Care Package

The wing-parent network is one of the programs available for alumni of Patrick Henry College to stay involved with the students. I never had much of a relationship with the wing-parents of any of my wings as a student. Actually, I don't think there were any my first year. Probably weren't enough college-friendly, fiscally stable, wanting to net-work alumni in existence in '06. College was only founded in '00, which means there would have only been two classes of 4-year students and two classes of transfer-only students.

Anyway, I don't have much of an idea of what the students would want from a wing-parent these days. Some wings (not ours, but some) had parents who offered them access to kitchens so they could do some much-missed baking. That was much envied among the women's wings. Still, the new building opened the semester after I left, and it's got a student kitchen, so I'm guessing that's not something they need anymore.

There are, however, certain universal needs. Candy, popcorn, and hot chocolate... all good things. Fruit candies for those who don't eat chocolate (there's always one). Lint rollers are very useful for those who have limited time to do laundry and need to be in business casual every day. Sticky notes? No student could ever could get enough of them. And, since the RA says she did her wing in teal, pink, and yellow, I found some useful items to match the theme; a pink tote bag, teal hand towels, and a sprig of gold flowers.

I'm meeting the RA tomorrow. I already told her enough of my history at the college to feel as if I'm not hiding anything from her. Keeping that upbeat and light was a challenge, but I think I managed, and we can move on now. I need to write up a note for the wing before I deliver the package and, when I'm there, it would be a good idea to count how many students there are, and take down their names. It'll be advantageous for midterm and holiday presents, which I hope to personalize, at least a little.

So, I'm hoping to have fun with this and I'm looking forward to it rather a lot. It'll be great to get into the swing of things. Probably won't have much interaction with the students themselves, but trying to plan out gifts is a ton of fun.