Staying involved with the Parents Leadership Council

By: Lindsay Morris

Lisa Hallam (BBA ’91) and her husband, Kevin Hallam (BBA ’91), met at one of his fraternity’s parties while they both were sophomores at the University of Georgia. Over 25 years of marriage later, their involvement with UGA continues to bring them closer.

Both of them have served for about a year on the Parents Leadership Council, an organization of parents who are eager to contribute to the university and support student-serving organizations. Members of the council give a minimum gift of $5,000 annually, attend meetings and allocate funds to student-serving organizations on campus.

The Hallams are a tight-knit family, and both of their children currently attend UGA. Their son, Davis, is a junior, and their daughter, Caroline, started as a freshman this August. It was important to Lisa and Kevin that they stayed involved with their children’s education as they started college.

Kevin had been on the board of the foundation supporting his children’s high school in Norcross, Georgia for the seven years their family had a child in attendance there. He said getting involved with the PLC was a natural next step for them.

“Anything our kids have been in, we’ve been involved in,” Kevin said. “It brings us all together, and they really appreciate it, too. It’s twofold.”

The Hallams’ time within the PLC has been defined by relationship building, both to the university as a whole and to the like-minded parents they’ve met through the council. Lisa’s former high school classmate and college roommate originally referred the Hallams to the PLC, and now they refer their friends with children at UGA to the group.

Lisa has found the group’s support to be invaluable, especially for families with freshmen as they learn to navigate UGA for the first time. Their connections within the PLC have introduced them to resources and information to help them support their children during Davis and Caroline’s time on campus.

The PLC holds an annual meeting on campus to make decisions about grant funding for UGA organizations serving students, which provides an opportunity for council members to find community with one another and learn more about the university.

Lisa and Kevin said they were especially impacted by student testimonies shared at that meeting about how the PLC had helped support students throughout their time at UGA.

“They each had different stories but it was just very moving,” Lisa said. “It actually helped you see how the money was being put to use, and that was amazing.”

The Hallams had been surprised by the amount of need there was at UGA and found the students’ stories eye-opening. They are proud of the impact they were able to make through their involvement in the PLC.

To learn more about the PLC, visit give.uga.edu/plc.