Spring 2026 Alumni Service Project

The newly formed Alumni Board Philanthropy Committee, of Bob McMurray '85 and Mason Kaiser '22, have selected their first charitable alliance in support of our new philanthropy service mission: The Alliance for the Great Lakes. The Alliance for the Great Lakes ("AGL") is a 501(c)3 organization that advocates and acts on behalf of the Great Lakes themselves, and their ecosystems, across several states and provinces, both in the United States and Canada. Major issues driving AGL's advocacy are: healthy water infrastructure, agricultural roll-off pollution, plastics pollution, invasive species, and other major challenges. Many of our Illinois chapter alumni, and their families, rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water and for their overall health and well-being. There really is no more important endeavor than protecting the health of the source of our drinking water.

The Philanthropy team is not positioning itself as another fund-raiser but rather to offer Alpha Delta Phi alumni opportunities to gather together in person while performing meaningful service. This spirit of our Alumni Association philanthropy, to be much more than "writing checks", also directly aligns with the sustained mission of our active undergraduate philanthropy which is about developing a lifelong, giving mindset. Being that the idea is to get together in person and serve, there are a great many causes where you can do this and Alliance for the Great Lakes' "Beach Clean-Up" program is a great place to start. To that end, Bob and Mason have created an AGL "Beach Clean-Up" team for a May 9th service project to collect trash off a Chicago beach. We will be hosting the beach cleanup day Saturday, May 9th at North Ave Beach in downtown Chicago starting at 11am CST. We will meet at Ranalli’s in Lincoln Park that morning and reconvene after for lunch. The primary focus of this first Beach Clean-Up event is to connect with the initial Founding Brothers Classes, who have now graduated, and provide an opportunity for them to gather once again; but now in the context of Alpha Delta Phi alumni. Up and down Chicago's beachfront and shoreline is a prime and easy location for many of the recent Founding Brothers, many of whom are now living in Chicago neighborhoods near the lake, to meet up. The group will continue their event with a lunch in Lincoln Park at the conclusion of the Beach Clean-Up.

For more info: 

kaiserm1013@gmail.com

greatlakes.org