Mission Accomplished

Fraters and guests began flooding the Riverwalk as registration opened at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio. Regional meetings and a Leadership Academy Reunion preceded the First Session of the Grand Chapter. There were many special guests welcomed, including Congressman Frater Francisco Canseco (Epsilon-Alpha, Saint Louis Univ.) who addressed all attendees welcoming them to the great city of San Antonio. There was also a biennium review which can be seen on the official TKE YouTube page. One of the largest rituals on record was held to initiate Christopher Ewing, the newest member of TKE.

The first full day of Conclave began bright and early with breakfast. The Teke Institute was on the menu for Friday and attendees were excited to learn about a myriad of topics. They were able to learn from a two-star general, industry experts, prominent volunteers, and, perhaps most importantly, from each other. This environment allows members from coast-to-coast and country to country an unprecedented wealth of knowledge they can tap into. How do you engage alumni? What recruitment practices work for you? How did you become a success? All of these questions and more were addressed by facilitators and Fraters.  

The Awards lunch recognized the Chapters and Fraters who have shown excellence in a variety of categories. A list of chapters and awards they received can be seen on tke.org and in the next edition of The TEKE Magazine. After lunch, and while the next Teke Institute session was going on, the TKE Educational Foundation inducted five Fraters into the Circle of Excellence. They are Paul Caine (Gamma-Kappa, Indiana Univ.), Jim Evans (Gamma-Omega, East Illinois Univ.), Jim Fielding (Gamma-Kappa, Indiana Univ.), Dr. Gregory Geoffroy (Alpha-Chi, Univ. of Louisville), and Roger Underwood (Epsilon, Iowa State Univ.). These men also headlined a Business Leaders Roundtable discussion later in the day that allowed Fraters to ask questions of these prominent members.

Following the third Teke Institute session, Fraters were gathered together to hear from Frater Mark Sterner (Tau-Mu, Johnson & Wales Univ.). If you have not heard his story or want to learn more about how to bring him to your campus, please take a look at his website. After the Business Leaders Roundtable, mentioned earlier, the kick-off to the off-site event commenced.

Buses transported all attendees and their guests to Sunset Station for an evening of fun and camaraderie. Fraters were treated to musical performances by Julius (Jue2) Thomas (Grey & Cherry, Apollo’s Creed) and Brandon Jenkins (Red Dirt Legend). As the night came to a close, the excitement about Building a Better World in San Antonio began to build.

The buses lined up at 7AM local time primed and ready to transport Fraters to three sites in need of service. The first bus to leave was headed to the National Down Syndrome Congress’ Kids Day. The mission here was simple: give parents a day off and show the kids a great time. The pictures say it all. Not only did the kids have fun, but each Frater had a phenomenal experience as well. The only regret was that we didn’t have more time.

The second bus was sent to Sam Houston High School where Fraters were tasked with stuffing information packets for the start of their school year and rebuilding a courtyard in the middle of their school property. They worked exceptionally hard in 100-degree heat to build a fence from scratch, paint a gazebo, mulch and much more. The crew’s efforts were well received by the community.

The last set of buses headed off to the San Antonio Food Bank. Fraters helped sort, package, and store much needed food for the needy in southwest Texas. As the 14^th largest food bank in the United States, these workers labored feverishly to make a dent in the daily needs of this vital service.

Following these service projects, the Second Session of the Grand Chapter commenced. Legislation was discussed and voted on, as well as the slate of 2011-13 Grand Officers. No new changes were made to the Constitution and Bylaws. The Grand Officers were confirmed as:

The Grand Inaugural wrapped up the conference in style. Several of TKE’s top awards were handed out, as well as an address by the new Grand Prytanis Ed Moy. The Order of the Golden Eagle saw two new inductees Frater Bob Planck (Epsilon-Omicron, Univ. of Houston) and Dennis "Buckwheat" Perry (Alpha-Nu, Univ. of New Hampshire). In addition, Frater Mark Scott was named Volunteer of the Year (Pi-Eta, Texas A & M). The complete listing of awards can be found on tke.org and in the next edition of The TEKE Magazine. One of the most exciting announcements was that TKE & St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will partner for a $1 Million Dollar project. Fraters were shown a video to show how this campaign hits home.

The mission of Conclave 2011 to build a better world in the city of San Antonio was accomplished. Fraters helped make a difference at the service projects, learned several tools to bring back to their campus, and networked during the entire week. There is much more that will be expanded upon in the fall edition of The TEKE Magazine. If you would like to share your experience of Conclave 2011, please email us.

If you would like to see more about Conclave 2011, see TKE's Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube Pages.

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