Tuesday, November 25, 2014

"A Very Successful November Luncheon!"

Thanks to Dottie Stevens for organizing another great Salvation Army Toy Drive, and sing-a-long led by Don Parks at the luncheon this month.  The Roast Turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy, weren't bad either.

L to R:  President, Tom Callahan; Major Julio Vasques, Salvation Army;
Program Chair, Dottie Stevens; and Ana Avila, Salvation Army. 
While we enjoyed sharing the toys with Major Julio Vasquez of the Salvation Army, and taking our first leap of the season into Christmas music as led by Don Parks, we also found interesting the report brought by Rick Nebeker, E8 representative to WSSRA. 

Rick shared the state association has been charging $5/member/month since 2003. The price of just about everything has escalated significantly over the past 11 years, including the operating expenses of the WSSRA. Additionally, the exploding costs of the state convention have led to the formation of the WSSRA Convention Costs Reduction Committee which has recommended not a reduction in the number of members attending, especially in light of the growing numbers of members statewide, but rather an additional dollar/member/month in dues fees which would flow directly to the local associations.

L to R:  Don Parks, Helen Bakshas, Barb Sowell

Some of the hundreds of toys shared with the Salvation Army.