In late 2002, for the first time, the KR Alumni Club secured 2 sponsors for a KR Alumni event, being the 2002 Deans Dinner.  This triggered a new line of thinking in which it was understood that the KR Alumni Club's biggest asset was the alumni themselves.  As a result, the early-2003 KR Alumni Survey was carefully structured to identify alumni willing to help build the Alumni Club by sponsoring events, offering their time, providing access to special people or places, etc.  The response from the survey was overwhelming, in that the KR Alumni Board learned that many alumni were only too willing to help - they just need to be asked!  Based on the knowledge we had built up, the KR Alumni-Helping-Alumni initiative was launched during 2003.   Since then, the Board of the KR Alumni Club have called on the assistance of the KR Alumni in many ways, including the co-sponsoring of alumni events (see below), the strengthening of the KR Alumni Board, and more recently, the introduction of the Kellogg-Recanati Cares initiative, which encompasses community projects managed and manned by KR Alumni.

The KR Alumni Club started a transition during late 2002, when alumni started helping each other in several ways, including co-sponsoring KR Alumni Club events, such as the annual Deans Dinner, as follows:

• 2002 - 2 sponsors
• 2003 - 10 sponsors
• 2004 - 16 sponsors
• 2005 - 16 sponsors
• 2006 - 10 sponsors (yet nearly double the monies raised 'vs' 2005 !)

In total, 40 KR alumni have now co-sponsored a total of 65 times, which is a clear indication of the evolving 'alumni-helping-alumni' culture.

Event co-sponsorship results in subsidized event entry price, and enables KR alumni to receive quality KR and KR Alumni Club branded items.  To date, these have included KR Sweatshirts, KR key-rings, KR beach towels and hand towels, KR sports bags, KR t-shirts, KR camping chairs and KR umbrellas.

The KR Alumni Club recognizes KR alumni who repeatedly help other alumni, by sponsoring club events.  There are 2 levels of recognition, as summarized below.  The KR alumni Club will have its first Silver co-sponsors in November 2004.  

• Gold - Alumni who have co-sponsored a minimum of 5 KR alumni events
• Silver- Alumni who have co-sponsored a minimum of 3 KR alumni events

Congratulations to Ronen Shay (KR01) and Marcel Amariglio (KR02), the first recipients of the KR Alumni Club's Silver Award, in November 2004, to Allan Barkat (KR02) and Uri Wardinon (KR06) for each winning the silver Award in November 2005, and to Ronen Shay (KR01), the first recipient of the Gold Award in December 2006.

Quotes from KR Alumni Club Silver Award winners

'I was delighted to receive the KR Alumni Club's Silver Award, for having sponsored 3 alumni club events, and to have been part of the club's growing Alumni-helping-Alumni culture.   As both a regular event sponsor and an active alumni club Board member, I am especially pleased and proud to see how events are now developing to be more than networking opportunities.  The growing Kellogg-Recanati Cares initiative means that events now also help raise funds and identify volunteers for future community projects, to be 'manned' my KR alumni.  I hope that the KR Alumni Board continues to go from strength to strength, so that it can achieve even more in the future.'

..... Uri Wardinon, KR06, General Manager, Wardinon Textiles Ltd

 ..... Ronen Shay, KR01, General Manager, Hilton Queen of Sheba Hotel, Eilat