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Chapter #2030
Rosenberg,Texas Website Page 3: Chapter News 2007 |
2007 Chapter News
December Officer Installation & Christmas Party
NARFE Region VI Field Vice President Jerry Hatfield and his wife Jo attended the event as did District 7 Representative David Doss and his wife Sue. The slate of officers re-elected to serve for 2008 at the November meeting were installed by District 7 Representative David Doss. The members were entertained by Grandma's Boyfriends a Barbershop Quartet. They sang Christmas songs and barbershop standards. All enjoyed a very nice meal offering turkey, ham, with side dishes and desserts brought by members. A chinese gift exchange was also held and we met new member Verna Harris. Thanks to Wilda, Elizabeth, and Hazel for all their efforts to make this another Christmas to remember.
The Officers for 2008 are:
President Dave Bloomer, VP Irene Warren, Secretary Hazel Hicks, Treasurer Al Luna.
November Meeting
An election of officers for 2008 was held at the November meeting. The current officers having all agreed to run for re-election were relected for a new term. Congressman Delay was unable to attend as Congress did not adjourn. He has been invited to attend our Christmas Party, but Congress has still not adjourned and he will be required to be in Washington D. C. this week for votes in Congress. A representative from his office will attend the Christmas Party.
October Meeting
President Dave Bloomer announced a mailing to all members by either regular mail or email had been accomplished providing information on the meetings and events for the Fall Quarter as well as dues withholding, the best way to save on paying your NARFE dues. Nomination Chair Frances Luna announced the nominees for 2008 Officers. The election will be held at the November meeting. Members were reminded that Congressman Nick Lampson is expected to attend our next meeting. Members are encouraged to bring their spouse and fellow members for a good turnout.
September Meeting
President Dave Bloomer reported on a Lobby Month visit to Congressman Nick Lampson. A nomination committee was appointed. It was decided a Chapter Event would be held Oct 17th with a lunch at Another Time Soda Fountain 800 Third Street in Rosenberg, and that afterward the group would visit the Rosenberg Railroad Museum. Lunch on your own, museum tickets $4.
August Meeting
The main business at the August meeting was to announce the Nominating Committee Chair Frances Luna who will recruit two additional committee members and report on nominees for office at the September or October meeting. Discussion of possible activities for Event month led to Joyce Bartos agreeing to check on doing a visit to the Rosenberg Train Museum. A later visit might be appropriate as they have just acquired a caboose and it may not be open to the public by October. Members interested in attending the Region VI Training Seminar in Tulsa Oklahoma were asked to contact President Dave Bloomer. Dave suggested that the Chapter consider paying the registration fee for a member to attend the training.
July Meeting
President Dave Bloomer advised members Elizabeth and Bruce could not be present as Bruce had a triple by-pass surgery recently. There were no Birthdays or Anniversaries so our guest Speaker Ed Biles led the lunch line. Business discussed included the Region VI Training Seminar to be held in September. Hester Bain is considering going on behalf of the Chapter. NARFE PAC donations are needed so if you have yet to donate please contact Phil Miller to make a donation. This is election year and our PAC needs your support!
Former Houston Oiler Coach Ed Biles presented a brief talk with a patriotic element explaining the origin of TAPS, and answered questions about the Oilers, Bud Adams, the Copperheads and football in general.
June Meeting
Members were informed of the recent death of Chapter 2030 Past President Everett Leonard. Several members attended his funeral and shared with the chapter momentos from his funeral. The husband of past District 7 Representative Stella Ward also passed away recently.
President Dave Bloomer reported on the Region VI Training Seminar to be held in September in Tulsa Oklahoma. Information is available by request and will be passed by email to all members with email. The chapter should have someone attend so a volunteer (or volunteers) is being sought. A booster donation is requested from those in the Chapter willing to support the Seminar. A donation of a $1 or more gets you listed in the Seminar Program. The sign up sheet will be available again at out next meeting and then must be mailed in. During new business, members approved sending a donation to Everett Leonard's favorite charity.
A representative from American Red Cross spoke to the group. Ed Biles former Houston Oiler Coach will be the speaker at our July meeting so the men in the Chapter are encouraged to attend and feel free to have lots of football questions.
May Meeting
Members were informed of the recent health problems of the spouse of our District Representative Stella Ward, long time member Everett Leonard, and Fletcher Morgan. Members congratulated Phil Miller and his wife on their 49th Anniversary.
New members on our roster are both not likely to attend meetings as one is in Freeport and the other now lives in Jacksboro west of Fort Worth. President Dave Bloomer said he will advise them of alternative chapters they might transfer to. President Dave Bloomer reported that Wilbur Doehring of Chapter 828 and others on behalf of the Houston Association of Chapters undertook to be at the Excellence in Government Awards Luncheon in view of our inability to be there since it was scheduled at the same time as our May meeting. The next meeting of the Houston Association of Chapters is July 25th at Tracy Gee Community Center. Dave Bloomer announced he had applied for matching funds for the purchase of the Chapter Banner and has been notified of approval by Texas Federation and National. This will add about $100 to our treasury.
Phil Miller Legislative and PAC Chair reminded members to encourage all members to make a significant contribution to the NARFE PAC this year as it is election year and very important that our PAC be able to support candidates favorable to NARFE's legislative Program. If you have yet to donate please contact Phil Miller at 281-578-3473 and arrange to send him a check payable to NARFE-PAC. Donations of $20 or more will be provided a NARFE PAC pin. Membership Chair Dave Bloomer reported that the Dues withholding campaign has been extended to run to December 31st. It seems that National cannot provide the data to determine the winners for the contest until they do a special computer run and they have now agreed to do one in January. There are significant benefits to paying your dues by dues withholding. Dave will continue to make this information known to members in the hopes more will sign up and save over 15% on their dues. Signing up could help the chapter also as the Chapter with the most new dues withholding members this year will win $100 for their Treasury.
The delegates to the Texas Federation Convention reported to members on the events at the Convention. The resolution regarding medical care for dependents up to age 25 passed. The resolution can now be considered at the 2008 NARFE National Convention in Louisville Kentucky. The resolution to recognize Councils and Associations did not pass.
The following officers of the Federation were elected: Jerome Smith, President; Rodney Smith, Executive Vice President; Pauline Belser, Secretary; Wilbur Doehring, Treasurer. Frances Luna, TFC Alzheimer Coordinator, also reported on Alzheimer Fundraising at the convention. It was also announced Marshall Richards will be the new Texas Federal Retiree Editor.
In new business a motion to pay the delegates registration fee was made by Frances Luna and seconded by Phil Miller. The motion passed. A motion was made and seconded to renew our liability insurance coverage from NARFE for a yearly fee of $75.
The meeting adjourned.
April Meeting
President Dave Bloomer reported that Everett Leonard has indicated he is not feeling well and will not be coming to meetings and resigned from the Christmas Party Committee. Dave announced a letter of thanks had been sent to the Walgreens manager who allowed us to use the parking lot for the Garage Sale. A letter was also sent to Michael Luna to thank him for donating Starbucks coffee for the volunteers. Al Luna reported on the Garage Sale thanking those who helped and reporting the earnings.
Eight members of the chapter went to the District 7 Convention hosted by Chapter 1350 on March 31st. We had almost as many there as the host chapter. The next District 7 Convention will be hosted by Chapter 1375 in Sugar Land.
Members were reminded of the upcoming 54th Texas Federation Convention at the Clarion Hotel in Irving Texas. Frances Luna has asked members to bring items for raffle to support the Alzheimer Fund.
A report on the upcoming Houston Association of Chapters meeting on April 16th at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria noted there will be commitee meetings of those interested in recruiting and those interested in a Houston Association of Chapters Newsletter which could also serve as a newsletter for chapters that do not have a newsletter. Anyone interested in helping with these activities is encouraged to attend.
The Missouri City Health Fair was announced and a flyer made available to members. The flyer is downloadable from the Calendar page of this website.
Phil Miller announced he has NARFE PAC pins available for a donation of at least $20. Phil can be reached at 281-578-3473 or by email at pcmiller@sbcglobal.net During this next year it will be important that our PAC raise funds to have for the upcoming election in 2008. Members are encouraged to contact Phil and make a generous donation.
The Christmas Committee reported they felt plans for a pot luck Christmas Luncheon at the IBC bank on December 12th at noon were workable and after general consensus from the Chapter members present will proceed with final arrangements. Please note this is a change in our usual Christmas Party time and format and we will need to get the word out to our members.
Elizabeth Freund reported that Mary Hacker was to have surgery on her back the day of the meeting. It was also reported Rosa Barnes had been having health problems.
March Meeting
Committee Reports: Thanks to Al Luna and all those who helped with the garage sale held March 10th. A report on the results will be made by Al Luna next month. The Christmas Party Commitee Chair was unable to attend the meeting, but will hold further committee meetings and report to the Chapter. A committee member reported that the a reservation had been made with IBC for a room at noon on December 12th. An event at this location would mean a potluck lunch with members expected to bring a dish. Other options include continuing at Fort Bend Country Club during lunch instead of at night. President Dave Bloomer expressed the desire to have the committee present the issue to the members and to consider the input of the members as to the final decision.
Phil Miller was probably busy with Rodeo duties, but Dave announced the NARFE -PAC pins have arrived and will be available at our meetings or by contacting Phil MIller. Joyce Bartos has been working a lot and is seeking a volunteer to take over the Sunshine Chair. Membership Chair Dave Bloomer reported that as of December 2006 the Chapter had 8.33% members with dues withholding. He urged all members to encourage any member eligible to sign up before March 31st for dues withholding. Dues withholding saves a member the most possible on their dues, and provides other benefits like including chapter dues so there are 4 less bills from National that you respond to saving on checks and mailing expense. Forms are available on the narfe website or from Dave Bloomer 281-438-2272. The Chapter in our district with the greatest increase in members with dues withholding will be presented with a check for $100 at the Texas Federation Convention.
Announcements:
The District 7 Convention will be Wednesday March 21st in Tomball. See: District 7 Representative's webpage for details.
The program for the April Chapter meeting on April 11th will be about the Meals on Wheels Program.
The Houston Association Quarterly Meeting was rescheduled to Monday April 16th due to conflict with the Texas Federation Convention. The meeting is at 10:30 AM at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria 6525 Lawndale in Houston.
The Texas Federation Convention will be April 25th to 28th at the Clarion Hotel at DFW Airport Irving Texas. For details see: http://www.txnarfe.org/TFCconv.html
February Meeting
The guest speaker at the February meeting was Joe Marziotti an Elder Hostel Ambassador who spoke on the Elder Hostel program and presented a short video. Members were reminded of the District 7 Convention in Tomball Texas on March 21st, and the Texas Federation Convention April 25th to 28th in Irving Texas. Details are available online or in the Texas Federal Retiree. The Chapter delegates to the State convention were chosen:
Al Luna and Wilda Simms will be our delagates, and alternates will be Everett Leonard and Hazel Hicks. Both Dave Bloomer and Frances Luna will be delegates at large due to their appointed positions with the Texas Federation.
President Dave Bloomer reported he had decided to attend the 2007 National Legislative Training Conference in Bethesda Maryland March 3rd to 6th. President Dave Bloomer also reported that he was recently appointed Texas Federation Webmaster and had revised the Texas Federation Website. He encouraged members to visit the site at http://www.txnarfe.org and to provide any suggestions for additional features to him or Texas Federation Executive Vice President Jerome Smith. They will be exploring ways to provide more information and features on the website.
The next Houston Association of Chapters meeting April 16th will be at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria hosted by Chapter 941. Following the morning meeting members interested in helping with recruiting efforts will meet at an lunch session to work on plans for future recruiting efforts. Members interested in a newsletter for the Houston Association of Chapters are also encouraged to attend a lunch session as well.
The Chapter Audit was presented to President Dave Bloomer who will send it to our District Representative.
Al Luna reported on plans to hold a Chapter 2030 Garage Sale at Walgreens on Ave H in Rosenberg on March 10th. Members are asked to bring items they can donate by 8:00 AM March 10th with a suggested price on the item. If you have questions or need to make other arrangements for donations contact Al Luna 281-342-5949
Announcements: March 10th Garage Sale
March 14th Next Chapter 2030 Meeting
March 21st District 7 Convention in Tomball
April 16 Houston Association of Chapters Meeting
April 25-28 Texas Federation Convention
January Meeting
President Dave Bloomer thanked Wilda Simms and Elizabeth Freund for all their help with making the Christmas party an enjoyable evening for all. Dave announced the appointment of Everett Leonard to Chair a committee to deal with next year's party which will require some negotiation with the club and possible changes in date and time from past practice. Entertainment for the party is also being planned so the committee is asked to report back as soon as possible.
The Chapter Audit is due and Phil Miller was asked to arrange for that to be done. The resolutions passed by the Chapter were reported to the Texas Federation and will be published in the Texas Federal Retiree for Jan/Feb 2007. Plans for the Texas Federation Convention were received and it will be held April 25 -28 in Irving Texas. Hotel reservations and conference registration should be accomplished by the delegates. We will need to designate our delegates at the next meeting. President Dave Bloomer noted that registration for the National Legislative Conference was due by January 27th. Dave Bloomer made a report for Membership on the current drive to get members to sign-up for dues withholding. The member saves 4.40 per year and with dues withholding does not have to pay ahead to get the advantage of the 3 year rate like others do. Members are encouraged to sign up before March 31st with National as this could qualify our Chapter for a $100 prize if we have the highest percentage of members sign up for withholding within our District. Dave sent an email to all members with email explaining the advantages of dues withholding and the prize that the Chapter could win. Talk to fellow member s you see and encourage them to sign-up before March 31st. Literature and the form for sign up will be available at the next meeting.
Announcements were: 1. that the speaker next time would talk about the Elder Hostel Program, 2. The Houston Association of Chapters meeting will be Jan 24th at Tracy Gee Community Center. Our Legislative Chair and Membership Chair are encouraged to attend. They have now been appointed alternate representatives to the Association,
Members were informed of the recent health problems of the spouse of our District Representative Stella Ward, long time member Everett Leonard, and Fletcher Morgan. Members congratulated Phil Miller and his wife on their 49th Anniversary.
New members on our roster are both not likely to attend meetings as one is in Freeport and the other now lives in Jacksboro west of Fort Worth. President Dave Bloomer said he will advise them of alternative chapters they might transfer to. President Dave Bloomer reported that Wilbur Doehring of Chapter 828 and others on behalf of the Houston Association of Chapters undertook to be at the Excellence in Government Awards Luncheon in view of our inability to be there since it was scheduled at the same time as our May meeting. The next meeting of the Houston Association of Chapters is July 25th at Tracy Gee Community Center. Dave Bloomer announced he had applied for matching funds for the purchase of the Chapter Banner and has been notified of approval by Texas Federation and National. This will add about $100 to our treasury.
Phil Miller Legislative and PAC Chair reminded members to encourage all members to make a significant contribution to the NARFE PAC this year as it is election year and very important that our PAC be able to support candidates favorable to NARFE's legislative Program. If you have yet to donate please contact Phil Miller at 281-578-3473 and arrange to send him a check payable to NARFE-PAC. Donations of $20 or more will be provided a NARFE PAC pin. Membership Chair Dave Bloomer reported that the Dues withholding campaign has been extended to run to December 31st. It seems that National cannot provide the data to determine the winners for the contest until they do a special computer run and they have now agreed to do one in January. There are significant benefits to paying your dues by dues withholding. Dave will continue to make this information known to members in the hopes more will sign up and save over 15% on their dues. Signing up could help the chapter also as the Chapter with the most new dues withholding members this year will win $100 for their Treasury.
The delegates to the Texas Federation Convention reported to members on the events at the Convention. The resolution regarding medical care for dependents up to age 25 passed. The resolution can now be considered at the 2008 NARFE National Convention in Louisville Kentucky. The resolution to recognize Councils and Associations did not pass.
The following officers of the Federation were elected: Jerome Smith, President; Rodney Smith, Executive Vice President; Pauline Belser, Secretary; Wilbur Doehring, Treasurer. Frances Luna, TFC Alzheimer Coordinator, also reported on Alzheimer Fundraising at the convention. It was also announced Marshall Richards will be the new Texas Federal Retiree Editor.
In new business a motion to pay the delegates registration fee was made by Frances Luna and seconded by Phil Miller. The motion passed. A motion was made and seconded to renew our liability insurance coverage from NARFE for a yearly fee of $75.
The meeting adjourned.
April Meeting
President Dave Bloomer reported that Everett Leonard has indicated he is not feeling well and will not be coming to meetings and resigned from the Christmas Party Committee. Dave announced a letter of thanks had been sent to the Walgreens manager who allowed us to use the parking lot for the Garage Sale. A letter was also sent to Michael Luna to thank him for donating Starbucks coffee for the volunteers. Al Luna reported on the Garage Sale thanking those who helped and reporting the earnings.
Eight members of the chapter went to the District 7 Convention hosted by Chapter 1350 on March 31st. We had almost as many there as the host chapter. The next District 7 Convention will be hosted by Chapter 1375 in Sugar Land.
Members were reminded of the upcoming 54th Texas Federation Convention at the Clarion Hotel in Irving Texas. Frances Luna has asked members to bring items for raffle to support the Alzheimer Fund.
A report on the upcoming Houston Association of Chapters meeting on April 16th at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria noted there will be commitee meetings of those interested in recruiting and those interested in a Houston Association of Chapters Newsletter which could also serve as a newsletter for chapters that do not have a newsletter. Anyone interested in helping with these activities is encouraged to attend.
The Missouri City Health Fair was announced and a flyer made available to members. The flyer is downloadable from the Calendar page of this website.
Phil Miller announced he has NARFE PAC pins available for a donation of at least $20. Phil can be reached at 281-578-3473 or by email at pcmiller@sbcglobal.net During this next year it will be important that our PAC raise funds to have for the upcoming election in 2008. Members are encouraged to contact Phil and make a generous donation.
The Christmas Committee reported they felt plans for a pot luck Christmas Luncheon at the IBC bank on December 12th at noon were workable and after general consensus from the Chapter members present will proceed with final arrangements. Please note this is a change in our usual Christmas Party time and format and we will need to get the word out to our members.
Elizabeth Freund reported that Mary Hacker was to have surgery on her back the day of the meeting. It was also reported Rosa Barnes had been having health problems.
March Meeting
Members were informed Everett Leonard could not make the meeting due to recent eye surgery. Frances and Al Luna were unable to attend as they had to make a trip to San Antonio. For the program in March President Dave Bloomer provided Federal Income Tax information on how to claim items allowed by recent changes in the law that are not provided for on the printed 1040 tax form. Note: The changes have been included in electronic tax preparation software, but the IRS did not have time to change the 1040 form itself.
Presidents Report. It was announced the Texas Federation Convention delegate form and Committee volunteer form will be submitted before the April 1 deadline, anyone interested in attending the convention or serving on a committe should let Dave Bloomer know as soon as possible. Chapter 2030 Delegates and alternates will be as follows: Delegates at Large:Dave Bloomer, Frances Luna; Chapter Delegates: Al Luna and Wilda Simms; Chapter Alternates: Everett Leonard, Hazel Hicks.Committee Reports: Thanks to Al Luna and all those who helped with the garage sale held March 10th. A report on the results will be made by Al Luna next month. The Christmas Party Commitee Chair was unable to attend the meeting, but will hold further committee meetings and report to the Chapter. A committee member reported that the a reservation had been made with IBC for a room at noon on December 12th. An event at this location would mean a potluck lunch with members expected to bring a dish. Other options include continuing at Fort Bend Country Club during lunch instead of at night. President Dave Bloomer expressed the desire to have the committee present the issue to the members and to consider the input of the members as to the final decision.
Phil Miller was probably busy with Rodeo duties, but Dave announced the NARFE -PAC pins have arrived and will be available at our meetings or by contacting Phil MIller. Joyce Bartos has been working a lot and is seeking a volunteer to take over the Sunshine Chair. Membership Chair Dave Bloomer reported that as of December 2006 the Chapter had 8.33% members with dues withholding. He urged all members to encourage any member eligible to sign up before March 31st for dues withholding. Dues withholding saves a member the most possible on their dues, and provides other benefits like including chapter dues so there are 4 less bills from National that you respond to saving on checks and mailing expense. Forms are available on the narfe website or from Dave Bloomer 281-438-2272. The Chapter in our district with the greatest increase in members with dues withholding will be presented with a check for $100 at the Texas Federation Convention.
Announcements:
The District 7 Convention will be Wednesday March 21st in Tomball. See: District 7 Representative's webpage for details.
The program for the April Chapter meeting on April 11th will be about the Meals on Wheels Program.
The Houston Association Quarterly Meeting was rescheduled to Monday April 16th due to conflict with the Texas Federation Convention. The meeting is at 10:30 AM at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria 6525 Lawndale in Houston.
The Texas Federation Convention will be April 25th to 28th at the Clarion Hotel at DFW Airport Irving Texas. For details see: http://www.txnarfe.org/TFCconv.html
February Meeting
The guest speaker at the February meeting was Joe Marziotti an Elder Hostel Ambassador who spoke on the Elder Hostel program and presented a short video. Members were reminded of the District 7 Convention in Tomball Texas on March 21st, and the Texas Federation Convention April 25th to 28th in Irving Texas. Details are available online or in the Texas Federal Retiree. The Chapter delegates to the State convention were chosen:
Al Luna and Wilda Simms will be our delagates, and alternates will be Everett Leonard and Hazel Hicks. Both Dave Bloomer and Frances Luna will be delegates at large due to their appointed positions with the Texas Federation.
President Dave Bloomer reported he had decided to attend the 2007 National Legislative Training Conference in Bethesda Maryland March 3rd to 6th. President Dave Bloomer also reported that he was recently appointed Texas Federation Webmaster and had revised the Texas Federation Website. He encouraged members to visit the site at http://www.txnarfe.org and to provide any suggestions for additional features to him or Texas Federation Executive Vice President Jerome Smith. They will be exploring ways to provide more information and features on the website.
The next Houston Association of Chapters meeting April 16th will be at the Dinner Bell Cafeteria hosted by Chapter 941. Following the morning meeting members interested in helping with recruiting efforts will meet at an lunch session to work on plans for future recruiting efforts. Members interested in a newsletter for the Houston Association of Chapters are also encouraged to attend a lunch session as well.
The Chapter Audit was presented to President Dave Bloomer who will send it to our District Representative.
Al Luna reported on plans to hold a Chapter 2030 Garage Sale at Walgreens on Ave H in Rosenberg on March 10th. Members are asked to bring items they can donate by 8:00 AM March 10th with a suggested price on the item. If you have questions or need to make other arrangements for donations contact Al Luna 281-342-5949
Announcements: March 10th Garage Sale
March 14th Next Chapter 2030 Meeting
March 21st District 7 Convention in Tomball
April 16 Houston Association of Chapters Meeting
April 25-28 Texas Federation Convention
January Meeting
President Dave Bloomer thanked Wilda Simms and Elizabeth Freund for all their help with making the Christmas party an enjoyable evening for all. Dave announced the appointment of Everett Leonard to Chair a committee to deal with next year's party which will require some negotiation with the club and possible changes in date and time from past practice. Entertainment for the party is also being planned so the committee is asked to report back as soon as possible.
The Chapter Audit is due and Phil Miller was asked to arrange for that to be done. The resolutions passed by the Chapter were reported to the Texas Federation and will be published in the Texas Federal Retiree for Jan/Feb 2007. Plans for the Texas Federation Convention were received and it will be held April 25 -28 in Irving Texas. Hotel reservations and conference registration should be accomplished by the delegates. We will need to designate our delegates at the next meeting. President Dave Bloomer noted that registration for the National Legislative Conference was due by January 27th. Dave Bloomer made a report for Membership on the current drive to get members to sign-up for dues withholding. The member saves 4.40 per year and with dues withholding does not have to pay ahead to get the advantage of the 3 year rate like others do. Members are encouraged to sign up before March 31st with National as this could qualify our Chapter for a $100 prize if we have the highest percentage of members sign up for withholding within our District. Dave sent an email to all members with email explaining the advantages of dues withholding and the prize that the Chapter could win. Talk to fellow member s you see and encourage them to sign-up before March 31st. Literature and the form for sign up will be available at the next meeting.
Announcements were: 1. that the speaker next time would talk about the Elder Hostel Program, 2. The Houston Association of Chapters meeting will be Jan 24th at Tracy Gee Community Center. Our Legislative Chair and Membership Chair are encouraged to attend. They have now been appointed alternate representatives to the Association,
