COWICHAN BAY REDNECK RALLY AUGUST 9 –11, 2012

The “Stars and Bars” flew proudly over Cowichan Bay when the Vancouver Islanders held their Redneck Rally August 9 – 11th, hosted by Laurel and Wayne Macauley.    There were 29 motorhomes attending this fun-filled weekend.  The weather was fantastic and everyone enjoyed their “waterfront sites”.

(Click on Picture for larger view)

Thursday started with our usual Happy Hour, followed by a game of Redneck Trivia.    A lovely dinner featuring pulled pork on buns with coleslaw and baked beans was served, followed with ice cream and watermelon for dessert.  After dinner the “Seed Spitting” contest was held and the winners were Tanya Williams and Pete Norton.

Friday “Redneck Day” was off to a good start with Flapjacks, Sausages and Fruit for breakfast.   In the afternoon, the Spam Carving Contest was held and several “artists” created works of art using a tin of Spam and plastic cutlery.  Matt Blogg was the winner with his carving of his Class C motorhome and “toad”.

At Happy Hour people arrived dressed in their best Redneck attire along with Redneck names.   A vote was held and the winners of the Best Dressed Redneck were Mary Ann Tennent and Audrey Hauge (Audy-Joe) (tied for first place) and Brooke Williams (Zeke). Gary Schur cooked three delicious deep fried turkeys for dinner, along with salads and desserts provided by the members. After dinner the Plunger Game was played with 6 couples participating.  This was a very “interesting” game and provided a lot of laughs for all, both spectators and participants.   The winners were the unlikely duo of Mick Hargreaves (Mickey-Sue) and Brooke Williams (Zeke).

Saturday started with a hearty breakfast of Stuffed Redneck Toast, Taters, and Fruit.   After breakfast, Gary and Mary Ann Tennent gave a demo on the making of Redneck Wine Glasses.  Many people attended this demo and everyone went home with glasses that they had created. Dinner that evening was a delicious combo of Tacos, Mexican Rice and Corn on the Cob along with salads and desserts provided by the members. After dinner the Can Races were held, bringing out many people willing to place their bets on: Bud “bet on him and you will be wiser” Rootbeer “always root for the Beer” Pabst Blue Ribbon “already a Blue Ribbon Winner” Mountain Dew “the Dew can move mountains” The Islander “maybe a slow starter but watch him float by” Lemonade “you think he may Suck, but he could squeeze by the others”

Sunday morning started with a Continental Breakfast and then it was time to clean-up, take down the tent and head for home.

The winner of the 50/50 draw was Brian Bowden and Brian and Lynda also won the Ken Williams Memorial Award – a lucky weekend for them!

It was a wonderful, fun-filled rally and many, many thanks to Laurel and Wayne for doing such an excellent job of hosting (and cooking) at this rally.

Submitted by Stella Blogg

NATIONAL DIRECTOR’S REPORT

87^TH ANNUAL FAMILY REUNION CONVENTION

INDIANAPOLIS, IN. AUGUST 2012

The Governing Board met on Monday, August 27, 2012 at 9 a.m. in Indianapolis, Indiana. We had 67% attendance for a quorum. The Northwest Area had a total of

18 delegates present.

The Standing Rules and the Agenda were adopted, the head table was introduced and the reading of the Minutes was waived per Standing Rule #4. Treasurer, Wil Young, gave the Treasurer’s Report followed by the Executive Director’s Report and Standing Committee Reports.

It was reported that the Executive Director resigned during 2011 and the position was filled with an Interim Executive Director from within the current staff. Jerry Yeatts was selected to fill this position along with his responsibility of Director, Membership Services and Benefits. At the recent May meeting, the Executive Board voted to make this position permanent. With his selection as Executive Director, there are no plans to hire a replacement for the Membership Director position.

With the departure of several members of the Accounting Department, FMCA is in the process of hiring an accounting professional. The Accounting Department will then have a Director and three staff members.

Current staffing is 36 full-time and 4 part-time employees--a reduction of 16 employees since 2009. No changes have been made to the staff benefits. However, the cost of these benefits keeps going up. FMCA has also contracted with a human resources and payroll company to keep them in compliance with current employment rules and regulations, both federal and local. They also provide employee training in employment and personal growth programs.

Treasurer, Wil Young, reported that our investments are still providing positive returns and increased market value. Revenue from magazine advertising is showing signs of improvement and web site advertising continues to improve.

The biggest item on the budget was the de-funding of the medical evacuation program known as FMCAssist. On Call is currently supplying this benefit and has chosen not to do business with us after September 30, 2012. The Governing Board, after much discussion, voted for a Member Purchased Plan at a cost to the members of $105 per year for a couple or $85 per year for a single. There are some inclusions for children, grandchildren, disabled, etc. Information on this program will be available soon. The contact claims phone number will remain the same. More information on this will be sent out via email blasts and can be seen very soon on the FMCA website at www.fmca.com.

There were several housekeeping items passed by the Governing Board to make the Policy and Procedures and Bylaws conform. Electronics meetings were approved for the Executive Board, Committees, and Chapters. This was to conform to the latest change to Roberts Rules of Order, 11^th edition. Temporary Delegates must be members of the chapter they are representing, this was inadvertently deleted during a 2008 Bylaw proviso. Some changes in wording for updating the supplemental budget to match the change in the fiscal year were approved with a slight correction in wording. The Board approved some investment policy changes allowing the Investment Manager the ability to invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts.

The Governing Board eliminated P&P 2031D. There will no longer be any Stipends, Travel Allowance or Per Diem paid to any Association Member. All positions will now be Volunteer. The Indianapolis, IN. Convention was the first all Volunteer convention in years, and was very successful. The Volunteers proved that it can work very well. The Governing Board also voted out it’s own stipend for attending the Governing Board Meeting for the near future.

The Governing Board approved $10,000 for Area Support to be divided by the 10 areas.

This will help with our area expenses. The Board also approved P&P 3017, allowing a

member to hold offices in two different chapters as long as it is not two National Director or Alternate National Director positions. A member, however, can be a President in one chapter and a National Director in another chapter.

The proposal for allowing Towables to become FMCA Associate Members was voted down. They will still be welcome to come to Conventions and Area and Chapter Rallies as guests.

Membership is still declining due to people aging out and/or selling their motor homes or the rising fuel costs. The new memberships are not keeping up with the number of declining members. FMCA urges all chapters to recruit.

The next Convention will be the 88^th Family Reunion & Motorhome Showcase, celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of FMCA to be held in Gillette, WY, June 19-22, 2013.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your National Director. If anyone has any questions regarding the meeting, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Submitted by

Kathie Balogh

Vancouver Islanders

kabalogh@telus.net