Veteran's Club Meeting Minutes from January 11, 2015
Meeting opened at 0900 with 52 members in attendance. This is the first of our periodic Sunday morning breakfast meetings. Total club membership is now 163 members
An informal "Meet and Greet" featuring a light breakfast was held from 0900 to 0945.
Formal business commenced at 0945 with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Treasurer's Report was submitted. It was noted that in the last twelve months the Veteran's Club has donated over twenty thousand dollars to the Wounded Warriors of South Florida.
The Secretary's Report was presented and the minutes of our last meeting were voted on and accepted by the membership. A moment of silence was observed for the Secretary's father-in-law Leon Cohen, a World War Two veteran who served as a combat aircrewman on B-24 heavy bombers in the Pacific, who passed away last Friday.
The President's Report was presented. It was noted that this was our first Sunday morning breakfast meeting, and that we will continue to hold them several times a year, while maintaining our usual second Thursday of the month meetings for most sessions. The original dates for our Sunday quarterly meetings have been adjusted based on Social Hall availability as indicated in the revised meeting schedule for the year appearing below. The new schedule may also be viewed on our website under the President's tab.
The two hour CPR/AED class sponsored by our Veteran's Club has been confirmed for January 27, 2015 from 1600 to 1900 in the Social Hall. Graduates will receive a certification card good for two years. Spouses are invited to attend. The class cost is $45.00 per person. Those interested in attending who have not yet signed up should contact President Jules Harper as soon as possible. Seats are limited.
Several local magazines will feature articles on our Flagpole Dedication Ceremony and Veteran's Day Program. Details will be provided as they become available.
An update of our Veteran's Club website has been completed.
It was noted that Fred Paul has begun his watch as our new Mess Officer.
It was noted that the Amazon "Smile" program provides that one-half of one percent of purchases go to a charity specified by the purchaser. The Wounded Warriors of South Florida was one of the selected charities that donations may be directed to.
Vice President Goody Morrison provided a briefing on preparations for a club visit to Navy Fleet Week activities to be held in Fort Lauderdale from May 4 to 10, 2015. Goody is chairing the Fleet Week Committee and volunteers were solicited to help. It is anticipated that six ships will be available for visiting, and it was noted that visitors must be pre-cleared for security by the Navy in advance of the visit. The number of people who will be allowed to board the vessels will be limited to a total of 2,000 over the course of the event. A pre-screening form should be available for distribution at our next meeting. It is anticipated that we will arrange for a bus to take us to and from the event. Cost is estimated to be approximately $30.00 for the trip. Additional details will be provided as soon as they are available.
Treasurer Steve Rosenthal presented a check for $500.00 to Wounded Warriors of South Florida Vice President LTGEN Robert Chelberg and Executive Director Howard Golin. The check represented the funds raised from our BJ's Card Project initiative. Following the check presentation a group photo was taken of our members in attendance.
President Jules Harper introduced our guest speaker Wounded Warriors of South Florida Vice President LTGEN Robert Chelberg. LTGEN Chelberg graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1961 and began a 32 year active duty Army career as a Field Artillery officer, including two tours in Vietnam, retiring in 1993 as a Lieutenant General. His decorations include 5 Bronze Stars and 10 Air Medals. LTGEN Chelberg made an interesting and informative presentation, focusing on the mission of the Wounded Warriors of South Florida and the specifics of the help they provide to returning wounded veterans. He explained how they collaborate closely with the Veteran's Administration to identify and meet specific veteran's urgent needs. He noted that the organization strives to keep it's overhead costs low, and that their administrative costs for the last tax year were only 9%, much lower than most veteran's support operations. He indicated that the needs of returning wounded veterans continues to be great, and that funding was the Wounded Warriors of South Florida's only limitation. He advised that the WW of SF provided $600,000 of support to wounded veterans in 2014. He concluded by expressing appreciation for the support that our Veteran's Club provided to the organization, and emphasized the impact of our contributions in improving the lives of wounded warriors and helping them and their families with their transition back to civilian life. A question and answer period followed the presentation.
Scheduled events for 2015 include the following:
--Car Show: March 8; Chairman Roger Ruddick
--Blood Drive: March 13; Chairman Marty Merluzzi
--Canned Food Drive: March 19; Chairman Steve Osterman
--Fleet Week in Fort Lauderdale: May 4-10 (exact visit date TBD); Chairman Goody Morrison
--Pool Party with HOA: May 2; Chairman Goody Morrison
--Heat Wave Dance Party: August 1; Chairman Goody Morrison
--Veteran's Day Dance: November 11; Chairman Goody Morrison
Scheduled Sunday breakfast meeting dates for 2015 are indicated below:
--Sunday April 26, 9-11:30
--Sunday June 14, 9-11:30
--Sunday September 13, 9-11:30
--Sunday December 13, 9-11:30
All meetings will be held in the Social Hall.
Scheduled Second Thursday of the month meetings for 2015 are as indicated below:
--Thursday February 12, 4-6 PM
--Thursday March 12, 4-6 PM
--Thursday May 14, 4-6 PM
--Thursday October 8, 4-6 PM
--Thursday November 12, 4-6 PM
All meetings will be held in the Social Hall.
The President noted in his concluding remarks that our next meeting would be on Thursday February 12 in the Social Hall.
The 50/50 drawing was held.
The meeting concluded at 1110.
Minutes Submitted by Tom Nowak, Club Secretary