VR Veterans Club Secretary Secretary Reports

An informal "Meet and Greet" was held from 1600 to 1615. 

Formal business commenced at 1615 with the "Pledge of Allegiance".

The Secretary's Report was presented and the minutes of our last meeting were voted upon and accepted by the membership.

The Treasurer's Report was presented. We have a balance of $5,665.07 on hand. To date, 158 individuals have signed up for our Spring BBQ.

The President's Report was presented. Jules noted that Vice President Goody Morrison just had back surgery and is should be returning home today. 

Board Member and Car Show Chairman Mike Heiserman provided an update on preparations for our upcoming Car Show to be held on St. Patrick's day, Sunday March 17th. 1,000 flyers have been printed and are being distributed, and 25 car pre-registrations have been received to date. We are hoping to have 100 or more cars participating. Trophys have been ordered, as well as a plaque recognizing the contributions of the Del Ray Buick dealership to the event. Entertainment will be once again provided by Ray and the Raylettes who have agreed to play at a reduced rate. A food service has also been secured for the event. 

President Jules Harper thanked Car Show Chairman Mike Heiserman for his exceptional efforts in managing the Car Show.

Jules noted that our next Blood Drive will be held on Friday March 15th, organized by Blood Drive Chairman Tom Conklin with the help of Steve Metzler. 

Our Spring BBQ will be held on April 13th. 158 have already signed up for the event. Ray and the Raylettes will be on hand to provide entertainment for this year's event.

Jules noted that an authorization letter for potential auction vendors for our November Veteran's Day Party has been posted on our website and is available to be printed out for distribution when auction items are solicited from businesses and other potential vendors. He suggested that it might be helpful to approach potential donors earlier in the year while they still had funds in their charitale donations budets, rather than waiting until the fourth quarter when many will have already committed their available funds. 

He also reminded all the our annual Fleet Week ship visits will take place in early May, the exact dates yet to be determined by the Navy.

Jules also advised that Mark Schultz has arranged for the Director of the West Palm Beach Veteran's Medical Center to be our guest speaker for our March breakfast meeting. 

The President also noted that he will be away on travel from 7 March through early May. 

Our boat cruise and dinner is tentatively scheduled for the May timeframe when the days are longer so that we can enjoy the scenery to best advantage. The exact date is to be determined.

A discussion was held about giving a donation from our club to the Honor Flight Program. The consensus of members present was that a one time donation would be appropriate. The issue will be further considered during our next Board meeting in April.

The 50/50 raffel was held, generating $80.00 for the Wounded Veteran's Relief Fund.

The Veteran's Club has an article scheduled for publication in "Living Valencia", and several others pending publication in "Reflections".

Board Member Mike Heiserman was recognized by Jules for his efforts in securing Iwo Jima Marine Corps veteran Don Mates as a guest speaker at our January meeting. His presentation was widely acclaimed by all who attended, and brought our a audience of over 100 people.

Vietnam veteran and professional military historian Jeff Greenhart made an interesting and informative presentation on the Army Museum now being build at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The presentation was well received and was followed by a question and answer period.

Scheduled Veteran's Club Events for 2019 are indicated below:

--Veteran's Club Blood Drive: Friday, March 15, 2019

--Veteran's Club Car Show: Sunday, March 17, 2019

--Veteran's Club Spring BBQ Dinner: Saturday, April 13, 2019

--Fleet Week in Fort Lauderdale: early May, exact date TBD

--Veteran's Day Flag Ceremony: Sunday, November 11, 2019

--Veteran's Day Dance: Monday, November 12, 2019

--Veteran's Day Blood Drive: December, date TBD

Scheduled Sunday breakfast meetings for 2019 are indicated below:

--Sunday, March 24, 2019

--Sunday, June 9, 2019

--Sunday, September 8, 2019

--Sunday, December 8, 2019

All Sunday breakfast meetings will be held in the Social Hall from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Scheduled Second Thursday of the month meetings for 2019 are indicated below:

--Thursday, April 11, 2019

--Thursday, May 9, 2019

--Thursday. October 10, 2019

--Thursday, November 14, 2019

All Thursday meetings will be held in the Social Hall from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

Scheduled 2019  General Meeting dates may also be viewed on our website under the "Upcoming Events" Tab.

The President noted in his concluding remarks that our next meeting would be a breakfast meeting on Sunday, March 24th. The meeting was moved from the original March 10th date due to the non-availability of the Social Hall on that date.

Jules also noted that he will be honored as the "Hero of the Game" at the upcoming Panthers Hockey game at the BB&T center.

The meeting concluded at 1700.

Minutes Submitted by Tom Nowak, Veteran's Club Secretary