Press Release for the 94th International in West Springfield, MA

The following was forwarded by Tom Ziobrowski, President of the Northeast Area.
--------------------------------

Hello, all. Below is a link to view a press release about FMCA’s event next year in Massachusetts that was issued today via PRWeb and also sent to RV media.

 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/FMCA/2016convention/prweb13117316.htm

 

Pamela Kay

Director of Communications, Publishing

Family Motor Coaching

8291 Clough Pike

Cincinnati, OH 45244

(513) 474-3622, ext. 234

www.FMCA.com | www.FMCmagazine.com

2016 International News

Bob Mills, NEA Vice President responsible for volunteers has asked if Fingerlakers would man the FMCA Store at the International. It appears that about 20 folks are needed to do a good job and keep the work load for each person down. 
If you are thinking of going, please consider helping.
Below is part of his note.  Contact Bob Mills at the email or phone below or me to volunteer.
Thank you,
Tom

---------------------

I have been working on the volunteer assignments for the National Convention in West Springfield MA, August 3-7, 2016.

I was wondering if you would take responsibility for the FMCA Store supported by the Fingerlakers Chapter. 

Please look it over and let me know how you feel about it. You can respond by e-mail to fourwindsbob@gmail.com or phone my US cell at 813-395-3679. There is a lot of enthusiasm about this event from all sources so it very encouraging. I think that it will turn out to be a great success.

Thanks.

Bob Mills

Pen-NY Mixer 2016 Memorial Day Rally

Fingerlakers are invited to attend the Pen-NY Mixer 2016 Memorial Day rally. Below is preliminary information.

--------------------

Your FMCA group is welcome to attend the Waterloo, NY Memorial Day rally May 27-30, 2016.  It will be dry camping at the Seneca Fairgrounds for $10.00 per night.  We will have access to a shelter with electric for group gatherings.  The town puts on a several day events program with parades, fireworks, car shows, crafts and a living history program.  If you go to waterloony.com and click on Memorial day at the top of the page, you'll see a list of last year's activities.  The 2016 celebration is going to be a special anniversary and more will be planned.

 

Jim and I are organizing this but it won't be as involved as Harborfest.  Still, it looks to be as interesting.  I hope we get a good sized group to attend.  The people I have talked to are really interested in having us come in.

 

I'll keep you updated as we move along.

Sherry Miller

Happy Veteran's Day

November 11 originally marked the surrender of Germany at the end of World War 1. It was called Armistice Day when I was a kid and our family celebrated my father's birthday.

In 1954, it was changed to honor all veterans. A real reminder occurred this past weekend when I met an Imo Jima Survivor. This year was the 70th anniversary of Marines storming that island. Almost 10% of them died and one in four was wounded. All but 216 of the 19000 Japanese soldiers died.

2015 also marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

I'm proud to be part of that fraternity, and was fortunate not to be in combat.

To all of you veterans, there are many ways to celebrate your service. 

So, have a great day!

Winter Snowbirds Florida Get Together

As we have done for many years, we try to get together for lunch in Florida. It used to be to plan for the Southeast Area Rally. As fewer folks went to the rally, we just had the luncheon. This year, we don't have SEAR, but hopefully, that won't stop us.

So, we have arranged for lunch at the Golden Corral in Clermont, FL. The particulars are:

Date: February 13, 2016, Saturday

Time: 1:00 pm (we have the room for two hours, if we have at least 25, but we've never had less than 35.

Place:

Golden Corral

1550 Grand Highway (Route 50)

Clermont, FL 34711

Phone: (352) 404-6985

Directions: The restaurant is just east of route 27 on Route 50 in Clermont.

Please let me know by February 8^th. I will give Colan at the restaurant a count on the 9^th.

Email: troule@aol.com

Phone: 585-739-9074

Possible Rally Location

I received this email from Hickory Hill Camping resort. 
If you are thinking about hosting a rally, maybe this is a potential location.  If you have a date that's different than our usual 2nd weekend, don't be afraid to suggest a change.  With gas about $2.00, we may be able to afford a little higher campground fee.

Good afternoon,

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort.  Picturesque views, relaxing days and plenty of activities await you at Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort. Set on 210 acres in Bath, New York our award winning resort is conveniently located in New York's Finger Lakes Wine Country, our resort is a beautiful, guest friendly vacation destination offering a wide variety of all-inclusive amenities and local attractions for our guests’ to enjoy.

Privately owned, family friendly and designed to accommodate every camper, from tents to RVs our campsites are set up with a picnic table and a fire ring amid beautiful surroundings. Electric, water, sewer, 50 AMP service, WIFI, and cable TV hookups are available.  We are a fun and relaxing rally destination for a host of Camping Groups and we would like to cordially invite your group to explore the possibilities of holding your next rally or gathering at Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort.

Why choose Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort?

•             Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort is located in Bath, NY and provides a family friendly atmosphere

•             A large Activity Hall, which seats 175 comfortably, with a commercial kitchen available for your group’s use

•             Catering is available on-site, if desired.

•             A smaller meeting lounge and outdoor tent with gas grills for smaller gatherings is also available

•             Hickory Hill offers a wide variety of all-inclusive activities for your group to enjoy, along with easy access from the campground to hike miles of The Finger Lakes Trail

•             Centrally located in Steuben County we can assist in helping your group plan itineraries for day trips to the many wonderful attractions in our area, including Corning Glass Museum, the Curtiss Museum, the Rockwell Museum, wineries, local breweries, apple picking and many more

•             We have established relationships with many of the local attractions and businesses in our area and can provide discounts to our camping groups

•             Help in securing vendors and special speakers for your group for on-site group days

•             A sound system is available in the Activity Hall for your use

•             Camping World and Wilkins RV are just a few short miles from Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort

Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort has a well-stocked store and a beautiful gift shop, along with a Snack Shack onsite.  For your convenience, our laundromat is open 24 hours per day. A change machine and a soap dispensing machine are available. Our game room is located adjacent to the Activity Hall. The game room has an assortment of video and crane machines. A Change Machine for quarters is available in the game room.

Spa services are available by appointment and conveniently located on site at Finger Lakes Wellness Center and Health Spa.  

We are currently booking Spring and Summer Rallies and/or Group Get-Aways for 2016. We have limited availabilities for Fall 2016. We are also beginning to book 2017. I would welcome the opportunity to share more about what Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort has to offer you and your group. I invite you to visit our website and give me a call and let me help you plan a Club Gathering your members will be talking about for years to come!

Best regards,

Penny

Penny Carlton

Marketing, Groups & Events Manager 

Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort

(C) 607-590-5122

(O) 607-776-4345

(F) 607-776-9218

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Camping World, Churchville, NY

I received the following email today. Many of you at the October Rally suspected it and, now, it's real.

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October Highlights

Thanks to Harold Wollaber, our October Rally was held at the Cambria Volunteer Firemen's field  He has been a valuable contributor and officer for over 50 years. Thirteen of us attended, most showing up on Thursday. Harold arranged for dinner at Gordie Harper's Bazaar. They have excellent food as well as a bakery and flea market atmosphere.

Firemen's Chowder preparation

We returned to the firehouse and planed for our next meal – a continental breakfast on Friday morning. Friday was spent watching the firemen make chowder and seeing the local sights.

After chowder for dinner and ice cream, we decided to test the 8 burner BBQ the firemen have to see if would work for eggs or pancakes. It has a 2x3 foot cast iron skillet weighing about 50 pounds. We (me) opened 2 burners, pressed the “Ignite” button and ---- BANG!! – the skillet lifted a couple inches and flames came out every orifice. We got things turned off and realized – We had not installed a pressure regulator between the tank and the BBQ.  Some took blood pressure medication, while others installed the regulator and the BBQ worked great.

Saturday started with a full breakfast made by the officers. Wes made pancakes, Sharon and Barb made scrambled eggs, Ken made sausage and I manned the famous BBQ.

Good weather allowed us to have our first road rally in several years. 5 teams of vehicles left on a 15 mile excursion in search of 14 clues. Those who found “Green Road” did well. One car took record time finding it, but never gave up. The winning car driven by Dave Metzger did the route in the same time as us, and we ran it 3 times. Dave's spotters were Cheryl, Nick and Pierrette. Nice job. Harold with the Costain's finished a close second.

Saturday dinner was again supplied by the firemen. This time, a full turkey feast. Again, we followed with ice cream. Afterwords, Dan and Barb provided entertainment, as they locked their dog in the motor home. We all tried our keys further upsetting the dog. Finally, they called their towing service to unlock the door.

Our weekend ended with a continental breakfast.

We plan to go back next year.

You may view pictures full screen by clicking on one.

Fall Back

It's time again to set back your clocks to standard time this weekend.
At my age I hate staying up to 2 am waiting to set my clock.

FMCA Assist

If you did not notice, FMCA Motorhome Owners Group Offers its Members an Emergency Medical Evacuation/Repatriation and Travel Assistance Program at no Additional Cost Family Motor Coach Association members now receive coverage under the group’s FMCAassist emergency medical evacuation/repatriation and travel assistance program as part of their regular annual dues.

FMCA's emergency medical evacuation/repatriation and travel assistance program is an association-paid benefit, started Oct. 1, 2014.

Remember, if you have a illness or injury, call 911 and then call FMCA Assist at 

(877) 202-4176 or (317) 582-2619

Check out the link below for more information.

http://www.fmca.com/benefits/fmcassist.html

September, 2015 Rally Highlights

Our September rally was held at Southwoods Resort in Byron, NY. Thanks to Carol Shafer, who had the foresight to plan a year in advance, we had 11 Fingerlakers join 9 Calico Sams there. We were 20 minutes from the casino in Batavia. 

There was plenty to do including good eats supplied by Carol and our members. We were fortunate to have Walt and Beryl Linden, and Bev Brown visit. Walt has a new engine and he reports 1 mile per gallon better. 

We have a complete slate of officers who will take over in October. They are showing to the left of this blog. The officers jobs are not hard as long as folks are willing to help. We need future help with officers and wagon masters.

Our new newsletter editor (the voice of the chapter) is Wes Barager. Starting this month everyone received a “hard copy” of the newsletter. That was decided in May. Of course, everything has a cost. We are raising dues to $15 starting January 1^st. We will also continue the blog and web site.

Below are a few pictures.

They may be viewed by clicking on one.

Northeast Area Organization Change

We received the following from Donna Merlino.

=========================

September 16, 2015

Our Vice President, Thomas Rec has resigned his position with the Northeast Area Executive Board effective August 10, 2015.  Taking his place on the board as a Temporary Vice President will be John Traphagen.  His contact information is as follows:

John Traphagen – F#: 20711D
968 Hill Ave. Pine Bush NY  12566
honeylady@frontiernet.net
(h)  845‐744‐5193 

If you need any further information regarding this change please contact myself, Donna Merlino, NEA Secretary or Tom Ziobrowski, NEA President/National Area VP.  

Sincerely,
Donna Merlino, NEA Secretary
o/b/o The NEA Executive Board

2016 Officer Candidates

The following folks have agreed to run for office in the Fingerlakers. If you are interested in running, election will be at the September Rally at Southwoods.

• President: Tom Roule
• Vice Presdent: Nancy Anten
• Treasurer: Harold Wollaber
• Secretary: Barb Eggleston
• National Director: John Pangburn
• Alternate National Directer:: Jim Anten
• Newsletter Editor: Wes Barager

2016 Rallies

We have dates for 2016 Rallies. Please consider hosting. 

• • February Florida get together.- Roule's
  • May 13,14,15 ^th – Please HELP. It doesn't conflict with Mother's Day!
  • June 10,11,12 – Please HELP
  • July 8,9,10 – Please HELP
  • ????? Aug 3-6 – FMCA International, West Springfield, MA although not official yet.
  • August 12,13,14 – Let's go to the International instead
  • September 9, 10,11- Please HELP
  • October 14, 15 15- OFFICERS Host

Our bylaws allow the change of dates if approved by a majority during a meeting. So, if you find a location that doesn't quite fit our dates, we can discuss.

Fingerlakers at FMCA, Madison

We had 10 Fingerlakers Members attend the FMCA International in Madison last month.
On a personal note, we had lots of repairs done successfully.

2016 FMCA Board

Fmca Bus ?????

Customized classic

Line to get to dump station

Charlie Adcock

I hope this is a prelude of future rallies!

Collage of Fingerlakers' get together

Pictures may viewed full frame by clicking on one

September Rally

Our Rally for September is a joint rally with the Calico Sams, thanks to Carol and Wilbur Shafer.
Dates: September 11- 13, 2015.
Remember, you must call in your reservation to Southwoods Campground before August 8th. Campground will be about $30/per night. Cost is prorated depended on the number attending.
Also, please send in cost for food to Carol Shafer by August 8th ($10 for 2 adults).
Below is the description. Tabs above have the schedule and the sign up sheet.

South East Area News

We learned that the Southeast Area Rally will not be held in 2016. The International in Perry supersedes it.
We still hope to have a get together of New Yorkers, and other Northeasters in early February.

More News from the International in Madison, WI

We had 1450+ families and 250+ vendors in Madison to enjoy great weather. 
GREAT THOUGH, WE HAD 10 FINGERLAKERS. MANY VOLUNTEERED. 
We all got together for hot dogs and snacks on Thursday night, joined by guests including Tom Ziobrowski, NEA President. More information will be on another post.

Below is John Pangburn's National Director's report.

The GB meeting was called to order promptly at 9am by President Adcock. There were 278 National Directors present. This did constitute a quorum. After approving the standing rules for the meeting, introduction of the head table and adoption of the agenda, the first order of business was the Treasurers finance committee report. I am glad to tell you that we are financially sound. I will bring the GB booklet to the October meeting for review. Next was the Executive Directors report and then standing committee reports. Much of the above action is just housekeeping issues making sure policy and procedures are compatible with the by-laws.

Our executive committee is looking very closely at ways to increase our membership. It seems we the people are doing quite well recruiting new members, approximately 1000 per month. Unfortunately we are losing about 1200 members each monthwho do not renew. A system to send e-mail reminders is in the works and a pilot study shows this to be effective.

President Adcock report addressed the FMCA Assist program. It has been in place now for 6 months. 43 members have used the service quite successfully and satisfactorily. Unfortunately there have been problems. Charlie stressed the importance of the Nat. Directors getting out the message that the system must be used properly. Our insurance carries is Seven Corners. You must call them immediately after an incident occurs. The complaints about the system have occurred when members take care of travel and healthcare issues and then submit bills to be paid. They will not be paid. The proper way to use the system is “ call 911 then call 7 corners. They will take over and be sure you are taken care of properly and promptly. I will send back the new cards and information as we are continuing on west from here. There is a presentation tomorrow I will attend and I will add an addendum to this report with any new information I get.

In the new business issues the membership dues will remain the same. The FMCA Assist will again be funded using the income from the investments. The program costs in the area of $333,000.00. The estimates now of our investment income for this year is $775,000.00 The EB considers the use of investment income an investment in our membership and the GB concurs.

The new slate of officers is as follows

President Charlie Adcock F311374

Nat Senior Vice President Jon Walker F268778

Nat Secretary Gaye Young F284657

Nat Treasurer Percy Bell F371754

This summarizes the main information from the meeting. Joan and I will not be returning until late September. WE are continuing on west with the Sprouts and the Pages. Lord willing we will see you all at the October meet in Cambria.

John Pangburn Fingerlakers Nat. Director

2016 International is in the Northeast Area

In case you haven't heard, the 2016 International location has passed the governing board .

It is planned for the Big E in West Springfield, MA, August 3-6, 2016.

There will be 400-500 volunteers needed. We have 10 plus Fingerlakers coaches at Madison, WI. Western Massachusetts is half the distance and the BIG E is right off I-90, if you want to go.

Western Mass is where I grew up. So, Sharon and I plan to be there.

NEAR Highlights

I'm sorry if you missed the spectacular weather in Essex Junction for the Northeast Area Rally. Gathering with the Pen-NY Mixers and the NY Centrals, there were numerous opportunities for a good time. There were 13 of us who met on the NY Thruway who caravanned to Essex Junction.

For our part, thanks to Sharon, Janet and Wes Barager, Sherry and Jim Miller, we were able to present coffee and donuts each morning of the rally. Here are a few pictures.

I wish we had seen more of you.

 Pictures may be viewed full screen by clicking on them.

2015 International Registration

It's a bit surprising to see the registration for the International in Madison, WS to have a price increase after June 1st. Below is the link to register.

Plans for Fingerlakers get together in Madison are not complete, but June 1st is looming.

 ===========

Registration Fees	FMCA MEMBER
	Early Bird	After 6/1, 2015
Registration Fee	$195	$215
* Additional fee for 30-amp Electric only	$175	$175
* Additional fee for 50-am Electric only (limited availability)	$295	$295
Passport — 2 people: No overnight parking	$185	$195
Coach with 1 person: deduct $20	- $20	- $20
Additional fee for Non-FMCA Member	$50	$50
** Each additional guest	$25	$25
* Additional fee is for electric only. ** Guest: Age 19 and younger and/or immediate family are free. Others are  $25 each. Cancellation Policy Refunds will be made only upon written request and only if request is received by July 9, 2015. Badges and confirmation materials must be returned with cacellation request. All cancelled registrations are subject to a $10 handling fee. Electric cancelled on or prior to Monday, June 8, 2015, will be refunded in full; electric cancelled after Monday, June 8, 2015, and on or before Thursday, July 9, 2015, will be refunded at 50%. Absolutely no refunds for electric cancelled after July 9, 2015.

Fingerlaker plans for NEAR

First, if you wish to have credentials delivered home, you need to have your registration in by June 1st ($200 for 2). June 13th, the price increases by $10. Doing it by EMAIL gives you plenty of time at www.fmca.com.

Sharon and I have made plans to arrive in Essex Junction,VT for NEAR on Wednesday, July 8th. Anyone interested, we are thinking of spending the night on the NY Thruway July 7th and meet on the 8th at the following location about 10:00 am. That should give us time to arrive before a 5:00 pm parking deadline.

I-90 - NYS Thruway, Milepost 184
Located Eastbound between Exit 29 (Canajoharie) & 28 (Fultonville - Fonda) 

Below is a note from Rich Burrell (President, NY Centrals) to Tom Rec (NEA Vice President) in response to a letter from us. The 3rd chapter referenced is the Pen-NY Mixers:

 ---------------

Tom (Rec), Good to hear from you.  At this time I do not have a count for the number of volunteers coming in with the Centrals.  I will pass that on to you later. We would be happy to host the seminars like we did last year.  Also, Tom Roule, President of the Fingerlakers, will be joining us with additional coaches from his chapter.  Tom has expressed an interest in helping with the breakfast, so I think we will also help out there.  Who should we contact about the breakfast?

I will be in touch with you when I have more information on the number of volunteers we will have from our two chapters.  (Also a possibility of a 3rd chapter joining us.)

Rich Burrell

President

New York Centrals

Welcome to NEAR From Tom Zeobrowski, NEA President

Below is the welcome letter to NEAR from Tom Z.

Note from Donna Merlino, NEA Secretary

Hello Chapters:

I hope that everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day Weekend. 

This a "rally reminder" for a few things in regards to the upcoming NEA Rally "Summertime Fun At The Junction".  I'm assuming that most chapters have had their first rally/business meeting for the year and you have shared these emails with your members. 

We encourage everyone to submit their registrations early so you can get signed up for the various activities we have planned for you.  We don't want anyone to miss out. 

Don't forget to get your AD copy in right away for the Program Book.  We really appreciate your support and if your chapter can't attend this is a great way to support the rally if you can't be there.  Those ADs need to go to Bob Mills (  fourwindsbob@gmail.com) .  (Fingerlakers have submitted our AD, Tom). Just remember that the deadline is fast approaching (May 31).  Bob can answer any of your questions regarding the Program Book. 613-525-9970.

If you are attending, we would appreciate any and all donations for the US Marine's Toys for Tots, and we are excepting new stuffed animals again this year for the local emergency corps in the area.  We will be dividing those up between a couple of different organizations in the area.  There will be donation boxes for both items located in the Main Building on the grounds. 

Joan Lewis is still looking for craft seminars/classes, so if you have a skill or craft you would like to share with everyone please get in touch with Joan ASAP.  518-399-7072.  George Lewis would like to be notified in advance of any caravans attending the rally so that he can plan his parking layout accordingly.  Having this info before the rally makes parking flow much quicker for everyone.  After all, we want to get you parked and on the grounds so you can start having fun and meeting up with all of your motor home friends as soon as possible. You can reach George at the same number.

I can't stress enough how much we appreciate all of our volunteers that help make this rally possible.  If you would like to help out get in touch with any of our board members and we will forward your inquiry onto the Volunteer Captain for that specific area.  If you would like a listing of the Volunteer Captains for the various teams please let me know or any of the board members and we will get a list out to you ASAP.

Thank you for sharing this with your chapter members and as always we are here to answer any of your questions or concerns so please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of us.  I have included another copy of the Officers List in case you did not receive one in the earlier emails.

Safe Travels,

Donna Merlino

FMCA NEA Secretary

o/b/o NEA Executive Board

Chicken Gun

Normally, these don't posted, but since it's factual, it's too funny to ignore.

-------------------------------

The true story of the Chicken Gun. Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist!

 

Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

 

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains.  Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers.

 

When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin like an arrow shot from a bow.  The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of their experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the U.S. Scientists for suggestions.

 

NASA responded with a one-line memo --

 

"Defrost the chicken." (True story!)

May Rally highlights

Our first rally of 2015 was at Elkdale Campground near Salamanca, NY. Wagon masters, Mary and Dick Randall along with Bill and Kathy Colucci, Wes and Janet Barrager with Russ and Dorothy Taylor visiting to help out.

17 motor homes showed up with several using the location as a stop over on the way north. Food and fellowship was great with the highlight being Saturday bingo hosted by Janet Barrager. There were lots of cute prizes supplied by our hosts.

Our Saturday meeting was an active discussion with many new ideas suggested. We are losing our secretary, Celine Moses and news letter editor – Reed Johnson. Wes Barrager volunteered to take over the duties of newsletter editor. Meanwhile, Millie Worden volunteered to chair a nominating committee. It didn't take long as she recruited Barb Eggleston as secretary by Sunday. Millie may be contacting you to help. Please consider it.

In addition, folks believe few read the newsletter when it's sent by EMAIL over the web. It was suggested that a dues increase would allow for mailing newsletters. After discussion, it a $5 increase was voted by those attending - effective January, 2016 and anyone can receive a paper newsletter unless you refuse it. It will still be emailed, too.

As a afterthought, a quick check showed 75% of those who receive the newsletter by snail-mail were at the rally, whereas only about 20% of the members receiving it by email were present. Coincidence or an opportunity for improvement ?

Some pictures follow.

Thanks to all who volunteered and are helping.

You may click on the image to view it full screen

Call for Northeast Area Officers from NEA Secretary

If you are interested, please contact a member of the nominating committee.

 

Hello Everyone:

I am hoping by now you have received and read my first email.  As I mentioned in that email you will be receiving quite a few notices/emails from us regarding Northeast Area happenings.

We have 2 Vice President positions open on your NEA Executive Board.  Bud McCormick and Tom Rec will not be running for a 2nd term as they are moving in a different life direction.  They will be missed but we wish them well in their future direction.  Both Bud and Tom will continue in their positions until our business meeting to be held at the 2015 NEA Rally in July.  The new VPs will begin their duties at the conclusion of the NEA Rally.

We are asking you to please forward this information to your membership in a timely manner.  We would appreciate any one interested in running for one of these vacant positions to get in touch with me by email/phone or contact a member of the nominating committee (listed below).

Fred Linberk - Bussin Buddies - fjl57@ sbcglobal.net

Sandie Zern -  Bussin Buddie - sandiez16@gmail.com

Harley Soulia - Green Mountain Chapter - hsoulia@ aol.com

There is no experience required for holding a position on the board, just enthusiasm and a willingness to have fun.  So please consider this opportunity to support your Northeast Area. 

Thank you,

Donna Merlino, NEA Secretary

o/b/o The NEA Executive Board

NEAR Secretary update

I may have messed up the sequence, but this another note from Donna Merlino.

 

Good Afternoon Chapter Officers:

I am your FMCA Northeast Area Secretary, Donna Merlino.  I will be communicating with you on behalf of your Northeast Area (NEA) Executive Board.  We would like to keep you informed in regards to what is happening with your Area.  We would appreciate, and encourage you to share these emails/notices with your chapter members.  If you or anyone in your chapter has questions regarding any of these emails/notices please feel free to get in touch with me or any of the board members and we will do our best to assist you.  I have attached the NEA Executive Board Directory for your convenience.  You can reply to this email address ( neafmcasecretary@gmail.com) or the address listed for me on the directory.  I am accepting emails at both. 

I will be sending these notices to the President, National Director and Alternate National Director for each chapter.  If one or more of these officers are not receiving these emails it may be that the email address I have been given by the FMCA Home Office is incorrect.  Please let me know asap if an address needs to be changed or added to the list.  Some chapter officers did not have a name or email listed for National Director of Alternate but everyone has a President with an email.  Therefore, each chapter should receive at least one copy of these emails.

You will be receiving several emails over the next few weeks so please be aware of the return address and add this to your contact list.  This first email is meant to introduce myself and relay contact information for your NEA Executive Board for those of you that may not have that info. 

The NEA Board would like to thank you for being an officer for your chapter and any other chapter you may be involved with.  You, your fellow officers and members are what makes this Area great.  So thank you for what you do and we hope to meet each of you at the 2015 NEA Rally "Summertime Fun at the Junction", July 8-12, 2015 to be held at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction VT.  I have included a Rally Registration Form for you convenience.  We have a great event planned and would love to see each Chapter represented.  

Please be on the lookout for further information regarding the 2015 NEA Rally via this email address.

Until then......

Safe travels

Donna Merlino, Secretary o/b/o the NEA Executive Board

NEAR Craft Seminars

Donna Merlino, Northeast Area Secretary has been busy sending out information for the Northeast Area. Below is one of several. 

Hi Everyone:

Joan Lewis, Susquenango Chapter is in charge of putting together craft seminars for the 2015 NEA Rally in July.  She would appreciate it if you would announce to your membership that she is looking for members that would be interested in holding a craft class/presentation during the Rally.  I know that there are a lot of crafty  members out there with some great skills that we would all be interested in learning how to do.  So put your thinking caps on and help Joan put together some classes.  She would like some more ideas & crafty people.  You can email her at seekhim888@gmail.com

Also, George Lewis, Parking Crew Captain would like all those attending in a caravan of 6 or more to drop him an email with a contact person's name and number. His home phone # is 518-399-7072.  or you can email him at seekhim888@gmail.com.  

If anyone has questions about any of these emails you've been receiving please call or email me directly and I will answer to the best of my ability.  Please share all of these emails with your membership as we want to be sure that EVERYONE knows what is happening. 

If your chapter has not attended or has not been represented at the Area Rally in a while, please make this the year you come back.  We miss you and want to see everyone attend and have a good time.  So please come back.

Safe Travels,

Donna Merlino, NEA Secretary

o/b/o of the NEA Executive Board

An example of FMCA Assist

One benefit of FMCA is the FMCA Assist. Charlie Adcock sent the following:

The following is an email I received from Ron South and with his permission I am forwarding it to everyone. Let's keep Ron and Kathy in our thoughts and prayers.  

 

 

Doug,

 

Sorry for not getting back to you about the rally.  I actually am just getting back from Arizona tomorrow, the 8th.   I wanted to let you know how our first snowbird experience went, and to give a testimony to FMCA.

 

We left Dec. 28th for Arizona and arrived on Jan. 1st.  Due to the time of year I thought it would be smart to take the most southern route but we still experienced bad weather.  Terrible ice and snow storms in Texas and severe winds in New Mexico that ripped off one of my awnings.  Quickly got that fixed after arriving and started to have some fun.

 

We went to Sedona, the Mesa Market, visited friends and family, and just enjoyed the weather.

 

On Jan. 29th Kathy was complaining of severe abdominal pain and I took her to the ER in Sun City.  She was admitted with diverticulitis and after 4 days of not responding to antibiotics, surgery was performed to remove a section of colon.  She came close to dying at this point, and also went into kidney failure requiring her to start dialysis.

 

It was also discovered that she had other kidney and bladder problems and this required multiple surgeries.  The total care she received is far to extensive to list.  She was in the hospital 6 weeks, and 3 weeks in a rehab facility.   This was not exactly what we planned for our vacation.

 

Kathy still cannot walk and continues to need rehab.  I knew I had to get her home and I also knew I couldn't handle her for 4-5 days on the road in the RV.   

On 4/1/15 she was well enough to fly home with assistance and I am driving the RV back.

 

The testimony I mentioned earlier is for the FMCAssist program.  As you may know, I joined the FMCA just shortly before being introduced, and joining, your chapter.  Then I came to your Christmas party.  

In the midst of planning Kathy's return, I remembered this program, and it was actually one of the deciding factors in me joining.

 

I called Seven Corners and had the pleasure of working with Wesley Smith.  Wesley scheduled everything for me, and paid for it.  They provided:

 

The flight out to Arizona for Kathy's son to assist her back;

The airfare for Kathy and her son to return to St. Louis (they gave Kathy a row of 3 seats so she could keep her legs up);

The travel expense for a wheelchair van to pick Kathy up at the rehab facility in Sun City and take her and her son to the Phoenix airport;

The travel expense for a wheelchair van to pick up Kathy and her son from the St. Louis airport and take them to our home in St. Charles.

 

What a deal for $40. a year!     Anyway, it's good to finally get back.  I wonder how our next trip will be?