From the LocSec
By
January 2009
The Regional Gathering was great! We had a great lineup of speakers, top flight hospitality, fun tournaments, and a great mix of Mensans from places as far away as Maine and Wyoming (the state, not the suburb). In addition, this is our group's largest fundraiser of the year, and we will use the profits from the 2008 RG to award scholarships in 2010. Thanks go to RG Chair Misty Richmond and her entire committee for a job well done. And the good news is that Misty has agreed to co-chair our 2009 RG, along with Marty Meighan; mark your calendars now for December 4-6, 2009.
Speaking of scholarship, it's not too late to enter this year's scholarship competition; the deadline is January 15. Scholarship applications are available at the CAM website; the competition is open to anyone (Mensan or not) who will be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary education program for the 2009-10 school year. Scholarship chair Tom Vonderahe has a history of getting top flight essays entered (500-550 words), and we've done well getting national Mensa Foundation scholarships for Cincinnati area applicants. In addition to the national scholarships, Cincinnati Area Mensa will once again award three scholarships totaling $3000 to local applicants. (If you'd like to volunteer as an essay reader, contact Tom—his number is on the officer list on the inside back cover.)
December is transition time for CAM's Executive Committee. Bryan Mott and CE Reutter finished terms on Excomm, and both deserve our thanks for the efforts they've put in helping steer the group. Taking those seats on Excomm are Misty Richmond, returning after a two year hiatus, and Verale Phillips, a long-time member serving his first term; we welcome Misty and Verale to our group's board. The Excomm elected me to serve as Local Secretary, the group's principal administrative officer, again for the next year, so you'll be seeing my column again through 2009.
With a new Excomm term, we do review all group offices and appointments. This group is run by Mensans, for Mensans -so we're always looking for volunteers. If you'd like to contribute, please let me or any other Excomm member know - we'll find a place for you that fits your talents and interests. We try to spread the work around, so that no-one is doing too many tasks - the more members who contribute, generally the better off we are, and we don’t want to burden anyone with unpaid work. Combining two old saws, we hope that our members' belief that, "if you want something done right, do it yourself," can mesh with "many hands make light work."
And if you'd like to organize an activity, that's great also. The main thing Mensa does is bring Mensans together, and we welcome members organizing events that interest them. While we try to organize some events of general interest, only you know what events you want to find other Mensans with you, and, assuming it's legal, open to Mensans who are interested, and not a blatant advertisement, we'll gladly list your event in our calendar. We can't guarantee you'll get a big crowd, but we’ll gladly give you the calendar space to seek a chance to meet with others who share your interest. Send your listings to calendar editor Tiffany Everett.
And if you're looking for something exciting to do in the cold of winter, Central Indiana Mensa hosts its RG January 23-25 on the west side of Indianapolis; with a theme of "A Procrastinator's New Year’s Eve Party," it should be a great time.