One of the great things about living in metro DC is CAN - the Capital Alumni Network. CAN is most known for the intercollegiate alumni sports leagues it has - flag football, softball, basketball, and volleyball. They also have numerous activities that range from happy hours to nights at professional sporting events to happy hours to other sporting functions to pre/post season parties...you get the picture?
There has to be about 100 colleges involved in CAN. It's such a great way to network, meet other alums and just meet people in general. You start seeing the same faces at all different kinds of events and it's fun. Since I'm a Purdue alum and I participate in the sports teams, I am, in a way, a part of CAN. However, because I do a lot of stuff outside of CAN, with or without Purdue alums, CAN is not a part of me.
Let me explain. CAN had a golf outing this past weekend - about 35 schools participated. Purdue was able to get a foursome together (just barely) and we had a decent outing. But that's not the point. The point was that for this outing, I'm sure it took A LOT of planning so there was a planning committee - but then at the end of it, and in the programs, they had a page full of volunteers. These were the people that made sure the buckets were filled with drinks, ice was available, drive around the course to make sure everyone was doing ok, etc. That's great that they found volunteers from all different schools but I have to wonder - when it's 95 degrees, extremely HUMID and a Saturday, where do these volunteers come from? My guess is that CAN is a part of them. I didn't hear of an email going out to the schools asking for volunteers for the event so I'm assuming that these are a set group of people that will jump at the opportunity to lend a helping hand with CAN. (By the way, CAN is a non-profit; non-revenue generating organization.) Cause I know if an email did go out to the Purdue club asking for volunteers, all they would've gotten in response....crickets.
It's not just with the golf outing but it just seems like CAN is a way of life for some of the folks involved. If they're not on the board, they're planning an event. If they're not planning an event, they're helping out with another event. If they're not helping, they're drinking under a banner, at a bar, with CAN written all over it. If you take the CAN out of these people, then what do you have left? My guess - a pile of dust.
I'm not knocking them (really), because without them, none of this would be possible. But I have to wonder also, is it possible to have a regular life and do other stuff with CAN on the side or is running CAN really like having a second job?
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I think these are the same people who did the pep squad, yearbook staff, newspaper, student council, whatever, in high school. It's not my bag, but I guess I'm glad there are some go getters out there.
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