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Home > Featured Stories > Outside the Classroom > September 2008 > Celebrating a Decade of NC State FamiliesCelebrating a Decade of NC State Families
Each year, NC State's Office of Parents & Families Services coordinates a pregame party for Wolfpack students and their families – one of which will be honored during halftime of the football game with the university's Family of the Year Award.
By Kim Kroll
NC State University loves a good story. In fact, Chancellor James L. Oblinger has called upon University students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends to tell their stories - stories of support, perseverance, and accomplishments - so everyone can see how members of our family contribute to our communities, our state, our nation and the world.
Since 1999, hundreds of NC State students have told very special personal stories through the Family of the Year Award program, which honors all NC State families. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the award, the Office of Parents & Families Services will host a special dinner on Friday, Sept. 26, during Parents & Families Weekend to honor all previous award recipients and collectively present their stories.
"Winning the NC State Family of the Year is definitely on our family's list of top favorite memories," said Mary Winn and Lauren Killough (2000), who both met their future husbands while at NC State. "Our mom, who was so influential in our lives, passed away a little over two years ago after a long battle with cancer, but she and Dad had the best time celebrating with us that weekend – we can still see her smiling face."
Each fall, undergraduate students are invited to write essays highlighting their families' support for their education and the University. The recipient and his or her family receive a special invitation to Parents & Families Weekend and will be recognized by the Chancellor during a special on-field presentation at the weekend's football game.
Hundreds of students have honored their families with nominations since the award's inception - many submitting touching stories of unconditional love and support.
Alysondria Campos (2007), wrote about her father's passion to stay involved with she and her siblings' daily lives during three tours of duty in Iraq, while this year's winner, Chris Goddell, wrote of how his parents manage to stay heavily involved in their children's lives at NC State and participate in on-campus activities, even though they live more than 800 miles from Raleigh.
The Goodells are active members of the Parents' Council and have attended Parents & Families Weekend for six consecutive years with Chris and his sister Kylie, a 2008 NC State grad.
"Being able to call my family the 'Family of the Year' is second only to being able to call them my family," Chris said.
These stories, as well as many others, are just a few examples of what Parents & Families Weekend is all about and why families and the role they play in their students' lives are essential components of the NC State experience.
Parents & Families Weekend is scheduled for September 26-28, and more than 2,000 NC State students, parents, and family members are expected to attend the event.
Editor's Note: Kim Kroll is assistant director of campus activities for parents and families services at NC State University.
