Letter to the Editor

CCRTA member issues thanks to all

Monday, May 25, 2009

To the Editor:

I just completed the 2007-09 term as president of Clay County Retired Teachers Association.

The association accomplished many goals during that time and I want to express my appreciation to all that contributed to this.

There was a team of officers and chairpersons making up the CCRTA Executive Committee and they worked very diligently meeting to plan our activities and making phone calls to retired teachers.

They also worked to provide such activities as a chili supper, Bingo, and a pitch-in dinner.

Those people were LeRoy Sedgwick, Vice President; Carolyn Ledgerwood, Secretary; Tommy Dale Thompson, Treasurer; Denzil Adams, Membership Chair; Carolyn Tausig, Community Service Chair; Pat Wilkinson, Public Relations Chair; Hazel Miller, Auditing Chair; and Mary Ann Froderman, Past President.

I also want to express my gratitude to all those retired teachers, spouses and guests who attended our functions. Again, so many were gracious in providing help and food All we had to do was give them all a phone call and they were willing to help.

Also, we had so much help from the community that I cannot begin to list all of them, but I do want to extend my appreciation to them. I want to give a special thank you to Riddell National Bank for all their donations, the use of their meeting room and kitchen and for Robin Swalls planning our bus trip to the Boggstown Cabaret. I am sure that all the retired teachers that went on that trip enjoyed the day very much. The Annunciation Church was so helpful in allowing us to use the Kennedy Center for our Bingo in October.

Without all of this help, my term in office would not have been as successful as it was. I am encouraging all retired teachers, whether members of CCRTA or not, to support our new officers for the 2009-11 term of office. The new president is LeRoy Sedgwick, and joining him are Jesse Pitts, Vice President, Carolyn Ledgerwood, Secretary and Gail Roach, Treasurer.

As past president, I plan to work with them and make the next two years even better for the Clay County Retired Teachers Association.

During the calendar year 2008, CCRTA had 6,385 volunteer hours of community service turned in to the state. I am sure that the number of volunteer hours is much greater than that, but many retired teachers don't get all of their volunteer time turned in. At so many places in the community, you can look around and see retired teachers working to help others. When a teacher retires, he or she certainly does not quit working! Thanks to all of them.

Odena Harper,

Past President,

CCRTA,

Carbon