Foundation seeks Florence 1 alumni via Facebook

FLORENCE — The School Foundation has joined the popular social networking site, Facebook, to provide a central location for Florence School District 1 alumni to reconnect.

Debbie Hyler, executive director of The School Foundation, said she created the Facebook group, Florence, SC School District 1 Alumni, to provide a central location for people to find out information on high school reunions and just get in touch with old friends.

“We’re trying to find ways that we can make reunion planning easier for people and use us as a central resource,” Hyler said. “It’s (Facebook) a perfect way to reach people. We hope people will become a fan of The School Foundation.”

To join the group, you must create a Facebook profile. Once you’re a member, search for the group by name and add it to your profile.

Hyler said she has found several groups dedicated to Florence 1 alumni and hopes the foundation’s page will serve as the hub for online communication with former students and employees.

The group will not only serves as a resource for all members of the Florence 1 community, but as a way to find potential recipients of the foundation’s Distinguished Graduate award.

“If we don’t know who’s out there, how to get in touch with them or what they’re doing, then we could be missing a fabulous opportunity to honor someone who (is deserving of the award),” Hyler said. “I thought ‘we’ve got to come up with some method to stay in touch with our alumni.’”

In addition to Facebook, Hyler has created The School Foundation’s Online Community, powered by Florence-based ACS Technologies.

The online community is a convenient and secure avenue for alumni to enter and update their contact, career or family information while keeping up with other classmates, she said. The site provides an alumni database that could be accessible for years to come.

To register and create and account for the foundation’s online community, visit http://www.theschoolfoundation.org/online.htm.

Those who join both Facebook and The School Foundation’s Online Community can post photos and other information.

Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 while he was a student at Harvard University. The site was once a haven for college students, but has since expanded to include high school students and anyone older than age 13.

ON THE WEB

The School Foundation: http://www.theschoolfoundation.org