Chairperson's Report - August 2001

Greetings from the Area Chair. Its already August and I don’t understand where the summer has gone. We just had the Area Standing Committee meeting in Mankato and there are a lot of great things happening in Southern Minnesota. The State Fair is just around the corner and I hope you will stop by our booth for some “AA on a Stick”. Speaking of our upcoming Public Information project, I want to thank Karla J. and her committee for all their good work. On a sadder note, we will all miss Karla as she embarks on a new adventure to Arizona to start a new career. Thank- you Karla for all the service you have rendered to our Area. Michael S. has agreed to step up to the plate and finish Karla’s term of office. Thank-you Michael.

In this edition of the Pigeon I have enclosed some things that require your attention prior to our next Assembly. These would include the 2002 Proposed Budget, the 2002 Area Calendar, and the Agenda for the next Assembly. I have made some changes to all these documents since you saw them last week. There were some blanks that needed to be filled in on the calendar and it is now complete. The final two columns of the budget have been changed to reflect the 2001 budget and 2000 actual figures. I also increased the Archives budget to reflect a proposed move of the Archives that Dick will be discussing at the Assembly. There was also an increase to both T.F.C. and C.F.C. travel to allow them to travel to the Bridging the Gap Conference next year. We also increased the Delegates Workshop budget to accommodate the increase in costs in copying and postage. It is important to remember that our budget is only a guideline for us to operate by and it has served us well in setting goals for the Area.

You will note some changes to the Assembly agenda format, we are going to try and do things a little differently at this next one. I have slotted only half the Districts (the odd ones) and half the Committees to report so that we have more time for the presentations that the Committee’s wish to do. If your District or Committee is not shown on the Agenda and you desperately need to do so, please inform me as soon as possible so that I may allow time for your presentation. Please give some thought to what you need to discuss at the Assembly to keep your report as concise as possible so that we can stick to our Agenda. Lunch will be available at the University; they have an all-you-can-eat buffet for $4.80 that Sharon assures me is more than well worth it. A large variety of food and beverages that made my mouth water just listening to her. That’s all I’ve got for now, hope you’re having a great summer and I look forward to seeing you at the next Assembly.

Yours In Love And Service,
Andy D., Area Chair