Hutchinson Chapter of AMBUCS
Editor: Duke Wiggins
GUESTS: There being no outside program this week, no guests were expected.
SERGEANTS PLAYGROUND: Sheriffs Ward and Colby announced that this was their swan song; their last dance, the final countdown. They both appeared a little worn down from trying to enlist new ways to recognize members and raise money for the kids. As usual, the lates were punished Dan P, Randall H, and Paul B were on that list. Pat F paid for driving his mustang in some parade. Don G paid $2 for being large and wearing glasses. Jay P paid $2 for not paying attention and running all over the room while the sergeants were in charge. Earlier this summer Ward issued a challenge to Colby to try to put names and faces together by the end of their term. Since the purpose of their job is to raise money for the kids and Colby was short of dollars bills, if he didnt recognize you, you paid the fine. Dennis B, Anita W, Jim J and Craig J all left the meeting one dollar short. All of us have enjoyed Ward and Colby. They will be a hard act to follow, Mr Reiser
ANNOUNCEMENTS: The annual golf tournament will be held on August 31st at the Highlands. Cost will be $40 per player which includes green fees and carts to share. We will meet at 7:00AM and breakfast will be served. The Ice Cream Booth Committee met this morning and scheduled at Clean Up day for August 18th, at 8:00AM. The more help we get, the quicker we get done. Ward is a member of the Reins of Hope Board and thanked the club for everything we do for them. He also invited the club to breakfast on August 24th to fill the other slot when the Town Club is closed. Watch for more details to come.
OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION: President Darren spent the remainder of the meeting presenting what he sees as the two major challenges we will face this year. One is following through on completing an application for a grant to replace the current booth at the fair. Local fundraising professional Amanda Buoy has been schooling him on what it takes to apply for a grant from a major foundation. We must have present a Pert & Gant Chart outlining the timeline for completion. Second we must submit a detailed blue print for the project. The third requirement is an actual cost worksheet, including in kind services indicating our clubs commitment to the project. He wants a special task force of 10-15 persons to oversee this project. The second major challenge we face is studying our fund-raising projects. Our membership is shrinking, down 20 members over the last several years. Our two major projects (the fair booth and the NJCAA Tournament T-shirt sales) have netted less money over the last several years. The 10 year average net income for the Ice Cream Booth is $18,118 per year. The same computation for the NJCAA T-shirt booth is $6,216. Both of these are trending downward over the last several years. Also, with the new 24 team, single-elimination format desired by the NJCAA, our costs could skyrocket while our exposure to the teams during the tournament may be limited. The 2011 net profit from this project was $400. We must be ready this fall to present the American Legion our plan for meeting this challenge or we stand to lose these funds. Darren wants another task force of 6-10 members to come up with this plan. He is making himself available for volunteers to serve in these areas. Call (620-664-4590) or email (darren.wicks@edwardjones.com) him to volunteer or to ask questions and provide input. We have our work cut out for us, so lets face this challenge and overcome it.
DRAWING: The 50/50 pot of $20 went to Paul Brown. There was no time for the newsletter question. The question for August 3rd is How many members paid a fine because Colby could not put their names and faces together? He did a very good job.