As chair of the alumni committee this year, I am writing to share with you the exciting programming we have planned for the upcoming year and to encourage you to renew your membership with Leadership Howard County (LHC).

Whether you graduated from Leadership Howard County five years ago or twenty years ago, the program broadened your knowledge of our community. It connected you to a diverse network of community leaders and enhanced your community involvement. LHC recognizes that these benefits are ongoing and extend beyond your class program. As community leaders and life-long learners, we need to stay informed, connected and engaged.

Now is the time to renew your membership. With membership renewal, you reap the benefits of a full listing in the annual membership directory and reduced prices for general membership meetings and special events. Again this year, we are offering members the opportunity to pay their dues online at www.leadershiphc.org. With our on-line renewal, paying your dues has never been easier!

During these challenging economic times, our board has been actively reviewing all our activities and making sure we continue to bring you the top notch speakers on relevant topics; provide the opportunities for interacting with your fellow graduates and of course continue with the finest programming for our youth, emerging leaders and established leaders as we have for the past 24 years.

We are asking each of you to consider an additional contribution to our organization this year with your dues. On the attached invoice, youll see the contribution box that enables you to add to your donation this year it can be a personal contribution or from your organization. This tax deductible gift will go a long way to help us keep our scholarships available and to remain strong and continue to provide you and our Howard County community with the best programming and community support we can.

Please renew your membership now and plan to be actively involved in the coming year. When you do, you will also help sustain LHC and our role of developing community leaders. Ill look forward to seeing you at the kick-off breakfast on September 25^th featuring UMBC President Dr. Freeman Hrabowski.

Sincerely,
Caroline Sherman (LHC 2005)
Chair, General Membership Executive Committee

" As an advocate for social services in the Howard County community, I am certain this experience will be of great benefit to me in my personal and professional contributions. "

Sabina Taj
Columbia Foundation
Class of 2005