Northern Virginia Fools News

Jan 2009 Pres. Update

2008 came and went in a blink of an eye, and what can I say but hello 2009. I speak for the entire eboard when I say we sincerely hope everyone’s holidays over the last couple of months were special and time well spent with family and friends. Before we start looking at what the new year has in store for us lets recap what occurred in the last half of 2008.

We as an organization were presented with a new executive board. Some were from the old board, but most were handpicked by the founders to take on the task of running the organization and taking it to the next level. A higher level of professionalism, training and fitness were the three areas that I talked about when then new e-board took over, and these are the areas we will continue to concentrate on. We saw an increase in training across the board and have already heard of chapters putting events together for this year. We also put together a budget to prepare us for the annual chapter dues that are due between now and April. We finally allowed our Secretary/Treasurer and “Mother” of the organization Ellen, to do something she has wanted to do for a long time but we wouldn’t allow, she retired. Yes she is officially retired from work and the FOOLS, something she has wanted for a long time and finally decided to do it and actually live life and have fun with her hubby. Along with that, we brought on a great addition to the team out of Chicago, brother Rich Stack, who has taken Ellen’s position and ready for the task.

So that’s last year, what about now, well this month we start collecting annual dues. This is the first time we as an organization have done this. There are many reasons for this but in short, the money we have collected through the years is drying up and like I said, we are going to the next level to become the professional organization to be in and it does take capital to make it happen. We are revising the Articles of Association this month and will have them out for everyone soon. This is because of changes in which the organization is moving; again we’re going to the next level. We also just finalized a deal with brother Bobby Halton to have a meeting at the largest training venue in the country-FDIC. Yes that is correct, along with the brotherhood bash that is put on by our brothers the Indy-Metro FOOLS, we will be having a “Planning and Leadership” meeting during FDIC, and would love to see all of you there.

Starting a new year you may ask, what can we expect and look for from the FOOLS. Well, first we have St. Baldrick’s in March. This is one of our charity organizations and a great opportunity for each chapter to put their best foot forward and raise some money for kid’s cancer research. I would love to hear and see chapters across the world getting involved with this. You can do it as a chapter alone or get a bunch of chapters together for this great cause. We also have FDIC which is always the largest training venue in the country, definitely something you shouldn’t miss. We also have our Annual convention that is going to be held in Maine this year. After last year’s convention, I am so excited to see what is in store for this year’s convention. Along with that we will see training going on all over the country and want you to be a part of it. So now its 2009 and I ask you what are you going to do this year, sit on your butt or make it happen? You know the answer, so let’s get going!