The Friday following Roundtable interviews, Brothers and new candidates attended an overnight retreat at Roanoke Christian Service Camp. It is a traditional way to start the week, as candidates become introduced to the principles behind Alpha Zeta, as well as the Brothers. New members also got to know each other over dinner, which was pizza from Domino’s. After dinner, Brothers and candidates participated in a trust walk. Each Brother brought an agricultural commodity that they knew something about. After first being asked if it was okay to be blindfolded, candidates were led by their Big Brother to different stations, where they were asked if they knew what the agricultural commodities were. Some examples of commodities brought were corn, sweet potatoes, soybeans, apples, etc. After the trust walk, we held our “Paddle Ceremony,” where candidates were asked if they wanted to receive the Paddle of Alpha Zeta. By accepting it, they had to receive 42 active Brother signatures and 50 alumni signatures upon it. They were introduced to our motto: TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More, and were told that they would have to work together during the following New Member Education Week. This was followed by a casual session around a campfire.
The next morning, breakfast was provided for everyone before starting our service project. The camp manager explained that we would be helping clear a new trail, and clean up the woods. It was a chance to give back to the camp and for Brothers and candidates to get to know each other. The cost per Brother was $15, and each Big paid for their Little.