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As the flowers begin to bloom and the leaves on the trees begin to bud I can't help but think of what opportunities exist for each of us this spring and summer. People who grow flowers know that the investment they put into preparing their gardens in the fall and winter helps to achieve success in a beautiful garden in the spring and summer. The same is true for each of us in Alpha Phi Omega. We need to spend time investing in our individual futures as well as our Fraternity's future. This article addresses some of the opportunities you can invest in over the coming months to help you and your chapter become more successful.

The first investment opportunity is having chapter members plan to attend the SERVE course. The course helps you:

• develop a strong friendship program in your chapter
• understand and implement an effective program planning process
• connect with fellow Brothers in their quest for improvement

A second investment opportunity is to participate in Spring Youth Service Day this April 15-17, 2005. Participation is an investment in your community by helping the youth of our nation.

A third investment opportunity is to encourage graduating seniors to become Life Members of the Fraternity before graduation. This helps individuals stay in touch with APO after graduation. Chapters may want to invest in APO by giving Life Memberships as awards for their outstanding Pledges or Actives. Big Sibs could invest in their Little Sibs by giving a Life Membership as a gift upon initiation. Sections could give a Life Membership to the Conference Coordinator as a way of saying Thank You for the work of planning the conference.

A final investment opportunity is to invest the time and commitment to actively participate in your sectional conference. Continued learning is a skill that employers look for. Participating in activities beyond your campus/chapter is a demonstrable behavior that you are committed to learning and one that you can capitalize on by adding the event to your resume or discussing in an interview.

INVESTING in Alpha Phi Omega takes many forms and most times has the added benefit of helping you as an individual. I encourage you to think about your investment opportunities. Cultivate all the learning opportunities you can while in APO. Your professional garden (marketability in the work world) will be more fruitful through cultivating your ground today.

In Service/In Brotherhood,
Fred

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