Changing Times
Safety protocols and enhanced member benefits.
By Rett Porter, F369084
National President
rporter@fmca.com
I hope that you have had a very pleasant year traveling and enjoying the RV lifestyle again. Claire and I have been on the road for 5½ months. Although we are vaccinated, we are still being careful to wear a mask whenever we question our possible exposure to getting COVID-19. As I mentioned in last month’s magazine article, FMCA is taking all possible measures to ensure our members are safe at our rallies and conventions and to ensure our headquarters staff are safe at work.
The world is ever-changing with COVID-19 variants occurring and spreading; disease continues to be one of our hot topics. FMCA has been successful while hosting two FMCA International Conventions and RV Expos in 2021 with between 7,000 and 8,000 people coming in contact during the two events. We have had only seven cases of COVID-19 reported to us, and that is an excellent record. We attribute this to our members being cautious when they attend our events and practicing safe COVID-19 protocols.
We are trying to be proactive to keep our rallies and conventions safe and healthy experiences. Your support and participation will help us in this endeavor. The Western Area Rally in Indio, California, and the Eastern Area Rally in Lewisburg, West Virginia, had to be canceled, but not because of their members getting COVID-19. The rally locations are being so impacted by COVID-19 that local officials have suggested/demanded that the rallies be delayed until next year.
As RVers get back on the road, let me share some of the enhanced benefits and savings that have occurred in the past year to make your RV experiences even better:
When we talk about FMCA benefits, we usually refer to the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program as our best benefit for our members. FMCAssist is included in your dues, and last year we moved to Europ Assistance as our provider, with underwriting by Federal Insurance Company, a member insurer of the Chubb Group of Companies. With this change, additional benefits were added to our policy. Now FMCAssist coverage includes:
- Emergency Room cash of $250 is paid for a member treated for an accident while on a trip (maximum of $500 in 12 months).
- Emergency cash for mechanical breakdowns is available to cover food and lodging while broken down. Our policy provides $250 per day for a maximum of 3 days per trip with a maximum $1,500 per year.
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment will pay a maximum of $5,000.
FMCA Tech Connect+ with Sprint Wi-Fi is an additional monthly charge, but this is a super benefit because it is only available to FMCA members. For $49.99 per month, plus a one-time rental fee of $39.99, you can have a truly unlimited data plan with no data cap. This means you can stream as much as you want with no slowdown and no extra charges. I have heard technical gurus say this Wi-Fi benefit is the best deal of its kind on the planet.
I hope that you have already registered for FMCA’s 104th International Convention and RV Expo in Tucson, Arizona, March 23 through 26, 2022. We had one of the largest opening-day registrations, with 375 registered on September 23, 2021. This is going to be a great convention. If you haven’t registered, then complete your registration online or by mail so you can attend. I look forward to seeing you there.
Humble Beginnings
The FMCA story: From a small gathering in Maine to a thriving RV club with thousands of members and a long list of benefits.
By Chris Smith
Chief Executive Officer
csmith@fmca.com
Over the past few days, I have been contemplating the topic for my November article. Luckily, I had some help making the decision. A few days before writing this, I was a guest of Kenny Phillips and Sean Chickery on the Beyond the Wheel podcast (www.beyondthewheelpodcast.com). I highly recommend you check out their podcasts. They cover everything you want to know about the RV industry. One of the topics they wanted to discuss with me was the origins of FMCA. As I was telling the story, they seemed genuinely interested. I found out that it’s been quite a while since anything about FMCA’s history has been included in Family RVing magazine, and it seems worth sharing with our members from time to time.
FMCA was founded in July 1963, which makes this wonderful organization 58 years old! Twenty-six families who owned what they referred to as “house cars” assembled on a hilltop at the Good Will-Hinckley School in Hinckley, Maine. One reason for the gathering was to witness a solar eclipse. They had a great deal of fun, and while they were there, the idea of forming an organization for house car owners was discussed. The purpose would be to enjoy fun, fellowship, and sharing information about their recreation vehicles, all in the company of like-minded people. Today, a black granite monument on the grounds of Good Will-Hinckley commemorates the association’s founding there.
In February 1964, the first issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine (now Family RVing) was produced. This invaluable member benefit is still informing and engaging FMCA members 57 years later. In that first issue, Bob Richter, FMCA’s first president, penned the words: “It is dedicated to those far-sighted people who can realize that here we begin a new era in American travel.” Bob’s wise words were spot on. RV Industry Association recently reported that today there are more than 11 million RV-owning families in the United States.
In July 1964, FMCA hosted its first convention. A total of 106 coaches gathered in Ticonderoga, New York, to enjoy the camaraderie associated with this new lifestyle. As I write this near the end of September 2021, FMCA just opened registration for its 104th International Convention and RV Expo, set to take place March 23 through 26, 2022, in Tucson, Arizona. The longevity of the conventions and the magazine shows the foresight the founding members of FMCA had, and the quality of both these member benefits.
I cannot imagine that the founding members would ever believe what their idea has evolved into. Those 26 families turned into an RV club with more than 75,000 family memberships. That initial quarterly issue of the magazine turned into a monthly publication, with hundreds of issues produced over the years. That initial gathering of 106 “house cars” turned into thousands of attendees over the course of 103 international conventions.
We’d love to have you join us in Tucson next March as we continue to write the FMCA story. Until next month, enjoy the journey!
Contact An FMCA National Chaplain
Chaplains Connection Line: (833) 458-0778
Email: chaplains@fmca.com
The Mission Of FMCA is to bring together RV owners who share similar interests in congenial traveling, recreation, and social activities in order to preserve and perpetuate the traditional ideals and spirit of friendly and wholesome family fellowship as manifested by the founders of FMCA.