By Charlie Adcock, F312374
National President
August 2015
Hello, My Fellow FMCA Family:
Here it is the 10th of June, and I am writing for the August issue of the magazine.
Thinking about what to write, I came upon several ideas. The one that popped to the top of my list was the subject of second chances. Most of us at some time in our lives have been given second chances — to either correct previous mistakes or, more importantly, to avoid making the same mistake again! This can apply to every activity in our lives, and is particularly important in personal relationships. Life is too short to allow mistakes we have made with family and friends to go unresolved. Nobody is perfect (except maybe Gloria), and we all deserve second chances to heal broken relationships.
Those of you who have been reading my articles may remember that I have reported on a few of my own mistakes while pursuing this lifestyle we all enjoy. Even though some of them have given us a few laughs, I am happy to report that I am making progress to avoid repeating them when given a second chance.
You may remember that last year FMCA national senior vice president Jon Walker and I put his boat in the lake, and I was to drive the pickup and trailer back to the lake house, but I got lost. I titled that column, “I’m from Arkansas, and I’m Lost.” Well, last week we put the boat in the lake again, and I drove the pickup and trailer back to the lake house, and I DID NOT get lost.
And, I have made sure that my fuel gauge never falls below one-quarter tank. So far, I haven’t run out of fuel again. I’ve also been through the car wash with my pickup truck several times and always remembered to keep my windows up.
As I travel around the country visiting with FMCA members at rallies, I am finding out that a lot of you make the same mistakes that I make. Of course, the one none of us wants to admit is the times we get “temporarily disoriented.” Gloria and I travel with two GPS units and two road atlases. We still manage to make wrong turns, but we always manage to end up at our destination.
As you know by now, the election for FMCA’s four national officers was conducted at the Governing Board meeting held on July 29 during the 92nd Family Reunion in Madison, Wisconsin. So, if I didn’t get re-elected, this may be my farewell column. I sincerely hope that is not the case. It seems as though I started this journey only yesterday, but yet the two-year term has already ended. No matter the election outcome, there is one thing no one can take away from me, and that is all the wonderful memories of the past two years. Gloria and I have met so many great people and made thousands of new friends. Nothing would please me more than to continue this journey for two more years.
Those of you who really know me understand that I am an action person. Some people call that a Type A personality. I have so many ideas that I would like to see FMCA implement. In order to do that, it’s important to carefully consider whether they will work. That’s where the Executive Board comes in; they help to keep me on track. So, many of my ideas never get off the drawing board — and for very good reasons. I have been so fortunate to have the smartest and best Executive Board possible.
Another word about the FMCAssist medical evacuation and travel assistance program. With the help of Ned Boston, chairman of the Risk Management Committee, and the other committee members, we were able to put together the best medical evacuation and travel assistance plan on the market. This was presented to the Governing Board in Redmond, Oregon, in August 2014, and the board wholeheartedly approved the plan. I can tell you from the cases that have been reported to us that this is a wonderful benefit. However, as Jon and I travel to each rally, we are finding out that a lot of our FMCA family members still do not fully understand our FMCAssist benefit and how to use it.
I do recall the first of many cases this past year. If you remember, FMCAssist became a benefit included in our FMCA dues on October 1, 2014. On October 4, 2014, as we were departing the Six State Rally in Shreveport, Louisiana, an FMCA member had a heart attack and passed away. Seven Corners was called and immediately stepped in and took control. They made all the arrangements. Although this was a very unfortunate situation, Seven Corners was the very best thing we could have for our members.
Be sure to acquaint yourself with this extremely important benefit. I hope none of you ever has to use it. But if you do, remember, always take care of the emergency first, but after that call Seven Corners right away and get them involved. Seven Corners must approve and coordinate benefits in order for related expenses to be covered.
One name seems to surface every time I talk with someone about using FMCAssist. That name is Wesley. I hear so many compliments about how nice Wesley at Seven Corners treated them. So, my hat is off to you, Wesley. Thank you for taking such good care of our members.
Should you have any questions about your FMCAssist benefits, don’t hesitate to call Seven Corners at (877) 202-4176, and they will gladly answer them.
Some of you may remember me mentioning in my January column that I would like for FMCA to become more involved in teaching our members about all phases of RVing. Well, I met with a focus group in Pomona, California, and we also plan to meet during the Family Reunion in Madison, Wisconsin. One idea for accomplishing the goal is to put together something that would take place a couple of days in advance of a Family Reunion. Until we have finished our meeting in Madison, there isn’t much I can share with you. So, stay tuned for more to come.
Four FMCA chapters are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. They are the California, Michigan Knights of the Highway, Midwest Coachmen, and Northeastern chapters. We wish all of them a happy 50th anniversary.
Before I close, I want to take a moment to remember all of our veterans, as well as all of the law-enforcement officers, firefighters, first responders, and young military men and women serving us today.
Time to close this out. I hope that Gloria and I got to see each one of you in Madison. If not, please make plans to join us in Perry, Georgia, for FMCA’s 93rd Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase, March 17-20, 2016.
Remember, “It’s all about having fun!”