“Get started now!” That’s the advice for future volunteers from successful Reunion Development Chair Casey Peterson ’03, who partnered with Kristin Putz ’03, to achieve a 27% class participation rate for their Fifth Reunion.

“I have the words, ‘she’ll never turn down a request to volunteer’” stamped on my forehead, says Kristin, who majored in history and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. “Seriously – St. Lawrence gave me so much, both financially and otherwise, that I feel I owe it to other alumni, current students and future students to give back.  So much of my life since graduation has also been affected by St. Lawrence--jobs, friends, homes--that I wanted to continue to give something back to the University and stay connected.”   

Casey credits alumni and parent programs Senior Assistant Director Barbara Knauf with excellent guidance. “She led us through committee recruitment and classmate calling and constantly kept us moving forward,” says Casey, a multi-field major with an economics focus who also earned her graduate degree at St. Lawrence. “All of these factors led to our success.” 

Casey and Kristin connected with many classmates, but the gift Casey remembers best is one made by the donor with a real appreciation for SLU. “It was a demonstration of generosity that is rarely seen at our age,” she says. “It was truly inspiring.”