Sertoma News

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor the Richland Sertoma Club for its outstanding community service and enthusiastically give their support to the 50th Annual Sportsarama to be held on August 14, 2010.

Read the full resolution.

  I was saddened by the resignation of Josh Cromer from the position of President Elect back in January.  I appreciate the time and effort he put in while he was in office and understand that a new baby and other changes can really effect how you need to use your time.

  I am very happy to announce that Linda Etheridge has graciously agreed to step in and take over as President Elect.  She was elected to the position at the March 9 board meeting and has already become a welcome presence on the board.  Linda has previously served as President of another Sertoma Club and has a wealth of knowledge about how the club is supposed to run.  Her leadership and organizational ability will be invaluable in moving our club forward during these interesting times.

   At the March 9 board meeting, Cory Manning, our Sponsorship Chairman, laid out our Sponsorship budget and indicated that we were not in a position to fund the entire budget as contemplated.  After a thorough review of the budget, we were able to cut several items that were not directly related to our core mission and were able to reduce the budget by over $6,000.00.  The items that were cut are important, and I hope that many of them can be restored in a subsequent budget if funds are available.

  Our next event will be the Spring Fling at Adams Pond in May.  It is important that everyone plan to come and bring your friends!  We will have Bar-B-Que, Beer and Wine and live music along with an auction and a great time!  This is a great opportunity to let some new people know what Sertoma is all about and to raise some money for our sponsorship budget!

  Last but not least, anyone who plans to attend the Atlantic Regional Convention needs to sign up by March 22 to get the lower admission fee.  The Convention will be held here in Columbia April 22-24.     

The Richland Sertoma Club Member Satisfaction Survey results have now been posted under the member forms section.

Late last year we added online registration to Club events and enabled online payment and donation with Credit Cards and PayPal. Both the Golf Tournament and the Mardi Gras Fundraisers utilized these website functions successfully. The Golf Tournament made online ticket and sponsorship sale estimated at $825, while the Mardi Gras made online ticket sale and donations valued at about $840.

Research shows that more people are making purchases, payments and donations online so we can expect our Sertoma website to help generate more revenue for the Club as more members start making use of its various functions and features.

You can help by starting a donation campaign asking friends and family to support Richland Sertoma club and directing them to the website for more information about the Club and to make the transaction. Last year Obama's political campaign was very successful in implementing similar strategy. We have the tools, let's put it to work!

Our Mardi Gras party last night was the culmination of many hours of hard work by so many of you and was it absolutely wonderful! Thank you for all you did to make this important fundraising event a tremendous success. In next day or two we’ll have the final accounting of our net revenues but at this point we have grossed over $13,400! Clearly, Ann Pauley and her committee members, Eric Abuneel, Pat Blackwell, Rosemary Bryant, Steve Etheredge, Marissa Evans, Sally Langer, Cory Manning, Leighton McLendon, Valerie Russell, Debbie Sowell and Whitney Woolfolk did an absolutely fabulous job. They could not have accomplished this alone without the efforts of each and every one of you.

During the course of evening I was approached several times by our guests with comments about the our Mardi Gras event. Some of the things I heard included “best one yet” and “Sertoma people really know how to throw a party!” The one I heard most often in one form or another however was “I’ll be back again next year.” Their kind words were in no small part because of you – from obtaining awesome auction items to making our guests feel so welcome upon arrival (and throughout the evening) and everything in between.

Once again, thank you for everything you did in making this evening the enjoyable success is was. Your hard work and dedication is what SERvice TO MAnkind is all about.

Steven  Langer

It’s a new month, and a busy one for our Club at that! As we prepare for our annual Mardi Gras Auction and Party, I urge you to give all the time and effort you can to help make it a huge success. It’s up to each and everyone of us to do our part by both selling tickets to our family, friends and coworkers and also obtaining auction items. This is to say we need the assistance and dedication of everyone in the club to make this a worthwhile, memorable event. successful.

 

Ann Pauley and her Mardi Gras committee team consisting of Eric Abuneel, Pat Blackwell, Rosemary Bryant, Steve Etheredge, Marissa Evans, Sally Langer, Cory Manning, Leighton McLendon, Valerie Russell, Debbie Sowell and Whitney Woolfolk are doing an awesome job of planning together an event of which we can all be extremely proud. Even so, they cannot do it alone – they need you, too. Each member needs to commit to working part of the day and/or evening on February 21^st. As we did at Sportsarama, we need all "hands-on-deck" to make this important fundraiser a huge success.

 

In the meantime, what we need now is for you to please sell at least six to ten tickets to your family, friends and co-workers; find sponsors and donors and solicit great auction items. All of the forms you will need are on our website and tickets can be ordered directly through the website.

 

In these challenging economic times, the needs are greater than ever before. Even in good times, raising money isn’t necessarily easy. But as you make those requests, please remember that those much needed funds go a long, long way in helping those who need it so very much. If an individual or business needs tax information, you can find a deduction letter online at our Club website. Please keep our goal in mind - the money we raise from this event will send children to Camp Sertoma, buy hearing aids and help needy families in our area. What a wonderful goal to achieve while spending time with some incredible people, our fellow Sertomans!

 

With considerable assistance from  Jason Richardson and Pat Mason, a membership satisfaction survey is now being sent to each member. By completing your survey, (it’ll only take you seven minutes), you’ll truly have a democratic voice in telling the leadership what you like, and what we need to improve. Through your contribution, you have a strong voice in the direction in which our Club should be going. Please complete and return the survey no later than Sunday, February 15^th.

 

I hope you’re planning to be a part what all is happening this month:

 

At our February 5^th Thursday Club lunch meeting, Rick Vandiver of the North Lake Sertoma Club give us the status of our Camp Sertoma at the Clemson Outdoor Lab. There will also be a check presentation to Camp Sertoma from the monies we raised at our golf tournament last October..

 

At our February 19^th Thursday Club lunch meeting , thanks to Marshall Taylor, Linda Etheredge and Linda Sterne students from Crayton and Sanders Middle Schools will read their award winning National Heritage Week essays and awards will be presented to the winners.

 

Saturday, February 21^st is our Annual Mardi Gras Auction Party at the Summit Club. 7:00 – 10:00pm and with tickets at only $40.00 each, you and yours really need to attend the best party in town!

 

I look forward to seeing you soon – and often! As always, thank you for ALL you do.

 

In SERvice TO MAnkind,

Steven Langer

Happy 2009! If you’re like me, you’re finding the years come and go much more quickly than they did when I (or some of us) were young. I’m not sure what that means in the grand scheme of things but I do know its a new year filled with new hopes and opportunities to improve our lives.

For most of us that can mean only one thing – making new years resolutions. For the majority of those who make these resolutions, some (if not most) didn’t see February 1^st but to be fair, some do – and some last. Whatever your resolutions list may have on it, please include remaining active with the Richland Sertoma Club on your list…and stick to it. Your membership is not only appreciated, you are valued.

Over the upcoming months we have a lot going on and I hope you’re planning to be a part of it all; be sure to watch your email for the details. In the meantime, here’s what’s happening this month:

Lunch meeting: Thursday, January 15^th at 11:45am in the Summit Club: Don’t miss the 2009 Club Sertoman of the Year Award presentation by Steve Etheredge followed by our speaker, Dr. Thom Bristow, The Carolina Tale Spinner (storyteller and educator) to tell us a wonderful story.

The Mardi Gras Auction and Party Committee is off to a great start planning our 2009 fundraiser!  We need the assistance and dedication of everyone in the club to make this a worthwhile, memorable event. At our first Sertoma lunch meeting in February, Ann Pauley will send around a sign-up list for each member to commit to working part of the day on February 21^st. Similar to Sportsarama, we need all "hands-on-deck" to make the fundraiser a success.

What we need now: Please sell at least six to ten tickets to your family, friends and co-workers; find sponsors and donors and solicit great auction items. All of the forms you will need are on our website and tickets can be ordered directly through the website.

Let's keep our goal in mind - the money we raise from this event will send children to Camp Sertoma, buy hearing aids and help needy families in our area. What a wonderful goal to achieve while spending time with some incredible people, our fellow Sertomans!.

Please remember as a reminder from Eric Abuneel, our own fellow Sertoman and also General Manager of  the Summit Club, please honor the Summit Club rule of no denim and no blue jeans.

Thank you again for all you do; you make a difference.

In SERvice TO MAnkind,

Steven Langer

1/15/09—Thursday Club lunch meeting 11:45 AM. 2009 Club Sertoman of the Year Award Presentation by Steve Etheredge followed by confirmed speaker thanks to Steven Langer, Dr. Thom Bristow, The Carolina Talespinner (storyteller and educator) to tell us a wonderful story.

2/5/09— Thursday Club lunch meeting 11:45 AM. Program by Rick Vandiver of the North Lake Sertoma Club on the status of our Camp Sertoma at the Clemson Outdoor Lab. Golf Tournament check presentation to Camp Sertoma. YES!

2/5/09— Thursday Club lunch meeting 11:45 AM. 2009 Club Sertoman of the Year Award Presentation by Steve Etheredge followed by a presentation by Rick Vandiver of the North Lake Sertoma Club on the status of our Camp Sertoma at the Clemson Outdoor Lab.

It’s almost Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanza and no matter which holiday or holidays you celebrate, from my home to yours, I wish you a very happy, healthy and wonderful occasion.

 

Our Club continues to grow and I would like to formally introduce and welcome our newest members - Josh Cromer and Cynthia Watson. If you haven’t met them yet, please do.

 

Between now and the end of the year, here’s what’s coming up for our Club:

 

Lunch meeting: Thursday, December 4^th at 11:45am in the Summit Club: Former Richland Sertoma Club President and celebrated Carolina Historian, Dr. Alexia Helsley, will share excepts from her new book, The History of Columbia.

 

Holiday Party: Friday, December 12^th  at Mike and Marcie Speer's home at 7:00pm: Please bring some sort of appetizer, dish, or dessert and the club will provide beer and wine. More information, including directions, will be sent out closer to the date. 

 

Lunch meeting: Thursday, December 18^th at 11:45am in the Summit Club: Be sure to bring your kids and grands to see Santa when he comes to visit the Richland Sertoma Club!

 

As a reminder from our own Eric Abuneel, General Manager of  the Summit Club, please honor the Summit Club rule of no denim, no blue jeans.

 

Rather than continuing my usual blog where I write basically the same message every month, for December,  I ask that you view my message in the form of an email that I actually received for someone else. To do so, please turn your speakers on and go to the following http.www.findingjoymovie.com/  - it’s one of the most beautiful videos I’ve seen in a long time and hope you enjoy it, too.

May you and those you love find joy in your life and continue to bring joy to others now and in the coming year. Thank you again for all you do on behalf of those we serve. Throughout the year, and month after month, you do make a difference and you are truly appreciated!

 

In SERvice TO MAnkind,

Steven Langer