My involvement with Good Hope began officially in 1996 when I started off as a teacher in the English Department. Since that particular period, I vividly recall the Good Hope connection to an Alumni Association. For some time, regular gatherings were conducted and “members” were called together to celebrate their associations with the school and/or college. This was generally done under the auspices of a duly elected executive committee. Then we experienced a period where the executive committee context was absent, or non-functional, and the school felt compelled to arrange these gatherings in order to retain a semblance of an Alumni association. So I wonder, what is the purpose and objective of such an association, and why can it so easily be down played and devalued?
An Alumni association, I discovered, is intended to fostering “a spirit of loyalty and to promote the general welfare of the organisation”, in our case Good Hope High School and its predecessor, Good Hope College. Further, I found that an Alumni Association’s entire existence is based on its support for the “parent organisation’s goals”. In doing so, it is meant to build and retain a strong bond “between alumni, community, and the parent organisation”. To what extent is this the case in the existence of our Alumni Association?
The Good Hope College Alumni Association, your alumni association, can only be as strong as the members allow it to be. Therefore, in order to fulfill the true purpose of our association, we need to work together towards the establishment of the bond which needs to exist between alumni and institution. This begins with connecting ourselves to our alma mater. After all, this is the reason why we have associations/relationships with one another at later stages in our lives. The doors to these relationships were opened when we were students/learners/colleagues and frequented the halls of Good Hope together. Now it is our duty to give back to our institution by giving of our talents and our time. This is the objective of our association.
God blessed us with whatever it is He placed in our hands. So I ask, “What is that in your hand?” The story of Moses (Exodus 4) reveals an interesting lesson in this regard. Following that particular story, we note that God asked Moses the same question. Moses, in his ignorance about the power of God, responded by stating that it was his staff. Then God instructed Moses to throw that very staff to the ground and turned it into a snake. It is amazing what God can do with that which we have in our hands! Indeed, in the presence of the Most High, whatever we have in our hands can be transformed if we allow God to take control. You hold the key to the success of this Alumni Association with whatever it is that you hold in your hand. If you are prepared to use it to benefit your alma mater, God’s institution, amazing things can happen! When God further instructed Moses to pick up the snake by its tail, it returned to its state as a staff. God wants to change the status of our institution, and He needs your willingness to achieve this objective.
An Alumni Association keeps its members connected with each other and their roots. We cannot grow as an association if we are disconnected from our culture and our heritage. The Good Hope culture is one that kept many of its alumni focussed on the purpose in their own lives. This level of focus needs to be projected into the efforts of this association. When like-minded men and women come together, draw on their resources and share a common goal, they can make a difference! The Good Hope High School legacy is one that needs to live on. This too brings purpose to an Alumni association. We have a legacy. Share it with your children, and your children’s children by keeping the flame alive!
