerson wrote, “You can pay back only seldom. . . . You can always pay forward and you must pay line for line, deed for deed, and cent for cent.”

These words have always been impactful for me, particularly because I can look back at my life and recognize that any accomplishment I achieved came in part because of the efforts of others. I consider myself an example of how paying forward can help advance a life.

This is why so many of our efforts at the Alumni Association are devoted to paying forward. It is why we decided to support the Recovery School District in New Orleans, an effort that to date has raised nearly $70,000 for kids in need. It is why we decided to make our Alumni Cup golf outing benefit our scholarship endowment, an idea that has led to more than $50,000 in scholarship funds being raised. And it is why I take tremendous pride in the fact that our clubs and societies raise more than $400,000 in scholarship funds each year.

Everywhere you look, you can find ways that the Association, our members, and our constituent groups are paying forward. You probably don’t have to think very hard to come up with ways that your group is helping to do the same. That makes me extraordinarily proud.

The idea of paying forward is also one that is clearly on the mind of Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. I had to smile when I saw his list of six strategic goals and got to goal No. 5, which is “Commit to our Communities.” President Gee recognizes that Ohio State and its alumni do not exist in a vacuum. We are all part of a broader community and being active in these communities is so very important.

This is the type of work that you and your group are doing on a regular basis. You’ve taken a leadership role, which is something that we take note of here at Longaberger Alumni House. So keep the faith, keep up the good work, and let’s keep paying forward to ensure that others will enjoy a bright future.

Purpose of this award
To recognize members of our Alumni Club that have provided faithful, dedicated, & extended service and leadership to our club and The Ohio State University.

• Recipients may be past or present volunteers past or present at the local level.
• Recipient will be the Greater Cincinnati Alumni Club nominee for the OSU Alumni Association Alumni Club Leader Alumni All-Stars Award. The pool of Alumni All-Stars will be used by the Association to choose the 3 Best Buckeye awards given at the annual OSU Alumni Leaders Conference.
• Current dues -paying member of the Alumni Association.
• Current or past club volunteer that has made a "difference" in the club through their volunteer efforts.
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership and faithful, dedicated, & extended service to The Greater Cincinnati OSU Alumni Club, The Ohio State University and the Alumni Association.
• A short bio sketch ( no longer than one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet , typed in 12 pt. font( min.) needs to be submitted and should state clearly why the person should be recognized, describing service to the club.
• Submission of nominees no later than April 19 of each year. Selection made and submitted to University by their ALC award deadline.
• Local award presented to recipient at Annual Dinner (Golf Outing in June).
• Each year a sub committee would be formed to handle the nominations outside the regular club meeting.