Summer 2009 Presidents Message
June 29th, 2009
Yes, you read that right. For the first time in a long time, the President’s Message is being prepared by somebody other than Ron Schroeder. After seven years at the helm of the Snomads Snofari Club, Ron has decided to turn over the reigns and focus his efforts on work and family obligations as well as spending more time at his Whispering Pines retreat in Mancelona. Under Ron’s leadership, Snomads garnered a great deal of recognition and respect across the state for being leaders in safety training, fund raising and organizing terrific club rides, not to mention being named MSA Club of the Year in 2007.
While Ron has relinquished his official duties, including that as publisher of the popular Snomad Magazine, he will remain active in ride related events and perhaps a few other special projects. We wish to thank Ron for his many years of exemplary service on behalf of the Snomads. We truly appreciate the leadership and direction you’ve provided.
As Vice President, I was appointed the interim President by the Board of Directors at our last meeting. I will be completing Ron’s term until it expires in September 2010. It’s one of those duties you never really expect to be called upon as Veep, but one I’ll do my best to fulfill.
The Vice President vacancy has been filled in accordance with the bylaws which require the Vice President to be selected from the current Board of Directors. As a result, the Board appointed Trustee Matt Baxter to interim Vice President. As webmaster, Matt has a pulse on club activities and will do a great job in his new role.
In other Board news, Trustee Heath Crow has also submitted his resignation from the Board due to growing family commitments and increased work obligations. Heath was instrumental in the technology side of the club as well as procuring some of our coolest wearable gear. His contributions to the Board will be missed. We thank Heath for his years of service to the club, in multiple capacities. We’ll continue to see Heath on the trails at future club events – or in Heath’s case, off the trails.
At the last meeting, the Board appointed Merle Fitch to fill the remainder of Heath’s term which expires in September 2010. Merle brings and lot of energy and fresh ideas to the Board and we look forward to his contributions. Thanks for your time, Merle.
All these changes have created one vacant Trustee position. This position will be filled by a vote of the general membership at our annual membership meeting scheduled for September. If you’re interested in contributing to the future of the club and have the desire to attend several meeting per year, let me or any club officer know.
We are saddened to report that Jodi and Kevin Coghill have moved out of Michigan and now live in the Chicago area. They were casualties of the economy but we’re glad to see them land on their feet, even if it’s out of state. While Jodi and Kevin will remain active members of the club, including organizing some rides next season, Jodi will be passing the FWO Coordinator torch to Marlene Kish.
Marlene is a long time FWO Easter Seals participant and brings a great deal of stability to this important program as well as some new ideas. We greatly appreciate Jodi’s efforts over the years and Marlene’s willingness to take over this huge task.
With all of these changes, we have some voids that need to be filled.
We are searching for an editor and publisher of the Snomad Magazine. This publication has become a staple of communicating and connecting all of out club members and we’d like to continue with its publication if at all possible. If you’re interested in applying your editing skills to this ambitious venture, let us know – soon.
In the meantime, we’ll be using the club website (snomads.org) to share information and solicit input. It’s cheap, easy to use, and certainly the direction of the future and the younger generations. In order to make sure we contact as many people as possible, please forward your email information to webmaster@snomads.org and you’ll be included in any Club updates.
We’re still searching for a new location for the annual general membership meeting in September. Our requirements are a location that will accommodate around 100 people and one that we can use to prepare and serve a spaghetti dinner as a fund raiser for the FWO ladies. And it needs to be affordable. If you know of a location that meets these criterion, please let us know. At the general meeting, we’ll be asking the membership to vote on some bylaw changes that will align our bylaws with our practices.
As we enter our 25th season, we have a lot of initiatives on our plate. We plan to host the MSA Annual Convention being held in Lansing this October. As the host club, our responsibilities will be to set up some entertainment and keep the MSA brass and participants amused. We’ll be looking for volunteers.
We’ve got the Novi Snow Show coming in November followed by our Silver Anniversary Kick Off Party. There are a host of snowmobile safety classes to conduct and then the snowmobile season starts. We really need some folks to step into the ride coordinator role. It’s a full agenda that will require the assistance of as many people as possible. For those that have been waiting for an opportunity to get more involved, here’s your chance. We’ll be soliciting volunteers.
But before all that, don’t forget about the Snomads Picnic on August 29th at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Merle and Julie Fitch are coordinating this event which promises to be a lot of fun. More details will follow.
Have a great summer and remember – the trails open in 5 months.
Bill Chatfield, Interim President