The club is led by a Board of Directors whose members are elected from the general club members during the annual meeting held in the spring. There are also several committees made up of club members that help plan the club’s activities. Open board meetings are held every second Thursday of the month at the Riverview Library (14300 Sibley Rd., about ¼ mile west from Fort St.)
Events
Spring Dinner Meeting
The club holds an annual meeting to elect officers, present scholarships, and to recruit prospective high school juniors to apply to attend Michigan. We invite high school juniors from each of the several Downriver high schools as our guests. They hear from a prominent U-M alumnus, professor, or coach who encourage them to attend college and particularly U-M. A member of the Undergraduate Admission Office provides advice on applying and gives them insights on the selection process. A scholarship recipient from the previous year tells about her or his freshman year.
Volunteer Events
Club members volunteer at various functions and nonprofits throughout the year. Previous activities have included helping at the local Gleaners food bank in Taylor and adopting a family and providing them with gifts during the holidays.
Family Events
Our members and guests can attend family oriented events during the year. We have visited the Detroit and Toledo Zoos, gone ice skating, and plan on attending a Detroit Tigers ball game.
Football Tailgate and Watch Parties
The club has a reserved space in the Pioneer High School parking lot within an easy walk to the stadium where members and guests socialize before and after every home football game. We enjoy a complete breakfast for noon games and a delicious dinner before 3:30 games. We usually enjoy a light snack after every game, weather permitting. For aways games we gather at a local sports bar or club to cheer our beloved Wolverines to victory over those despised rivals. We share the cost of pizza but drinks are on your own.
Theater and Dinner
Every fall and spring club members and their guests venture to Ann Arbor to enjoy musical theater productions performed by students of the Musical Theater Department. In our experience these productions rival anything you’d see in New York. After the performances we usually enjoy a complete buffet dinner at the Cottage Inn where we hear from a few of the cast members.
Beat ohio state Bust
Join members and guests at our annual event to cheer the Wolverines to a victory over our most intense rival. We try to conduct ourselves in a civil manner but be ready to smash a few buckeye nuts with special buckeye smashing hammers. We gather at a local banquet hall (usually the Lakes of Taylor) to enjoy pizza, salad, drinks and cake and coffee while we hear from former players and coaches. They provide interesting and amusing stories about playing in past games, even the 1950 “snow bowl.” Door prizes are awarded and a silent auction of an autographed football or other Michigan memento. Any proceeds from this event are donated to MFAN, Michigan Football Alumni Network. This non-profit organization helps former football players network for employment advice and opportunities and provide some help with finances if needed.
Other Events
We are always open to ideas for new events. We’d especially invite young members to attend our open board meetings with their ideas to engage recent graduates. If you want to make a suggestion or even organize an event please email our president, Steve VanEvery: [email protected] .
Photos of Previous Events
Visit the WEB page: https://uofmclubofdownriver.shutterfly.com
to view many photos of our past events.