What does the Parents’ Club do?

Dear Stanford Parents,

It’s September and back-to-school time already. Many new parents may not be familiar with the Parents’ Club, so I’d like to tell you who we are and what we do. Becoming a member is free and is a great way to become involved with Stanford. We hope you will join us.

Who are we?

The Parents’ Club members are parents of Stanford students, past or present. The members who live in the Bay Area make up the core group that oversees the activities outlined below, but we have more than 600 members from around the world who support the club’s activities or participate when they’re in town.

What does the Parents’ Club do?

On-campus delivery service: A Stanford parent will deliver a birthday cake, including plates, forks and napkins, to your student’s door on his or her birthday. A mom will drop off a box of brownies or a bag of giant chocolate chip cookies to your tired student during midterms or finals. The proceeds from the delivery service support the club’s scholarship fund. See our website for information on ordering. If you’re a local parent, why not join our delivery team?

Monthly speaker series: The Parents’ Club hosts a monthly Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Stanford faculty and tours of campus sites. On Oct. 9, Professor Jon Krosnick will be speaking on how the order of candidates’ names on the ballot can impact elections. On Nov. 13, all three of the Stanford swimming coaches will be joining us. On Dec. 11, we will have our Holiday Luncheon at the Faculty Club. Visit our website to see details on our monthly meetings for the upcoming year.

Help at Stanford events: The Parents’ Club helps with three, big campus events. They are New Students Orientation, Parents Weekend and Admit Weekend. We also host a Stanford memorabilia sales booth at these events.

Parents’ Club keeps members informed: The Parents’ Club sends out e-mails keeping our members up to date on the club’s on-campus activities and the ways that members can volunteer. We also remind members when their student’s birthday month or finals week is approaching.

Parents’ Club scholarship program: During the club’s nearly 90 years of service, its endowment fund has grown to more than $1 million, the earnings from which are used to provide scholarships to undergraduate students. Donations from members and the net proceeds of the on-campus delivery service go to support these scholarships.

If you’d like to join us, you can find our membership form on our website. Hope to see you on campus this year.

Marcia Hansen, President, Stanford Parents’ Club