Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December 2010

Dear Friends in MCREA,

Here we are again in the magical, beautiful Christmas season. I was thinking today that I have lived through 75 of these seasons and have been an extravaganza producer of 53 of them. But the magic never lessens. I still feel like the little kid who waited for Santa to bring a new toy or a Nancy Drew mystery. Later in life, I read the Christmas ads and tired to get, within a strict budget, just the right toy for each of my three kids. The joy in their eyes on Christmas morning made all the hard work of shopping, wrapping, hiding, and over-spending worthwhile.
Circumstances have changed. Those little kids are in their 50s, and even my grandchildren are too old for Santa. "Grandma, all I want for Christmas is money or a gift card." They are practical, of course, because I would never be able to negotiate the technology that they want, even if I could afford it.
Their wardrobes are a mystery to me. "Are you really going to wear that?" I ask as they go out the door. And their taste in music? Forget it.
Still the Christmas spirit lifts me up. The day after Thanksgiving when the fir trees go on sale at the Boys and Girls Club lot at Westgate, I am there. "Never mind the dust. Just put it up quickly. I'll sweep around it." I tell my husband, as I have since 1957. (We have some very old dust.) I have cut back on the decorating. It takes a toll on us to get those lights up, and ladder climbing isn't a great idea anymore. But I will be ready on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa, expecting the Miracle that always happens when the Christmas glow lights up my life. I share these thoughts with you because I imagine yours are similar. We have come to know that the Miracle is not in the decorations or the music or the tree. It is in the heart.
At MCREA, we are still welcoming new members. Remember that your friends and former colleagues are eligible for membership, so bring them along to a meeting. Even non-educators
who are interested in education can join as associate members. Our newest members are Faith Herring and Kathleen Burgardt. I willl have more about them in a later blog. This month, I am introducing Nancy Erwin and Dianne Loyer.
Nancy was a second grade teacher before retirement. She also was able to make sure there were lots of Loyers around for the future good of the community. She is the mother of five and the grandmother of ten. She must be very busy right now doing her Christmas shopping. Nancy loves water aerobics and enjoys playing bridge and reading. She is also a member of Alpha Delta Kappa.
Dianne also taught second grade. And, if my memory serves me, the two of them arrived at our membership reception together. Does surviving the second grade create a lifetime bond? Dianne and her husband, Malcolm, have three children and five grandchildren. Following the grandchildren's sporting events (softball, baseball, and golf) keeps them busy.
I hope you can all be with us at 11 a.m., Dec. 16, at Renaissance on 9th, for our holiday celebraton meeting. We will have the Bell Choir from David and Carolyn Brown's church to entertain us, followed by fun and games. Our business meeting will be short so that we will have lots of time to enjoy ourselves. If you have a small gift at home that found its way to the wrong house, wrap it up, and bring it along to be added to our game prizes.
Also, Vilena Moore will still be collecting small personal items like shampoo, soap, scents, etc. to make up the gift bags that she and her committee will be giving to the shut-ins at Westminster Manor.
For those of you who are shut in this Holiday Season, we are thinking of you and hoping that you get better soon. For those, like me, who lost a cherished family member or friend this year, I offer you my love and wish you as much strength as you can muster to carry you through. I plan to concentrate on the real meaning of the season which consoles me.

Happy Holidays,

Ellen

Thursday, November 4, 2010

November

Here we are already looking forward to our first cold front, thinking about Thanksgivng and the holidays to follow, and maybe worrying a little bit about what the all-powerful Florida Legislature will decide to do with our retirement fund now that there is no chance of a veto from the governor. I don't think they would get a veto from our new governor, but they do have enough votes to cancel any veto which he might sign. Scary? I think so.

Of course, just because most of our Florida House and some Senate members seemed to get on board with the anti-educator legislation last year does not mean that they cannot be reasoned with, nor do I think they are all committed to getting rid of the retirement fund. They will need to be written to and talked to, however, when such legislation is proposed. We will have to be prepared to jump in if need be. I think we also have a responsibility to help out our fellow educators who are still on the job or who are studying to become educators. The proposals to cut off insurance coverage to their dependents, to do away with tenure, and to grade teachers on the basis of student test scores will be brought up again in the next session. The public distrust of educators has been carefully nurtured by those who wish to see that kind of draconian legislation passed.

November 18th Meeting
On a more cheerful note, we are gearing up for our November meeting at Renaissance on 9th on Thursday, Nov. 18. Our speaker will be Nancy Glass of the Manatee Education Foundation. I hope to see most of you there.

If you have not heard from your caller by Nov. 13, please call me at 794-1646 to make a reservation. Remember that reservations must be made and that we must charge you if you do not show up. The 13th is the last day that you can cancel a reservation.

New Members
I plan to tell you a little about our new members each month this blog site.

Barb Kitzman
Barb taught at various high schools in the county. She is substituting now and enjoying it! How can that be? I think that Barb must really like high school age kids. She says she enjoys gambling and traveling. Probably one needs a little of the first in order to do the second these days.
Susan Darovec
Susan was a reading coach in a middle school for 4 years. She likes wood working (bowls, pens, and rolling pins), dancing, reading, and fishing. Just between us, I'll bet if her husband won't get out on the dance floor, she just gets out one of those rolling pins to encourage him. (Sorry Susan, but when I get a cheap shot like that I cannot stop myself).
Donna Falgiani
Donna was a vocational special education coordinator before she retired. She enjoys traveling, gardening, sewing, and going to the plays. She is a member of AAUW, St. Stephens Church, and the Italian American Club. I imagine she really enjoys the last group where no one stumbles over her musical name.

Next month, I will write more bios of new members.

Goodie Bags for Christmas
Remember that we are collecting items for goody bags for seniors at the Westminster Manor. We have done this for their shut-ins for years, and we could see no reason to stop even though we no longer meet there. Please bring small toiletries or other items that will fit into a small gift bag. No candy as their diets are carefully planned.

See you on the the 18th,
Ellen

Monday, October 4, 2010

October 2010

For the first day since April, we have turned off the air and have the windows open. I forgot how much noise there is out there: garbage trucks, birds, neighbors' barking dogs. My two cats are so confused by it all that they have kept me busy letting them out and in again. They go out to investigate the activity outdoors and then they hear me inside and have to come in the check out what I am doing. I've created feline schizophrenic episodes in their little cat brains.

The first meeting of the year went quite well with 74 in attendance. If you didn't make it, we met at Renaissance on 9th where the parking was great. The food service was a little difficult at first, but the staff worked hard to get more food out for us, and I think everyone was eventually served. I am sure that they are onto us now and things will go more smoothly in the future. Our charge of $10 is quite a break for us since they usually charge more for their lunches. The menu will vary from month to month so if you were not thrilled with quiche, perhaps the menu will please you more in October.
Connie Meyers, Eileen Hawblitzel, and Deborah Thomas kept the sign-in line and the dues line moving along. There are still some of you who have not paid your dues. Remember, dues are $45, $30 for the FREA and $15 for MCREA. Lifetime members still have to pay their local $15 dues. ( LIfetime memberships are no longer offered by FREA, so that leaves many of us out.) Again, let me implore you to honor your reservation that you made with your caller. And please, don't just show up without a reservation. At our next meeting we will have Carole Sicard back serving as our Treasurer and signing you in. I am sure that she will appreciate it if you do not make her job harder.
With our growth, we needed new telephone committee members. I but asked and Patty Edwards, Sarah Beard, and Mae Kirbach volunteered. Susan Roe and the other members of her calling committee thank you for relieving them of such long lists to call.
At our October meeting, which is on Wednesday this month, October 20, we will be asking for nominations from the floor for a nominating committee. I hope that you will consider this an important task since the pupose is to find members who will become the future leaders of MCREA. We have several positions to fill, and among them is President Elect. This person will have two years on the Board and as Program Chair in order to prepare to become President after Deborah Thomas's term. Although the position may sound as if it is difficult, it really isn't because of the Board which is made up of willing workers who help the President fulfill obligations.
The following is a list, at this time, of new members:
Linda Alcott
Sandra Anderson
Diana Buell
Susan Darovec
Gloria Davis
Nancy Erwin
Donna Falgiani
Sue Gore
Barbara Kitzman
Dianne Loyer
Joan Sackett
Ken Washio
We welcome them all to MCREA. We may have other new members at our October and November meetings because some lucky folks have been in cooler climes through the summer.

State Representative Keith Fitzgerald spoke at our September 20 District VII meeting at Lakewood Ranch. He said that many members of the State Legislature are "self-interested, ambitious, ideological fadists". "Massive lobbyists with huge resources" push their own legislation, and because it is so expensive to run for office, politicians are "beholden to special interests". Amendment #6 which would have impacted teachers' positions, tenure, and retirement in a negative way was a measure instigated by the Chamber of Commerce of Florida and Jeb Bush, according to Fitzerald. The bill was anti-union and blamed all the ills of the schools on the teachers. He said it was so "incredibly extreme" that pressure from constituents, especially teachers, fire fighters, police, and other state employees brought great pressure on Governor Crist to veto it, which he did.
The bad news is that the bill or one very like it will be brought up again in the next Legislative session. Fitzgerald suggested fighting it with letters and phone calls to legislators. An effective measure, he said, is to form a group and go to the legislator's local office for a face to face talk about our concerns when the legislation is again introduced. Fitzgerald really thinks that the underlying purpose of the attacks on unions and the expansion of the number of school vouchers is to do away with public education. I know many of us have thought this, but now our fears are substantiated.
We have work to do folks. Right now, the most important thing to do is to scrutinize the candidates for office. Are they talking increasing school vouchers, solving education problems by firing teachers, bemoaning the retirement fund of public employees, and getting rid of teacher tenure? If so, then get out to those polls and bring your friends and family with you after you have explained to them how important it is that they stop this movement in its tracks.

Ellen

Saturday, September 4, 2010

September Beginnings

September marks the beginning of a new year for MCREA. Being educators, we all think that the year begins in September and ends in June unlike the rest of the population who insist on January to December. We had a very productive first Board meeting on Monday, August 30th, and we are girding up for a spectacular year.
Our first event is the New Retirees' Reception on September 13, from 10-12, at the Central Library downtown. We have sent out invitations, but we know that sometimes folks are just not motivated to attend alone. So, we are asking you to call your colleagues who have retired and have not joined us or who are newly retired and ask them to attend. You can come along with them to make them more comfortable.
Our first meeting at the Renaissance on 9th will be held at 11:30, September 16. We look forward to seeing everyone there in our new meeting place. I think you will find it very convenient for parking. Remember that the charge is $10 for lunch. (Westminster had raised their price to $10 at our last meeting there.) Guests and prospective members are always welcome. Just be sure to give their names to your caller so we will have a reservation. Remember that reservations that are not honored will be billed since MCREA must pay for all reservations that are made. If for some reason your caller does not call you before Sunday, September 12, please call me (794-1646) or Judy Shostrom (746-5575) and we will make your reservation for you.
On September 20 at 8:30 a.m., at the Holiday Inn at Lakewood Ranch, the Traveling Team from FREA will present a Leadership Workshop. Since this year's meeting is in our neighborhood, perhaps you might like to attend. State Representative Keith Fitzgerald will be the featured speaker. The theme for this year's workshop is appropriately titled, "Surviving the Legislature." If that body acts as is being predicted we will have to be on our toes with letters, calls, emails, and outrage to save our retirement pensions and those of educators still in the system. If you are interested, you must call Fay Murphy (758-5140) this coming week. Fay is our District VII Director and is in charge of the event. She will need to register you and ask about your lunch options. Registration which includes lunch and continental breakfast is $18. Fay can also give you directions for getting there.
The MCREA Scholarships which we present every year (see last month's blog) are supported mainly by donations from our members. Elaine Brown, Scholarship Chair, explained the reasoning behind asking members for support. It seems that "back in the day", various methods of rasing money were attempted -- white elephant sales, book sales, etc. They all proved to be time consuming and troublesome. Members suggested that they would rather contribute $25-$50 or some other sum than to try to come up with ideas and carry out activites to raise money. So that is why we ask you for support. Of course, we are always open to other suggestions which you may have. Please let us hear from you about this issue.
By the way, Brittani Bomar received $500, not the $1000 stated in the last blog.

I hope to see you soon to start off our year in fine form. We should have some new members at our first meeting. Come and welcome them.
Ellen

Sunday, August 1, 2010

August 2010

Dear MCREA Members.

I can't believe it is August already. The time speeds by when one is heading downhill, or so they say. It didn't go any faster though when I was trying to rev up for the return to school in August. I am enjoying so much more just preparing for the MCREA season of fun and camaraderie.
Elaine Brown, our Scholarship Chair, sent me copies of the checks which she has paid to the colleges which our recipients will be attending in the fall. Their names and schools are as follows:
Brittani Bomar, 2010 grad of Palmetto High, University of Florida $1000
Maria Laura Ramirez, 2010 grad of Southeast High, Florida State University $1000
Myrtle Adeline Miller, 2010 grad of Manatee High, State College of Florida $1000
Signey Clark, 2010 grad of Bayshore High, University of South Florida $500
Jenna Mathis, 2010 grad of Manatee School for the Arts, University of Central FL $1000

Give yourself a pat on the back for helping these students. You know they all plan to become educators. We also contribute to the FREF scholarships. I am aware that sometimes we nag about your contributions to these funds, so we are trying to come up with some fun and interesting ways to earn some of the money this year. Any suggestions which you may have will be of interest. Please call or email me or any other board member with your ideas.

Our schedule for 2010-2011 follows:

Sept. 13 New Members Reception 11 a.m. Central Library Please ask your friends who have not yet joined us to attend. Come with them if you
can,

Sept. 16 First MCREA meeting at Renaissance on 9th at 11:30 a.m.

Sept. 20 FREA District Leadership Training Workshop at 8:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, Lakewood Ranch. Registration fee of $18 must be paid by August 30. If you are interesting in attending this meeting, please call me, 794-1646, for more details.

Oct. 20 MCREA meeting Please note that this is a Wednesday instead of our regular Thursday meeting time. It was necessary to change the day due to a prior reservation at Renaissance on 9th. I am assured that this is the only time this will happen. All of our meetings will be held at Renaissance on 9th, except perhaps our May meeting which is traditionally a picnic. This time we are thinking about making it a real picnic at a park with grilled burgers, hotdogs, and all the fixins.

November 18

December 16

January 20

February 17

March 17

April 21

May 19

Deborah Thomas has been developing an interesting program for each of the meeting. I will be able to write more about that later. Have a great August. We all pray that the oil leak has really stopped and that the hurricanes do not develop.
Ellen

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Sign up as a "follower"

Here are several of us who attended the FREA Assembly in St. Pete. We learned about attracting members, helping each other and the community, and probably most important, about the state of the Florida Retirement System. It seems it is in good shape after suffering some losses in the recession which have not been completely recouped yet.

I am going to ask the Board to consider ways that we might raise some money for our scholarships next fall. Although it is convenient to ask members to donate the money, perhaps it is time for another way to raise funds. Suggestions have been selling items at meetings such as crafts created by some members, Used, but still attractive jewelry sales, book sales, and donated items to be raffled off. Have you ideas? If so, please share them.

Sign up as a follower. It isn't difficult. You only have to establish a gmail account which you probably will only use here. Then you can post answers to this blog. Just follow the directions which you will receive when you click on followers. It is free, of course.

Happy Fourth of July. I hope your fireworks are safe, your pets are unafraid, and your potato salad comes out right.

Thank you, Leon Trumbull, for taking on the position of Health Committee Chair for the District.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

In the Good Old Summertime

In spite of the extreme heat, the threat of oil on the beaches, a hurricane in the Gulf, and bad economic news, I hope that against all odds you are enjoying your summertime. After all, we do still have blueberries, corn on the cob, watermelon, accessible restaurants, and empty roads.
Since I really don't want to lose contact with you all, a blog may fill the bill. I will try to update this as time goes on, probably at least once a month. You can also let me know how you are doing or post suggestions to make our MCREA a better experience. We should be able to have a good conversation here about whatever strikes your fancy.
In the fall we will be meeting at Renaissance on 9th for our luncheons. I have heard great reviews from members about the food and the ambience there. I especially like the parking and the ease of access to the building. Although the food at the Manor was filling and rather good, especially the desserts, the parking was awful.
Our first meeting is on Thursday, September 16, at 11:30. Plan to come a little early to visit with your friends and to meet our new members. Our new member reception will be at 10:00 a.m., on September 13, at the Main Library downtown. Judy Shostrum is getting the list of retirees and working on the invitations.