WFU rolls out Streakin’ Deacon at Homecoming

Wake Forest University will roll out a new vehicle for alumni engagement this weekend at Homecoming.

The Streakin’ Deacon, a 42-foot-long Wake Forest-branded recreational vehicle, will officially kick off a statewide tour when 4,000 people visit campus Oct. 28-29.

“The mission of the Office of Alumni Engagement is to find exciting new ways to connect Wake Forest alumni, friends and family. The Streakin’ Deacon enables us to take Wake to the people and share their impact on the word with others. It is literally a vehicle for our motto, Pro Humanitate,” said Mary Tribble, senior advisor for engagement strategies.

The Streakin’ Deacon has three main engagement focuses:

• Take Wake to the People – engage alumni who don’t often get back to campus
• Connect Wake Foresters back to campus and with each other – provide an opportunity for alumni to meet other alumni living in their areas and/or to add their personal stories to the ZSR’s Oral History Project via a recording from the Streakin’ Deacon
• Show that Wake Forest cares about its alumni and friends – through a personal visit or volunteerism, the Streakin’ Deacon will share the University’s Pro Humanitate motto

Don’t be fooled by its whimsical name or the fact that one of its drivers operated the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile after graduating from Wake Forest – the Streakin’ Deacon has already been on an important and meaningful mission. Last week, it delivered much-needed hurricane relief supplies to Eastern North Carolina and transported people impacted by flooding to various shelters in the region.

This AM: @WakeForest sending supplies to Eastern North Carolina to help victims of Hurricane Matthew. @myfox8 pic.twitter.com/Dy0eHYgeeo

— Amber Roberts WGHP (@Amber_Rob) October 17, 2016

Now, at Homecoming, alumni will have an opportunity to enjoy a more festive side of the RV by stepping foot on the Old Gold & Black bus, clapping along with its fight song-sounding horn, and sharing their stories with alumni engagement staffers. Its appearances this weekend include:

• Party So Dear: Friday, Oct. 28, 4 – 7 p.m., Manchester Plaza
  Wake Forest alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students and friends will come together as a community for music, snacks and drinks under on the Magnolia Quad. After the Streakin’ Deacon rolls up, the stage program featuring The Spinners will begin at 5:30 p.m.
• Festival on the Quad: Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Hearn Plaza
  This festival atmosphere is fun for kids of all ages: coffee, muffins, biscuits, doughnuts, popcorn, cotton candy, face painting, photo booth, games, inflatables, and live bluegrass music by The Unbroken Circle and Friends.
• Alumni Tailgate: Saturday, Oct. 29, 12:30 – 3 p.m., Baity Street
  Tailgate Town on Baity Street is the place to be before the game. More than two thousand Wake Foresters will gather for food, fun and fellowship before the Deacs take on Army at 3:30.

Additional tour dates for the Streakin’ Deacon will be announced at streakindeacon.wfu.edu.