Communications

AOP's new officers enjoyed fellowship with some of the organization's members at a Meet & Greet on August 7 in Hattiesburg. Shown are (l-r) AOP president Geneal Washam, recording secretary Cory Williams, president-elect Gayle Sollfrank, Melissa Carpenter, Tamara Miller, vice-president Aretas Squire, and treasurer Cindy Walker.

Aretas Squire will chair our Ways and Means Committee, and Tamara will serve on that committee as well.

AOP's semi-annual newsletter, The Voice, received the Rachel Maynard Award for Excellence in Communication from the National Association of Educational Office Professionals. The announcement was made at their annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Congratulations!

We are proud and honored to have received First Place recognition for our website from the National Association of Educational Office Professionals! The announcement was made at their annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Thank you to all who provided content to keep the website current and relevant!

We are excited to announce that Cynthia Crosby is our winner for the Split the Pot fundraiser. The fundraiser will support three members' attendance at the National Association of Educational Office Professionals 2024 Annual Conference. We want to thank everyone who participated in this fundraiser. Congratulations, Cynthia!

The Southern Miss chapter of the Association of Office Professionals  is recently announced that five of its current and former members have been elected to serve in leadership positions for the Mississippi Association of Educational Office Professionals (MAEOP). Read the full news release here!

During the Cards for Caring program in December, USM AOP in Hattiesburg helped USM’s Sigma Alpha Lambda chapter with writing 163 cards for residents at nursing homes in Petal and Hattiesburg. In addition, AOP members on the Gulf Coast wrote cards for the U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport and three other long-term care facilities on the Coast.

Thanks to the generous cash and food donations to the Forest General Cancer Center Snack Fund, AOP was recently able to deliver free snacks for patients undergoing cancer treatment. To have something pleasant, such as a cookie or chips, during such an unpleasant time can bring comfort to patients in need.

Working with the Wesley Foundation and Sigma Alpha Lambda, the USM Association of Office Professionals distributed home-baked cakes and cookies to USM’s international students who are staying in Hattiesburg for the holidays. The Home-baked for the Holidays program, in its fourth year, helps bring joy to those far from home. We hope we made your holidays a little brighter! (image courtesy WDAM)

We all know that seniors in our area are in need. AOP recently provided some holiday cheer as well as necessities to seniors in a local nursing home, thanks to the generosity of its members and the Southern Miss community.

THANK YOU to the generous people who donated coats and other outerwear for our international students during our Coats for Comfort drive. Over 40 garments will be keeping them warm this winter! We would also like to acknowledge Town & Country Cleaners in Hattiesburg for their donation of cleaning for all the pre-owned coats.

Food insecurity is a reality. We need to help our students succeed. AOP put out the call, and people responded. In November, we delivered several boxes of food to the Eagles Nest Food Pantry on the Hattiesburg campus. Thank you for helping to make this food drive a success!