VR Veterans Club Secretary Secretary Reports

Meeting opened at 0900 with 34 members in attendance. Total club membership is 166.

An informal "Meet and Greet" with refreshments was held from 0900 to 0930.

Formal business commenced at 0930 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.

The President's Report was presented. It was noted that samples of the watches donated for the Veteran's Day Dance silent auction were on display at the meeting and were available for purchase by our membership at discount prices.

Larry Ogolbe, Chairman of the HOA Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee briefed on the role of the Committee and solicited volunteers from our membership to help out in the event of an emergency. He also discussed the 29 hour training program for those interested in obtaining a formal emergency preparedness certification that is scheduled to begin on September 29 featuring 8 classes conducted two evenings per week from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Larry also noted that door hanger tags for use to indicate that help was needed in an emergency could be obtained at the box office at no charge.

Members were reminded that Table Reservation Forms for our Veteran's Day Dance are available on line on the Veteran's Club website under the  "Upcoming Events" tab. The cost is $20.00 per person.

The timeline of events for our Veteran's Day Dance was reviewed as indicated below:

6:30/6:45 PM Doors will open

7:15 PM Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

7:20 PM Opening Remarks by the President

7:30 PM Kings Academy will arrive

7:50 PM DJ Michael Rapposellii (the same DJ as last year) will begin the music

8:30 PM Dessert will be served

8:45 PM Winners of the Silent Auction will be announced

9:00 PM Live Auction will be held. Prizes will include airline tickets, 10 watches and more.

9:15 PM 50/50 Drawings will be held

10:00 PM Party will end.

For snacks at the event we will be serving Humus and onion dip with pita chips.

For dessert we will be serving fruit, cookies and Italian pastries.

Envelopes for individual donations to the Wounded Warriors of South Florida will be placed at each table and attendees will be encouraged to use them to make personal cash or check donations. A collection box will be provided for the envelopes at the party or people may drop them off at the Veterans Club mailbox at the clubhouse. This approach was used very successfully at the Wounded Warriors gala ball held last November.

Additional items are being sought for our auction at the Veteran's Day Party. Getting restaurants to donate dinners for two or four, or encouraging local golf courses to donate course fees are examples of ideal items for auction.  Members can find a copy of our non-profit certification letter that potential auction prize donors will look for on our website under the "Bylaws" tab. In previous years the auction generated significant funds for donations to the Wounded Warriors, and we're looking to raise even more money at this year's event.

Joe Franz was recognized by the President for his initiative in lowering the clubhouse flag to half-staff on Patriot's Day (September 11), one of the four officially designated days when flying the flag at half-staff is appropriate. The other three days are Peace Officer's Day (May 15), Memorial Day (May 30), and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7).

Marty Merluzzi will function as the "backup" person for our 50/50 program in the event that program administrators Sol Kleinman and Morty Grab are unavailable for any reason.

On September 2 we had an off-site trip to the Boynton Beach Veteran's Memorial Park chaired by Roger Ruddick and Les Ungerleider. Attendees viewed the numerous veterans monuments located on the park grounds, and witnessed the unveiling of a new monument to honor Purple Heart recipients. At the event representatives of the French government awarded the French Legion of Honor medal to several combat veterans who participated in the liberation of France during  World War II.

Elections Committee Chairman Norm Beck discussed the upcoming December elections for the positions held by President Jules Harper, Secretary Tom Nowak, and Board Members Nelson Cusher, Marty Merluzzi, Roger Ruddick and Mike Silverman in accordance with our by-laws. Members interested in running for these positions should contact Norm. President Jules Harper reviewed the rationale for our "staggered" election process where only a portion of the Officers and Board Members would stand for re-election each year in order to prevent the changeover of the entire team at the same time and the loss of continuity that this would result in.

The 50/50 drawing was held.

All meetings will be held in the Social Hall.

The President in his concluding remarks noted hat our next meeting will be on Thursday October 8, 2015 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the Social Hall.

The meeting concluded at 1055.

Minutes submitted by Tom Nowak, Veteran's Club Secretary