Our Chapter's History and Mission
Bears in the Woods (“BITW”) is a University of California Alumni Association (“CAA”) chapter serving Northern Nevada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The CAA Region includes 15 Nevada counties and nine northern California counties that share the Nevada state boarder. BITW was re-chartered in 1997. There were initially 176 members. BITW annually communicates with approximately 2,600 Cal alums in the area. Our primary mission is fundraising for our scholarship program. Our events put the fun in fundraising, providing spectacular social events for our members to meet, eat, mingle and learn about Cal. Each spring the club selects a Cal-bound high school senior to receive an annual scholarship while they attend Cal. To date, the club has sponsored nine students including one varsity crew rower, a football player, a swimmer and two Golden Overtone singers. The scholarship winners have achieved outstanding high school success in their academics, extracurricular activities and community service.
BITW hosts a number of events throughout the year. Summer events include a July 4th weekend gathering with Cal Athletic Department leadership and coaches at Gar Woods, Lake Tahoe. The annual Big Game rally is held at Gar Woods, on the lake at Carnelian Bay or Sparks Water Bar on the Marina. Members of the local Stanford Alumni Club have joined in the Big Game Rally festivities which include presentation of The Lake Tahoe Big Game Axe to the prior year’s winner by the vanquished. A good time is had by all. Other past activities have included evenings at the Nevada Museum of Art and the National Automobile Museum. Thousands of dollars are raised from these events that are then contributed to the BITW scholarship program.
Our events are frequently privileged to have a speaker of note entertain the group, many of whom are professors from the Cal teaching staff, past sports figures or local members such as Bruce James, President Bush’s appointee to head the National Printing Office or Ray Huffstutler, former CIA Executive Director. Past Chancellors, Athletic Directors, Department Deans, Head Coaches and All American athletes have been our featured guests.
Bears in the Woods is a Nevada non-profit organization, qualified as a public charity per IRC 501(c)(3). Tax ID# 27-3127892