Hoops Quiz Correction
The word game titled “Hoops Quiz: Court To Court And Coast To Coast” (January 2002, page 186), a quiz focusing on NBA teams, did not include mention of the Toronto Raptors. FMC regrets this exclusion.
Corrected MEDEX Cards
The telephone number that appeared on the MEDEX cards that were printed on page 209 of the January 2002 issue reaches MEDEX but is not the most direct number for FMCA members to use. The preferred telephone number, which appeared in the text of the article, is (800) 527-0218. Corrected cards appear at the bottom of this page. If you have the cards from the January issue in your wallet already, please discard them and replace them with the cards below.
Corrected MEDEX Cards
The telephone number that appeared on the MEDEX cards that were printed on page 209 of the January 2002 issue reaches MEDEX but is not the most direct number for FMCA members to use. The preferred telephone number, which appeared in the text of the article, is (800) 527-0218. Corrected cards appear at the bottom of this page. If you have the cards from the January issue in your wallet already, please discard them and replace them with the cards below.
Stranger Danger
Dear Editor:
The Gateway Getaways chapter held a rally in Branson, Missouri, over Veterans Day weekend this past November. On their way to the rally, two chapter members were robbed in rest areas. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
The first robbery occurred at a rest area in Illinois. A stranger approached our chapter member and asked for change for a rather large bill. When the member pulled out his billfold, the stranger grabbed it as well as an expensive ring and ran off among the trucks.
The second incident occurred at a rest area near Rolla, Missouri. A stranger approached our chapter member’s coach at the driver’s window and asked whether he was in the group going to Branson. The stranger indicated something serious had happened and then walked to the other side of a truck that was parked next to the motorhome. Our chapter member was very concerned, so he followed the stranger around the truck, where he was met by several others and relieved of his money.
When the two victims got together and compared notes during the rally, they concluded that they had been robbed by the same group of people.
Anyone driving an expensive motorhome creates an image of money in the eyes of would-be robbers. Be very cautious when approached by strangers in rest areas, or anywhere else, for that matter.
Charlie Siler, F144834
President, Gateway Getaways
Chesterfield, Missouri
Swinging Golfers Welcome New Members
Dear Editor:
I am a member of the Swinging Golfers chapter and want to let Family Motor Coaching readers know that we are a pretty neat group. We play golf and enjoy RVing together. In addition to holding golf rallies in conjunction with FMCA international conventions, we have met in Branson, Missouri; Tunica, Mississippi; and in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Our next rally will be held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, April 29 through May 4. There is a limit of 50 coaches, and a deposit is required by April 15, 2002. We welcome new members from all parts of the country. If you enjoy golf and love to travel, come join us.
For more information, contact chapter president Jim Mills, (517) 223-8174, e-mail: jbmills@ismi.net; or, Myrtle Beach rally hosts Jim and Peggy Booth, (252) 447-4583, e-mail: jbooth@cconnect.net.
Pat Stow, F193457
Sneads Ferry, North Carolina
Online Resource For Working RVers
Dear Editor:
Janet Groene’s “Full-Timer’s Primer” column in December 2001 (“Working It Out,” page 150) gave some excellent suggestions for working while RVing. However, it failed to mention an important resource for RVers who need to earn a living — Workers On Wheels, C6460.
Workers On Wheels (WOW) provides several free resources for working RVers and campgrounds and other businesses that hire RVers. Our Web site, www.workersonwheels.com, provides suggestions on various ways to earn a living while RVing, which can include working in a national park, vending at flea markets, working at a lighthouse, or working on computers. RVers looking for work are welcome to post their free Work Wanted ads on the site. Businesses that hire RVers are encouraged to send in free Help Wanted ads.
The Workers On Wheels free e-newsletter is packed with articles about working while RVing and how-to tips written by experienced working RVers. It also includes worker profiles, a question-and-answer column, and Help Wanted ads. The WOW e-zine is free; simply visit our Web site or e-mail your request to subscribewow@workersonwheels.com.
Coleen Sykora, Editor
Workers On Wheels
Rapid City, South Dakota
Canadians Share In Americans’ Grief
Editor’s note: At the request of several members of FMCA’s Executive Committee, following is a synopsis of the remarks made by Great Lakes Area vice president Don Crawford, F11012, on October 11, 2001, at the Eastern Area Rally.
First of all, I want to say thanks to Skip Skipper and his committee for the hospitality shown to us. This is our second year here, and I can tell you that seeing the Canadian flag displayed on the stage and hearing our national anthem sung makes my wife, Kathy, and me feel very welcome.
Not only as an FMCA member but more importantly as a Canadian, I come before you tonight in hopes that Kathy and I can be of some assistance in these troubled times. We grieve with you. Our thoughts, prayers and sympathies are with you because of the tragic and horrifying events of September 11.
I do not know if I can convey to you properly the depth of feeling that has been generated in Canadians as a result of those events. When Kathy and I came out of the grocery store the other day, we noted two fire trucks parked out front. The firefighters were there with empty boots collecting money to assist their fellow firefighters in New York City. Our home city of London, Ontario, has a catchment area of about 350,000 people, and I can tell you that in that very short period of time up to last week, more than $270,000 was collected. This is just one example of how Canadians have tried to help.
I can also tell you that on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on September 15, 100,000 people turned out for a memorial service. Parliament Hill is comparable to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. To give you some idea of the significance of that crowd, our total population is about 10 percent of yours, and if you extrapolate those figures, those people in attendance represented approximately 1 million United States citizens. It was also significant that the U.S. ambassador to Canada was present for the ceremonies, together with our prime minister and other government dignitaries.
The other notable show of support was in the flying of all of our flags at half-staff for five days after the 11th. Not only was this a constant reminder to Canadians of what had happened, but it also showed that your good neighbors to the north were thinking about you. This was brought home to us when we were visiting a chapter in Ontario that has some American members. One of the American members approached us with tears in his eyes and thanked us for showing our support by our comments and by flying the Canadian flag at half-staff.
The history of our two countries is very closely linked, both in war and in peace. Not only did we lose citizens in the Great War and the Second World War, but members of our armed services also paid the supreme sacrifice in Korea and Vietnam and other troubled spots throughout the world. We will do what we can to help, but we do not have the military strength we had at one time. At the end of WW II we had the fourth largest Air Force and the third largest Navy. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing today. But, in speaking for myself, I can tell you that whatever we have, I feel we will do our best to assist you in eradicating terrorism from the world.
We are with you. God bless America.
Prospective “Pipe Dreamers” Invited To Perry Meeting
Dear Editor:
The Perry, Georgia, convention will soon be upon us. As president of the Pipe Dreamers chapter, I would like to invite any FMCA members whose family membership number is below 5,000 to join with similar members in Perry.
The Pipe Dreamers chapter got its name from the FMC magazine column “Pipe Dreams,” which was penned by FMCA’s first executive director, Ken Scott, L63.
Pipe Dreamers is a chapter with no fuss, no muss, no dues, and no planned rallies. We meet twice a year at each FMCA international convention to greet old friends and reminisce. The chapter is in its 10th year and has 126 members. Each year, the low membership numbers become more prestigious.
During the Perry convention we will have a continental breakfast meeting Wednesday, March 20, in Seminar 10 (Fairview Room) from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. The breakfast will again be provided by Don and Margaret Hoffman, L2494, of Hoffman Coach, C1859.
I look forward to meeting many more Pipe Dreamers in Perry.
Pat Malloy, F1681
Polk City, Florida