Alumni will gather Saturday May 10, at 11:30 a.m., to watch BYU baseball take on the San Diego State University Aztecs following the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame Tailgate Party."

The event is complete with a hotdog barbeque catered by J. Dawgs, games and drawings for prizes, which include a $150 gas card and an Apple iPod. Young alumni are invited to bring family and friends to the southeast corner of LaVell Edwards Stadium for this year's Young Alumni Association kick-off event.

This year's theme for the BYU Alumni Association is "Cultivating the Spirit of the Y." The Young Alumni board is using the theme to encourage its members to capture that spirit by participating in the activities they sponsor.

While planning events for the year, the Young Alumni looked for "an event that would really embrace traditions," said Andrew Pete, Young Alumni Association president. "J. Dawgs is a newer tradition for students."

The new board, appointed in January, is looking for ways to better serve their fellow alumni during their term. They have implemented an online survey to better understand what fellow alumni want from them.

Pete also said the board will work on further "creating the policies of the organization."

The Young Alumni Association provides ways for alumni, who have graduated within the last ten years, to stay involved with BYU and stay in contact with old friends. The association also acts as a link between members and other BYU alumni groups, which they work closely with.

In conjunction with the Student Alumni Association, young alumni are invited to "Take a Cougar to Lunch." The program provides an opportunity for students to benefit from the career experiences of an alumnus in a similar field. The experience is also designed to allow professionals help prepare students "to go forth and serve," as noted on the program's website where both the students and alumni can register.

"The great thing about the organization is they are really career oriented," Pete said. Other activities, including career networking, service projects and a football tailgate party for the fall, are being planned.

For those alumni who no longer reside in Utah County, the association's website keeps them connected through local chapters that sponsor and hold activities for the alumni in their own communities.

"What I like about it a lot is that it's keeping the connection with BYU," said Janessa Cloward, a Young Alumni Association board member. "No matter where you go-whether you're in L.A. or D.C.-people recognize BYU."

As many recent graduates look for employment across the country, the Young Alumni can help simply by filling the void recent graduates experience, Pete said.

For more information on the Young Alumni Association and their spring newsletter and survey go to alumni.byu.edu/youngalumni.

Copyright Brigham Young University 9 May 2008