Greater Birmingham Auburn Club Launches SOAR for Greater Impact on Area Students
For 80 years, the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club has brought Auburn people together while helping local students pursue an Auburn education. Now, the club is building on that legacy with the launch of SOAR, a new membership and giving program designed to expand scholarship support for Birmingham-area students and strengthen the Auburn Family throughout Greater Birmingham.
The opportunity for impact is significant.
More than 1,000 Birmingham-area students enter Auburn University each year, representing approximately one out of every six members of Auburn’s freshman class. They are future engineers, educators, physicians, entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals who will help shape the communities where they live and work.
For the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club, supporting those students is about more than helping them get to Auburn. It is an investment in Birmingham’s future.
“When we invest in Birmingham students at Auburn, we’re also investing in the future of our community. These students will become the leaders, professionals and neighbors who help shape Birmingham for years to come.”
Mike Herron, Executive Director, SOAR
Building on an 80-Year Legacy
Since its founding in 1946, the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club has been centered around two enduring purposes: fostering the Auburn Spirit and providing scholarships for Birmingham-area students attending Auburn University.
SOAR brings those missions together and creates a way for more alumni, families, businesses and friends of Auburn to be part of both.
Through SOAR, members help build lasting scholarship resources while staying connected to Auburn through local events, traditions, member opportunities and the Auburn community in Greater Birmingham.
Every membership strengthens the club’s ability to support Birmingham-area Auburn students.
A New Way for Birmingham’s Auburn Family to Connect
SOAR membership begins at $5 per month or $50 per year for individuals, with family memberships and additional giving levels available for those who want to make a larger commitment.
Member benefits vary by level and include opportunities such as local business discounts, priority registration for select events and special GBAC traditions.
SOAR Family members and above are eligible to register for Aubie Claus, a longtime Birmingham Auburn tradition, while higher membership levels offer additional benefits including SOAR merchandise and the annual collectible GBAC SOAR ornament.
Leadership giving opportunities — including SOAR Eagle, Scholarship Circle and Legacy Circle — provide additional ways for individuals and families to make scholarships a meaningful part of their support for Auburn students.
But regardless of membership level, the purpose remains the same: helping Birmingham students SOAR.
Auburn Supporting Auburn
SOAR is also creating new connections within Birmingham’s Auburn community.
Members can receive special offers from participating Auburn-owned, Auburn-led and Auburn-friendly businesses throughout Greater Birmingham — encouraging Auburn people to support businesses connected to the Auburn Family.
Businesses and corporations can participate as well.
SOAR Corporate Partnerships provide opportunities for companies to invest directly in Birmingham-area Auburn students while connecting with a community of more than 35,000 Auburn alumni, fans and families throughout Greater Birmingham.
Corporate partnership opportunities begin at $500, with additional levels available for businesses and organizations interested in making a larger scholarship impact.
More Than Tuition
At the heart of SOAR is the belief that a scholarship represents more than financial assistance.
For a student, it can also be a message from the Auburn Family back home: We see what you have accomplished. We believe in what you can become. And we are willing to invest in your future.
As more Birmingham-area students choose Auburn each year, the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club sees an opportunity to grow alongside them — expanding scholarship resources while building a stronger Auburn community here at home.
SOAR is the charitable fundraising arm of the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club. Contributions support scholarships for Birmingham-area students attending Auburn University and the broader mission of fostering the Auburn Spirit and strengthening scholarship resources.
After eight decades of bringing Birmingham’s Auburn Family together, SOAR represents the next chapter in that tradition — one focused on creating an even greater impact for the generations of Birmingham students who will follow.
Help Birmingham Students SOAR
Join alumni, families, businesses and friends of Auburn across Greater Birmingham in supporting the next generation of Auburn students.
Membership begins at $5 per month or $50 per year.