From the Young America's Foundation New Guard Blog

Starting this school year, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) will be recognizing high school and college chapters for exceptional work on their campuses. Beginning with September, and each month going forward, a chapter will be recognized for what will be known as the YAF Chapter of the Month. Kicking it off for the month of September, the first YAF Chapter of the Month winner is the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Michigan. 
Coming off their first month on the University of Michigan campus, this YAF chapter is being recognized for their strong start as a brand new group, and their tremendous media relations during the 9/11: Never Forget Project. 

Led by chairman Grant Strobl, they had over 100 students sign up and they ran out of Ronald Reagan posters within the first hour of recruitment at the school's recruitment fair. 

To follow up on their success recruiting new members, the chapter’s first meeting of the year welcomed over twenty new members into a packed board room which offered Grant an opportunity to layout his activism plans for the upcoming semester.

These new members are also getting involved right away. One Michigan YAFer attended the Great Beginnings Seminar this last weekend at Ronald Regan’s Ranch in Santa Barbara, and three more are attending the Young Americans for Freedom activism training this weekend at the Young America’s Foundation headquarters in Virginia. 

Most notably from YAF at the University of Michigan’s first month on campus was the attention they drew from local media outlets when they took part in the 9/11:Never Forget Project. 

Two TV stations, the local FOX affiliate and the local NBC affiliate, covered the event. Both of which highlighted YAF at the University of Michigan’s role in remembering those who died on 9/11 thirteen years ago. Four radio stations also provided air-time for the project, along with four newspapers and online news sites who ran stories covering YAF’s efforts at the University of Michigan. 

Click here to watch the 9/11 Never Forget Project Coverage Courtesy of NBC affiliate WDIV Channel 4.

Building on their strong start, YAF at the University of Michigan is looking forward to taking part in Young America’s Foundation’s No More Che Day on October 9th, where they will be educating their peers about the infamous murderer, Che Guevara. Grant also expressed plans to bring a speaker to campus this semester.

“Even on a liberal campus, people are not well versed in public policy, and this is where a group like YAF can have a strong impact,” Grant said. 

Grant, who was also the founder and chairman at the Grosse Point YAF chapter, has a tremendous team at Michigan that includes former YAF intern and 2nd year Law student Rachel Jankowski as an advisor to the group, junior Samantha Audia as vice-chairwoman, junior Bradley Fingeroot as Activism Chair, and 2nd year Graduate school student Aditya Sathi as Student Government liaison. The chapter will also be holding elections next week to fill the secretary and treasurer positions. 

Congratulations, Young Americans for Freedom at the University of Michigan for a terrific start to the 2014-2015 school year! 

Nathan Brand is a member of the Young Americans for Freedom Board of Governors and Chairman Emeritus of Hillsdale YAF