April 30, 2012
Annemarie Carey ’82CBA knows a thing or two about being a fan of
the Red Storm.
She’s been a member of the St. John’s community for over
30 years, first as a student-athlete on the Swimming team and then
as an administrator in the Office of Athletic Development. After
receiving her B.S. in Marketing, she was hired by the University in
1983 to help launch the Red White Club – the premier giving society
for supporters of Red Storm sports.
“Back in the ’70s, a lot of our alumni had started up an unofficial
fan club, but it wasn’t run by the University,” Carey explained.
“So we knew that there was a strong interest among our fans to join
that type of a group, which is what led us to creating the Red
White Club. It’s grown into one of the best ways for alumni and
friends to get involved and give back.”
The Red White Club allows members to contribute gifts that have an
immediate and tangible impact on all 17 of the University’s men’s
and women’s Division I sports programs. Depending on your giving
level, you can also take advantage of a number of exclusive
benefits, including dinner with coaches, road trips with the Men’s
Basketball team, priority parking and first dibs on tickets.
“The benefits have continued to grow,” Carey said, “and it’s always
fun to watch fans take advantage of these great opportunities. For
example, some of our members went with the Men’s Basketball team on
their road trip this past season to Kentucky, and they got to meet
Special Assistant Gene Keady. That was really awesome and such a
cool and unique opportunity for the fan.”
But, as Carey is quick to point out, the most rewarding benefit of
the Red White Club is knowing that you’ve made a difference in the
lives of St. John’s student-athletes.
“We all got a great education here at St. John’s, and now it’s our
turn to give back,”Carey said. “The Vincentian Mission is so
crucial to what we do here at the University, and the Red White
Club is our chance to put that spirit of service into action. Our
support helps to give these young men and women the best equipment
and facilities possible, in addition to scholarship assistance and
help with their academics. That’s really the crucial part.”
Carey cites the University’s family atmosphere as one of the major
reasons that alumni and friends feel so connected to St. John’s.
She remains in close contact with many of her old friends and
former teammates from the Swimming team and has consistently
remained involved on campus.
“The athletic aspect was my main connection to the University,” she
noted. “But I’ve noticed that everyone has a similar link, whether
it be a fraternity, sorority, yearbook, newspaper, athletics –
there are so many shared memories and experiences that keep us
wanting to come back and stay close.”
Throughout her career, Carey has seen a number of changes take
place on campus, and she points to the Residence Village, the
D’Angelo Center and St. Thomas More Church as perfect examples of
why it’s so important to support the University.
“When I bring people back to campus, they can’t believe that this
is the same University,” she noted. “It’s the support of alumni and
friends that keeps improving St. John’s, in terms of academics and,
of course, our athletics. It’s a wonderful place with a great
sports tradition, and it’s only getting better.”