President’s Message
By R.G. Wilson, F21025
National President
December 2004
As I write this article, I am also helping the FMCA committee chairs to plan their agendas for our November meetings. The Executive Board and most of FMCA’s committees meet at our Cincinnati headquarters in May and November of each year. Each committee holds a meeting, which lasts from a half-day to two days. Some committees also schedule workshops to discuss the agendas, tasks, and goals they wish to accomplish.
Although our November meetings will be over by the time you read this, I thought that you, as a member/owner of FMCA, would be interested in knowing how volunteers conduct the business of our great association.
On Monday, November 8, the Long-Range & Development Committee, chaired by Tony Vincent, F161584, will hold a workshop. All day on November 9 they will have their regular committee meeting to talk about what has been accomplished in terms of FMCA’s Strategic Plan, and to develop revisions and new goals to recommend to the Executive Board.
The Risk Management Committee, chaired by Judy Allen, F193946, will meet Wednesday, November 10, to review our corporate insurance coverage and the insurance benefits furnished to FMCA members.
The following day, the Education Committee, chaired by June Davis, F158928, will meet to review and improve the many education programs provided to our members.
On November 12, the Constitution and Bylaws/Policy and Procedure Committee, cochaired by Jim Phillips, F158824, and Mary Elizabeth Preston, F51004, will meet to review the committee’s accomplishments and handle proposed amendments to FMCA’s existing Bylaws and Policies and Procedures. They have been very busy all year reviewing and recommending changes to area and chapter bylaws.
One of the most active committees during the year is the Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee. This group is constantly assisting our members regarding RV parking restrictions in cities and counties, and also addresses other legislative issues that impact motorhomers. This committee, chaired by Max Durbin, F76454, will meet Saturday, November 13.
On Monday, November 15, the Member Recruitment Committee, chaired by Dottie Pierce, L57064, and the Membership/Member Services Committee, chaired by Nelson K. Stubbs, F107765, will meet to make recommendations regarding how to increase growth in our organization and to enhance member benefits.
The following day, November 16, the Convention Committee, chaired by national senior vice president Don Moore, F154921, will meet to review activities and develop plans for our future international conventions.
The Finance Committee, chaired by national treasurer Jim Kern, F63208, will meet on Wednesday, November 17. Their duties are to review our financial statements, meet with our financial adviser to analyze our investments, and make budget adjustments.
I appointed a new committee recently, the Information Technology (IT) and Communications Committee, chaired by Bill Conway, F99081, to study our information systems and see what we need to do to improve our communications capabilities between the Cincinnati office and our elected volunteers. This committee will start its work on Monday, November 15, and will work most of the week.
The Executive Board will meet on Thursday and Friday, November 18 and 19. As president of the association, I will chair these meetings. The board will consider recommendations from the committees for adoption. Other business of the Family Motor Coach Association and Family Motor Coaching Inc. also will be addressed during this time.
As you can see, committees made up of elected officials plus appointed volunteers carry out the important business of our organization. These dedicated individuals spend many hours serving FMCA.
There is another committee, chaired by my wife, Jeri, that is very important to the other committee members while in Cincinnati. This is the Round Bottom Services Committee, so named because our campground is located on Round Bottom Road. This committee is made up of Executive Board and committee member spouses who are not on some other committee. They provide our evening meals at our FMCA campground when the committees are in session. We go to restaurants for some of our evening meals, but after meeting all day, most of us prefer to have dinner at the campground, where we can relax and visit. We eat light catered lunches at our Clough Pike offices.
Our employees in Cincinnati also are very helpful in preparing and organizing our agendas, furnishing the data we need, and guiding us in the right direction as we take care of FMCA’s business.
January 2005 Issue Delivery
The January 2005 membership directory issue of Family Motor Coaching will be dropped into the postal system just a couple of days prior to the Christmas holiday. Because of post office closures for the holidays; the fact that mail volume in general is heavy at this time of year; and the fact that the January issue weighs more than most magazines, it may take a little longer for the magazine to reach some of you than your regular monthly issues of FMC. So, we ask that you please allow some extra time for the issue to arrive before contacting the FMCA national office to report that your copy is missing. Also, please remember that the January issue incorporates the membership directory as well as the magazine.
FMCA National Office Holiday Observances
The FMCA national office will be closed in observance of the following holidays in the remainder of 2004:
Christmas: Friday, December 24; Monday, December 27
New Year’s: Friday, December 31; Monday, January 3