Am I an Alumnus?
This is a question often asked by those who have attended Boys Town in Residential Care and completed their program of care prior to graduation.
I have often been asked by individuals who attended one of Boys Town's Residential Programs across the country if they qualify to be an alumnus of the Boys Town National Alumni Association and are eligible to join or partake in events sponsored by the Association. The quick and simple answer is a strong and unequivocal YES! The by-laws of the Alumni Association are very clear on that point.
From Article II, Section 2. Eligibility: Any former boy or girl, whose residential care has been with Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town USA, or affiliate sites, is eligible to be a member of the Association.
The Alumni Association is a welcoming body whose sole purpose is the following:
From Article II, Section 2. Eligibility: Any former boy or girl, whose residential care has been with Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, Boys Town USA, or affiliate sites, is eligible to be a member of the Association.
The Alumni Association is a welcoming body whose sole purpose is the following:
Purpose.....
To keep alive among the alumni, bonds of friendship formed at Boys Town; to assist brother and sister alumni whenever possible;
to maintain closer contacts with, manifest interest in, and foster genuine loyalty toward the home and school;
to promote the general good and welfare of Father Flanagan's Boys' Home by good works, example and words.
What are the benefits of becoming a member of the Alumni Association? Click here to see the full range of membership benefits. To join, click here.
Many alumni have gone on to graduate from high schools in their home towns or have left Boys Town having completed their program of care. The relationships and friendships formed at Boys Town don't stop. Because we have lived together, worked and studied together, played together, a very different bond is cemented than in a regular high school setting. That is what binds us all together as alumni of the the place we have called "Home" whether it be for a short term or through high school graduation. For many of us our Boys Town experience puts us on a new path to success that we may not have otherwise chosen had we not had the good fortune to be placed at Boys Town for whatever the reason that brought us here. This alone makes us all ALUMNI BROTHERS AND SISTERS...because of our common life experience.
As alumni we should all celebrate our relationship, no matter the era, the length of stay, or the reason for placement at Boys Town. Being an alumnus makes us a special group of individuals whose lives have been impacted by the programs Boys Town offers and the friendships that we have cemented through the years. By upholding the noble purpose of the Boys Town National Alumni Association, we are are ensuring that future alumni, graduate and non-graduate, retain the connection to each other and the seminal point in our lives that has made a life-changing difference, our Home, Boys Town.
So to all who have a question as to whether or not you are eligible to be an alumnus, I hope this answers your question and encourages you to become active and involved in the Association and the activities sponsored by the Association. You are welcomed and encouraged to be a part of a meaningful brotherhood and sisterhood...you have earned it!
Many alumni have gone on to graduate from high schools in their home towns or have left Boys Town having completed their program of care. The relationships and friendships formed at Boys Town don't stop. Because we have lived together, worked and studied together, played together, a very different bond is cemented than in a regular high school setting. That is what binds us all together as alumni of the the place we have called "Home" whether it be for a short term or through high school graduation. For many of us our Boys Town experience puts us on a new path to success that we may not have otherwise chosen had we not had the good fortune to be placed at Boys Town for whatever the reason that brought us here. This alone makes us all ALUMNI BROTHERS AND SISTERS...because of our common life experience.
As alumni we should all celebrate our relationship, no matter the era, the length of stay, or the reason for placement at Boys Town. Being an alumnus makes us a special group of individuals whose lives have been impacted by the programs Boys Town offers and the friendships that we have cemented through the years. By upholding the noble purpose of the Boys Town National Alumni Association, we are are ensuring that future alumni, graduate and non-graduate, retain the connection to each other and the seminal point in our lives that has made a life-changing difference, our Home, Boys Town.
So to all who have a question as to whether or not you are eligible to be an alumnus, I hope this answers your question and encourages you to become active and involved in the Association and the activities sponsored by the Association. You are welcomed and encouraged to be a part of a meaningful brotherhood and sisterhood...you have earned it!
Go Cowboys!
John Mollison, '64, SecretaryBoys Town National Alumni Association