Newsletter - July 2020

JULY 2020 Newsletter

Happy 4th of July

I don’t know about where you live, but in my neighborhood, the fireworks have been a nightly occurrence for the past several weeks. I think everyone is ready to get outside and make some noise. I remember when we first moved to Springdale, the Rodeo used to be held the first week in July and we’d be able to see parts of the fireworks show from our house. Sadly, there won’t be any rodeo this year. I don’t know if there will be any organized displays in the area at all. So many events have been cancelled. I’d really like this virus thing to frizzle up and burn itself out like a dud sparkler. Wishful thinking I’m sure most of us share.

While we wait for life to return to normal (or some resemblance), the members of the Board have been attending to a few bits of business. As you know, we were supposed to have held elections to confirm a new slate of officers for the 2020-2021 year at our April coffee meeting. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete this process. It may be quite some time until we can. In the meantime, two of the officers have stepped down in order to pass on responsibilities to their successors. I won’t bore you with the details, though I will refer you to the bylaws section about appointing a member to a vacated office. There should be no surprises since the slate is the one that was proposed to the membership in March. So, without further ado, it is with mixed emotions that I must announce that Debbie Dabney has resigned as Program Vice President and Jeannie Eubanks has resigned as Treasurer. Please join me in thanking them for all their hard work over the past year.

I am pleased to announce that Shelley Steele has accepted the position of Program Vice President and Sandy Jensen will be our new Treasurer. I have asked each of them to write a short introduction so that everyone can get to know them even if we can’t yet meet in person. At some time in the future, we will have an official vote and we’ll be able to finalize this whole process, though that seems rather like water under the bridge at this point. I’m happy to have members who are ready and willing to step up and take on the responsibilities of these positions – especially in such a challenging time. I’m also glad that the other members of the Board have agreed to remain in office for another year. Thanks for continuing this crazy journey we’ve begun.

I hope everyone can get out there and celebrate Independence Day in some safe manner. Just remember to keep a bucket of water handy, keep the tip of your Roman candles pointed up, and be sure to wear shoes – those sparklers get hot! OUCH!

Till next time…

--Sue 

News and Updates

Program Vice Present

Meet Shelley Steele 

I recently retired after teaching French and English for 30 years. After retiring, I was hoping to find new friends in our community, and I can’t tell you how happy I was to find out about the Fayetteville Newcomers Club.  I feel so blessed to be part of such a welcoming and wonderful organization. 

TREASURER
Meet Sandy Jensen 

I’m originally from Kansas.  I went to college at Oklahoma State University graduating with a degree in Mathematics.  I spent my working years doing IT work in the oil industry.  My job took me to Tulsa, Denver, and Houston.  After my husband retired, we moved to Mountain Home and I continued to work remotely for 10 years. I retired 4 years ago. We relocated to Fayetteville a little over a year ago.  So, we really are newcomers to the area.  My husband, Ken, is also a member of the Newcomers Club. I am looking forward to the day when we can fully participate in activities and see people again.

Membership - Mona Jones   

My Father was a Math Teacher and numbers have always interested me, so I thought I would give you some interesting statistics on Membership Renewals.  Here goes:

We have 228 Members

Of those 228 members, 65 have renewed their membership

Of those 65, half of the members’ last names ended in A-K, the other half L-Z.

In the A-K group 25 members or 38% have renewed

In the L-Z group 40 members or 61% have renewed

What does this tell us?  Not sure.  Maybe A-K are more social and like to renew in person?

Or L-Z are more detail oriented? 

But numbers do not lie.  It’s almost 7/2020 and it’s time to renew those dues 😊

Thank you,

  Mona Jones

3011 N. Sheryl Avenue

Fayetteville AR 72703

479-366-3948 

Service Project – Magdalene Serenity House – Paulette Lilly/Mary Cay:

Please consider mailing monetary gifts, gift cards or Uber cards to them during this social distancing time.

Those who wish to participate can mail to:

       April Bachrodt, Executive Director

        Magdalene Serenity House 

        P. O. Box 3394

        Fayetteville, AR. 72702

Please include that your gift is from the Fayetteville Newcomers Club. Thank you and stay safe.

Sunshine Report – Jill Trolinger:

No updates – Please remember to email Jill any news of any of your fellow members.  This social distancing has not let us spread any news in person, but we all want to keep in touch with our Newcomer friends.

Newsletter Updates -Jann Gorman – Chair - Please email all newsletter updates to Jann Gorman, honk3rs@yahoo.com, for the next newsletter by the 20th of the month.  Thank you.

It’s a great day to be a Newcomer!