"In late May/early June 2021, teams from 12 American University of Beirut (AUB) alumni chapters in North America competed in a trivia tournament.
What was at stake? Bragging rights as “AUB alumni North American trivia champions” and the opportunity to designate an AUB fund to receive the money that was donated to the Battle of the Chapters Prize Fund.
Why did we do it? When the pandemic started in spring 2020, many alumni chapters pivoted quickly to adapt to the new circumstances. They embraced Zoom, organized interesting events, and worked hard to stay in touch.
A year later, because of "pandemic fatigue" and the catastrophic events in Lebanon (e.g., the economic and financial collapse of the country, the August 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion), many in our community were tired and discouraged. We needed some new ideas.
The goal of the trivia tournament was to engage our alumni, connect them with their alma mater in a meaningful way, and raise funds for student scholarships. The results were encouraging: 12 of the 26 alumni chapters in North America participated. In addition, we received donations to the Battle of the Chapters Prize Fund totaling almost $10,000.
More importantly, all of the chapters that participated enjoyed the experience and want to "do it again." We have also heard from many chapters in North America and around the world that they want to participate next time! We are planning to make the 2022 trivia tournament a global event and involve chapters around the world."
From the Judges
The reach and creativity involved in this series was very heartening. They took time to understand the needs of their population while also offering the chance to philanthropically support their community. The logistics of coordinating the tournament across the globe from their participants is an amazing feat!
