Bay Area Retired School Personnel

Volume 20Issue 5
BARSP Newsletter April 2012

Presidents Message.
Officers
President Sandy DeWaele
josandew@charter.net

1st Vice President Michael Andress 2nd Vice President Betty Defrain Janet Brandt Secretary Joyce Sigelko Treasurer Phil Bosco Past President Dr. Mary Boettger

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "When you cease to contribute, you begin to die." Contributing your talents and time to BARSP and MARSP will help you keep your benefits as well as give you an avenue for fellowship and community service. An Evaluation of BARSP was completed at the Board Meeting held on March 1, 2012. The general consensus was that our organization is healthy. Yet there is always room for improvement. Areas of improvement discussed were knowing and involving our members and public relations. Surveys on the back of the Lunch Reservation form are one method of getting to know the thoughts of our members. The survey can be filled out and mailed back with your reservation form, brought to the next meeting, or you can call or email me with your responses. We want everyone to have a chance for input. The questions on the first survey are : (1) What are your program ideas for the meetings? (2) Would you volunteer for a Calling Committee? Programs: Try to suggest programs that are free or cost no more than $25- $50. BARSP wants to have programs the members enjoy. Programs can be in the following areas; education, politics, legislation, health, insurance, art, culture, senior issues, business or what ever you think would be interesting and beneficial. A Calling Committee will require a lot of members to be involved. Some members may not be attending because they feel they don't know anyone. The idea is to have each member with a telephone number in the directory get a personal call from another member each year. The conversation will be designed around getting to know each other as well as extending a personal invitation to the next meeting, offering to sit with them ,and introducing them to other people at the meeting. A Calling Committee will need a chairman to organize the calling lists and thirty or so members . A week before each meeting each committee member will call five or six people and just talk. The following year the calling lists will be rearranged so committee members call different members. Having thirty or so members will allow for the fact that you may not be able to call each time ( like snowbirds) .Over time we will get to know each others interests, talents and needs. This will enable us to better plan for our group and become more involved with each other. Public Relations: Public relation ideas will be discussed in the next newsletter. Volunteers are still needed for Ambassadors, Newsletter Trainee, and Insurance Committee. Don't let the clipboard pass by you without signing up for one these opportunities. Remember "When you cease to contribute, you begin to die." Date Change: Another reminder :Starting in September 2012 our BARSP meetings will be on the second Monday of the month instead of the second Thursday. This change was necessary so we could have our meetings on the same week and day every month. Having the meeting on the same week and day of the month makes it easier for all of us to remember the BARSP meeting date and plan our other appointments accordingly. Our April and May 2012 BARSP meetings will remain on the second Thursday of the month.

BARSP
Luncheon Meetings

DoubleTree Hotel
One Wenona Park Bay City, Michigan April 12, 2012 May 10, 2012

Sandy

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BARSP Minutes March 8, 2012

Meeting was called to order by President Sandra DeWaele The Pledge of Allegiance was recited .Gloria Bublitz lead the singing of America the Beautiful and Happy Birthday to the members with March birthdays . Memorials: We remember our colleagues with prayer and thoughts of their selfless giving to education and their community.Deceased: Clayton Diebold, Carl Doan 12/20/2011, Deborah Curler 1/18/2012, Liewella Bergen 12/24/2011. Membership is at 578 with 7 new members: Kathy Cull, Jean Appold, Beth Jarve, Linda Gilbert, Gail Schwartz, Beverly Skinner and Darey Ruffertshofer. Program BARSP member, Mary Ida Doan spoke about the Santa House. Mary Ida enlightened the group on the beginning of her husband, Nates, career as Santa Claus and herself as Mrs. Claus. She gave the history of how the Santa House came to be and about its present location. She shared many heart warming memories. Betty DeFrain presented Mary Ida with a Certificate of Appreciation. Secretarys Report - Motion was made by Phil Paulus to accept the minutes of the November 2011 meeting and seconded by Florine Schutkowski. Motion carried. Treasurers Report given by Joan Hildinger for Phil Bosco
Income Expenses Checking Account Savings Account Life Acct. CD CD $781.50 $2,118.17 $5,801.02 $1,681.20 $7,344.42 $7,344.42

of your reservation form so it can be mailed in with your reservation or brought to the April meeting. You can also email or call me with our responses if you cant attend the meeting. Also we discussed starting a Calling Committee. The hope is that these calls would be a get to know each other technique as well as a reminder of the next meeting. Ill explain this in more detail in the April Newsletter. We would need lots of volunteers!!!! Bill and Sharleen Jones volunteered to help Gloria Bublitz with Retirement 101. Scholarship Report: None Insurance Report: Sue Post reminded members that they are not bothering Dr. Mary Boettger or her by calling and asking questions concerning the insurance. Members on Medicare were reminded that they should have a new prescription card. It not they should call and get one. Reservations: Carl Learman reported 57 reservations for todays meeting and 52 meal tickets. Just a reminder, make checks out to BARSP. The cost is $9.50. Legislation: Dr. Mary Boettger read a letter from Representative Charles Brunner. Old Business: None New Business: Starting in April 2012 members with emails will get a meeting reminder the week before the meeting. Starting today we are going to include a Blessing for our meal. Joan Hildinger volunteered to give the Blessing today. Mike Andress volunteered to do the Blessing for the April meeting. Anyone interested in giving the Blessing for future meetings needs to contact Sandy. Our next meeting will be Thursday April 12,2012 at the DoubleTree Hotel at 11:00am. Our program will be Old Time Country Music with George Stopyak and the Variety Tones. Other Comments: Remember BARSP and MARSP are always available if you have any questions or concerns. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn was made by Janet Brandt, seconded by Bill Jones. 50/50 winners: $34.80 Dolores Maillette; $11.60 Agness Schmidt (donated to Santa House); $11.60 Dr. Mary Boettger. Submitted by: Sue Post, Acting Secretary

Motion was made by Grace Chevalier and seconded by Dr. Mary Boettger to accept the treasurers report as presented. Motion carried. Presidents Correspondence and Report At the Board meeting on March 1, we evaluated our BARSP organization. The general consensus was that we are doing fine in most areas but could use improvement in knowing and Involving our members and public relations. As a start to knowing and involving our members , there will be a short survey in the next newsletter. It will be located on the back

BARSP Meeting Reservation Form Thursday, April 12,2012 11:00 a.m.

DoubleTree Hotel
$9.50per person Name (s)_____________________________________________________________________________________ No. Attending________________ Amount Enclosed __________________________(please do not staple)
Old time Country Music George Stopyak, Variety Tones
Make check payable to BARSP and mail by April 6 to: Carl Learman 6353 Lawndale Road Saginaw, MI 48604-9457 989-793-8089

Volume 20 ISSUE 5

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A Letter From the State House96th District

Dear Fellow BARSP Members, It seems like only yesterday that I nervously prepared for my new teaching position and that was 30+ years ago. Quickly 2011 passed and now 2012 is underway. I wish there was more to celebrate in the Legislature, however over the past year the Majority and the Governor have passed bad bills that will seriously and negatively impact our families, friends, neighbors and communities. I have consistently voted against these harmful bills; from giving the Governor power to delete our votes by appointing Emergency Financial Managers, severe and unnecessary cuts to schools, new restrictions on unemployment benefits and breaking the promise to not tax your retirement if you stayed in Michigan and supported the local economy. This money does not go to educate our kids, create jobs or put more police or firefighters on the streets. It goes to tax breaks for large corporations like oil companies and big banks. Seniors living on fixed incomes don't get a tax break when the prices of food, medication, gas and home heating go up. I want you to know I will continue to fight in Lansing for a repeal of this unfair tax, as well as any effort to lower our pension or increase our health care costs. I am committed to working in a bipartisan way with the Governor and my Lansing colleagues to make Michigan prosperous again. I do and will continue to examine the Governor's current budget proposal and all pieces of legislation to determine how they affect my constituents. Your concerns are always my top priority. It is an honor to serve you. I will do everything I can to support education and educators, including retired educators. Representative Charles M. Brunner, 96th District

A Note from Dr. Mary

From Vanguard March/April 2012 If the brand name medication you are taking is available in generic the pharmacist will automatically give you the generic when you refill an existing prescription. If you demand the brandname, you will pay the expensive, full price because it is not an insurance benefit.

Welcome Aboard

April Prepays

Jean Appold Beth Jarve Linda Gilbert Gail Schwartz Beverly Skinner Darcy Ruffertshofer
Michael Andress Leeds Bird Margaret Bird Phil Bosco Cindy Bosco Gloria Bublitz Deb Bula Grace Chevalier Betty Clifford T. Betty DeFrain Sandra DeWaele Janet Dixon Mary Ida Doan Marty Gilkey Diane Glazier Franklin Grant Win Grobbel Rosanne Heme Ron Hildinger Joan Hildinger Bill Jones Marion Jones Carl Learman Dolores Maillette Mildred Nuffer Sue Post Rika Schoenfeld Lavona Styn Peggy Sullivan JoAnn Vanover Phyllis Woody

Cindy says.
A big thank-you to everyone who has paid their dues. Its a great help to have them in such a timely fashion. Look for A13 on the mailing label of your newsletter to indicate that your dues are up to date. This may take a while (a few months) to show up, so dont panic if you have paid and it still reads A12. We are working on a method to verify payment to those of you who receive the newsletter via e-mail. So far we have 67 out of 575 receiving their newsletter via e-mail. Once again please consider letting Phil Paulus know if you would like to receive your newsletter this way. It not only saves us a lot of money , but you also receive your newsletter at least a week earlier than those getting a hard copy. Membership Chair Cindy Bosco 892-9923 P-c-bosco@sbcglobal.net

Greeters
April 2012 Ellen Czerwinski, Betty Dorien, Janis Wiles May 2012 Dolores Mailette, Rae and Wally MacPhail

In Memorium

Clayton Diebold Carl Doan 81 yrs 12/20/11 Deborah Curler 64 yrs 1/18/12 Liewella Bergen 92 yrs 12/24/11

I need your input !!

When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

Rika Schoenfeld, Editor 989-793-9467 usrika@sbcglobal.net

BAY AREA RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL 2245 Carroll Road Bay City, Michigan 48708

Presorted STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Bay City, MI Permit No. 30

VOLUME 20Issue 5

April 2012

I was born in 1933 on a farm in Unionville, Michigan. I was part of a family of eight and attended Unionville High School and graduated from Michigan State University with BS and MA degrees, I completed my student teaching in Grandville, Michigan. Then I moved on to teach in Allen Park ,at the Campus School at Western Michigan University, Grand Blanc. I ended my teaching career at Bay City Central where I taught for 18 years. In those days there were many teaching jobs and when my friends moved so did I. I also worked for three summers with the Migrant Program in Unionville. I have one son, Roy (Michelle) and have been fortunate to go on several BIG trips with him. Now traveling, quilting/sewing , reading, walking, daily visits to the Y and volunteering keep me busy. I have a great family-and we get together for an annual reunion, travel together as often as possible and keep connected by means of a monthly newsletter. I have a wonderful life. Editors note: JoAnn gets the award for being a super encourager. She keeps this rookie editor going. Thanks JoAnn for sharing your story.
(1) What are your program ideas for the meetings? __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Would you volunteer for a Calling Committee?____________________________________________________________