Connemara Board members visit was a great success.
Connemara West Board Members Paddy Kane, Cathy Keane, Breda Coneys and Gerard Coyne recently visited the United States. They came to celebrate CW Board Chairperson Kevin Heanue's honorary Doctorate of Letters from and commencement speech for Lourdes University. They stayed for ten days and had a productive visit.
Most of their time was spent in Grand Rapids. They arrived on Wednesday, May 9th. Friends of Connemara members joined them for a refreshments after they had a chance to get settled in to their hotel rooms. The evening ended with a first time visit and late night dinner in an American 24 hour diner!
The following day we all visited Meijer Gardens. It was a bit cloudy and cool but a great day. That evening the Friends of Connemara hosted a reception for local business, community and education leaders in Aquinas College's Holmdene, the mansion that houses the President's office and several administration functions. Many new friendships were made as well as connecting with Tully Cross alumni.
On Friday we all loaded up and went to Lourdes University. FOC Chairperson Carl Kelly, with Ed and Betsy Kettle met with President Mary Ann Gawelek, Vicki Stouffer, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and Terry Keller, Dean of the College of Education and Humanities. We later attended the Baccalaureate Mass. After the Masters graduation ceremony we were invited by President Galewek as her guest to a reception in their athletic facility. We had a wonderful time, meeting Lourdes faculty and board members. Later FOC members and a couple of Aquinas faculty members went out to eat. Every restaurant we tried was full. So we ventured on.
At one point because of traffic we lost our AQ friends. We turned into a local plaza and found a Mexican restaurant. And who do you thinks was there already? Magical.
We arose early on Saturday to get ready for the graduation ceremonies for undergrad students. This is when Kevin was awarded his Doctor of Letters degree and gave a motivating speech to the graduates. It was an honor for all of us to be there for the ceremony. Shortly after we hit the road for Grand Rapids.
The rest of the week was filled with shopping, touring and getting together with old friends. On Monday, May 14 Sam and Janene Cummings hosted the group in Saugatuck, a beautiful town along Lake Michigan. They enjoyed a nice lunch, vitited the art community and ended with a boat ride along the shoreline. That evening Creston Brewery hosted a "reunion" of Tully Cross alumni. It was amazing. People representing every decade showed up. Lot's of hugs and tears and mostly laughs.
The next day the CW folks went shopping and touring a bit. They made a visit to the Dominican Center at Marywood to visit Sister Alice. It was an emotional experience for everyone. We concluded the day with a back yard barbecue dinner and wrap up meeting. We agreed it was a successful trip and an important step forward on the fund development work.
Following are photos from the visit.
Most of their time was spent in Grand Rapids. They arrived on Wednesday, May 9th. Friends of Connemara members joined them for a refreshments after they had a chance to get settled in to their hotel rooms. The evening ended with a first time visit and late night dinner in an American 24 hour diner!
The following day we all visited Meijer Gardens. It was a bit cloudy and cool but a great day. That evening the Friends of Connemara hosted a reception for local business, community and education leaders in Aquinas College's Holmdene, the mansion that houses the President's office and several administration functions. Many new friendships were made as well as connecting with Tully Cross alumni.
On Friday we all loaded up and went to Lourdes University. FOC Chairperson Carl Kelly, with Ed and Betsy Kettle met with President Mary Ann Gawelek, Vicki Stouffer, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and Terry Keller, Dean of the College of Education and Humanities. We later attended the Baccalaureate Mass. After the Masters graduation ceremony we were invited by President Galewek as her guest to a reception in their athletic facility. We had a wonderful time, meeting Lourdes faculty and board members. Later FOC members and a couple of Aquinas faculty members went out to eat. Every restaurant we tried was full. So we ventured on.
At one point because of traffic we lost our AQ friends. We turned into a local plaza and found a Mexican restaurant. And who do you thinks was there already? Magical.
We arose early on Saturday to get ready for the graduation ceremonies for undergrad students. This is when Kevin was awarded his Doctor of Letters degree and gave a motivating speech to the graduates. It was an honor for all of us to be there for the ceremony. Shortly after we hit the road for Grand Rapids.
The rest of the week was filled with shopping, touring and getting together with old friends. On Monday, May 14 Sam and Janene Cummings hosted the group in Saugatuck, a beautiful town along Lake Michigan. They enjoyed a nice lunch, vitited the art community and ended with a boat ride along the shoreline. That evening Creston Brewery hosted a "reunion" of Tully Cross alumni. It was amazing. People representing every decade showed up. Lot's of hugs and tears and mostly laughs.
The next day the CW folks went shopping and touring a bit. They made a visit to the Dominican Center at Marywood to visit Sister Alice. It was an emotional experience for everyone. We concluded the day with a back yard barbecue dinner and wrap up meeting. We agreed it was a successful trip and an important step forward on the fund development work.
Following are photos from the visit.
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