Happy New Year,

2008 was a great year for the Windy City Rattlers and we hope the same was true for you! FAMUans have a lot to be proud of as 2008 was a banner year for the University and our Chicago Alumni Chapter. This newsletter highlights some of our accomplishments and outlines our vision for 2009 - the year of CHANGE. We hope that you enjoy this newsletter as it is a key priority for us this year to drive membership through more professional and consistent communications. Please do help us connect with other Chicago based Rattlers by forwarding this to others. Here's to a great year and we look forward to seeing you soon!  

CHANGE Begins with YOU In 2009!

Windy City Rattlers, 2008 put us on the map. The election of our 2003 scholarship breakfast speaker, President Obama, has all eyes on Chicago. Barack has inspired us to be a force for positive change and with over 500 Rattlers in the Chicago area; we have more than enough capacity to create change in many areas. 2008 also saw a renewed interest in Chicago by FAMU as we hosted our new president, Dr James Ammons and his staff for high school visits, corporate networking and recruitment of Chicago's top area scholars. In 2009 we want to continue this positive momentum by:

Increasing our active membership base to 75 Chicago area Rattlers.

This is a modest goal but we know that Chicago is home to one of the largest concentrations of Rattlers outside of the SE region. We want FAMU, potential students, and others in the community to recognize the strength of our chapter through our numbers and our works. Joining is easy. Pay your dues online now at www.windycityrattlers.com/membership. Go the extra mile by helping us to achieve this goal and join the membership committee. Send an email to membership@windycityrattlers.com.

Engaging with the community through volunteer activities and partnerships with other community organizations and alumni associations.

Our first step towards achieving this goal was partnering with KPMG on January 17th for a MLK Celebration of Service project at Robert A. Black School. Check the website for more details. You can also help us continue to "Be the Change we want to see in the world" by joining our Community Relations committee. Send an email to publicrelations@windycityrattlers.com.

Continuing our scholarship support for local high school students.

The cost of attending FAMU, while a great value compared to other institutions, continues to increase and can be challenging for out of state students. We have successfully awarded $4,000 in scholarships for the past few years and we need your donations to continue and increase our support. We've streamlined our fundraising efforts to focus on our Annual Alumni Giving Campaign and made it even easier for you to give. Become a Platinum Rattler by giving your minimum donation along with your annual membership dues. Go to www.windycityrattlers.com for more information and to donate. 

Connecting with alumni, young and old.

We recognize that our alumni association provides a great social outlet for Rattlers of all generations. We ask that you continue to join us for activities such as FAMU Fridays, RattlerNic, FAMU Football in Chicago, and other activities. We need your ideas and energy to execute the activities you are most interested in. Please contact socialevents@windycityrattlers.com to share an idea or join the committee.  

2008 Year in Review  

Rattlers, we had some great times in 2008. If you weren't part of the events below, you'd better ask somebody! (or check the website for pictures)  

April - Chicago Rattler Renaissance with FAMU's 10th President, Dr. James Ammons. Over 200 Rattlers, potential students, and supporters attended this reception hosted by FAMU Alum Lyle Logan at Northern Trust Bank. Several university scholarships were awarded and over $2,000 was raised toward our Annual Alumni Giving Campaign.  

May - Entrepreneurship Seminar - presented by Chicago's own Rattler Entrepreneurs Cliff Goins, Ghian Foreman, Angela Freeman, DeAnna McLeary, and Corey Muhammad. Rattlers and friends from other HBCUs learned valuable tips to pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. 

June - Student Send Off - Recent grads and current students gave Tallahassee bound Chicago grads tips on surviving the highest of seven hills. We also awarded $4,000 in scholarships to deserving students. 

August - Annual RattlerNic. Summer rain couldn't stop us twice! Rattler family and friends from Howard, Spelman and Morehouse fellowshipped by Chicago's great Lake Michigan over BBQ, traditional picnic fixins and Dave Fuller's famous Jive Turkey Dip! 

September - Rattlers partied at Rumba with other Chicago HBCU alumni in the first HBCU Young Professional Event. 

October/November - Rattler Football in Chicago - Thanks to ESPN, we were able to watch FAMU defeat BCC. Special thanks to Steve Hall, Karl Riley, and DeLane Adams for hosting.

December - Annual Holiday Party - The cold weather and ice didn't stop us from celebrating a good year and reminiscing to some classic Bass tunes. Special thanks to Yao Dinizulu and his wife, Sonya for hosting us once again.

All the best,

Monica P. Campbell, Class of 1995
President


Janice Gonzalez, Class of 2004
Vice President

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Chicago Chapter is to serve as a non-profit support organization to Florida A&M University.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Chicago Chapter is to support FAMU through recruiting talented high school students, providing financial resources, and generating goodwill for the university through programs and activities that benefit the Chicago community.

"When the dark clouds gather on the horizon, when the thunder and lightning fill the sky, when fate is but a glimpse in the eye of a fallen RATTLER, and hopes are lost friends. When the sinew of the chest grows weary from the hard charging linebackers, and the muscles of the legs grow tired from those hard charging running backs, you must remember that...the RATTLERS will STRIKE and STRIKE and STRIKE AGAIN!!!""When