GMCWS General Membership Meeting
Mt. Hood Village RV Resort, Welches, Oregon
October 8, 2018
President Nick Roenick called the meeting to order at 9:31 a.m.
Roll Call of officers present;
- President Nick Roenick
- First Vice President Carol Minnie
- Acting Technical Vice President Jim Kanomata
- Treasurer Dave deGraffenreid
- Secretary Donna Ventura
- GMCWS FMCA Director Sharon Work
President Roenick also acknowledged Armand Minnie, our Webmaster and a past President.
A motion was made to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the Spring 2018 Membership meeting, as shown on the GMCWS website. The motion was seconded and accepted by the members present.
President Roenick recognized the other GMC clubs present, including the Cascaders, the 49ers, the Pacific Cruisers, and the Saguaro Jetsetters.
Judy Booth requested that the generic GMC Motorhome brochure be reprinted. She has found it to be a valuable communication and recruiting tool. ACTION: Secretary Ventura.
Treasurer’s Report
The Spring 2018 rally in Tucson was a financial success. Highlight was the $787 taken in during the auction. As of 9/30/18, balance in our account was $18,639.
Secretary’s Report
Membership numbers continue their downward trend. In response to a question from the audience, Armand Minnie stated that we had approximately 250 members as recently as six years ago. Secretary Ventura stated that it wasn’t unusual for the club at one time to have up to 130 coaches at a rally. The 2019 Membership Drive will be starting soon; dues must be received by the secretary by December 31, 2018. Inclusion in the 2019 roster requires that dues be paid on time.
FMCA Discussion
Question from the audience: Do you have to be an FMCA member to be a GMCWS Associate Member? Jim Kanomata stated that GMCMI does not require its associate members to belong to FMCA. President Roenick stated that GMCWS requires FMCA membership for all levels of membership. Sharon Work, our FMCA Director, explained the benefits of FMCA membership, including their providing insurance for our rallies. She stressed that we are FMCA and said it’s important to be informed of our benefits and their activities. FMCA holds two big rallies a year – the next one is in Georgia (she and Gerry will not be attending) and then in Minot, North Dakota. Many vendors come to the rallies where they show off their latest and greatest wares. The Northwestern Area rally is in Albany, Oregon in June 2019, and the Western Area rally, which includes California, is in Indio next January. Sharon once again requested a volunteer for the Alternate Director position, saying there is nothing the individual has to do except go to the FMCA rallies if they want to, and vote in the event Sharon isn’t available to do so. Manny Trovao volunteered to be the Alternate FMCA Director – thanks once again to Manny for continuing to be an integral part of our organization.
Gerry Work reminded the attendees that he is on the FMCA Review Board, which reviews complaints by FMCA members about clubs, officers, mismanagement of funds, etc.
New Business
President Roenick talked about a new proposed position of Social Media Manager, whose goal would be to create a consolidated multimedia program to enhance communication with our members and attract new membership. He asked for the members’ approval to proceed with exploring and filling the position. The Ayes carried, and the proposal process will proceed.
Manny Trovao, one of this rally’s hosts, took the floor and requested more volunteers to participate in the planning and execution of our rallies. He said the same people do the work time and time again. We need more people to step up and host our rallies. We need new ideas on locales and activities – otherwise it becomes old and boring. We need more tech talks by our members. Please volunteer – don’t wait to be asked. President Roenick reiterated that is the classic 10% of the people doing 90% of the work. Judy Booth said we need suggestions for locales for our rallies - parks that have a clubhouse and can accommodate up to 75 coaches. We can’t start planning a rally without a location. We try to plan a year in advance. If you know of a site in your geographical area, please check it out, talk with our club President, and let’s start planning a rally.
Nominations and Election of Officers for 2019
President Roenick thanked the members of the Nominating Committee: George Banovich, Amand Minnie and Hoss Hauge. Nominations were as follows:
- President: Bobbie Schultz
- First Vice President: Shirlee McArthur
- Technical Vice President: Jim Kanomata
- Treasurer: Dave deGraffenreid (incumbent)
- Secretary: Donna Ventura (incumbent)
- FMCA Director: Sharon Work (incumbent)
- Alternate FMCA Director: Manny Trovao
Members were asked to vote on the proposed slate of officers as shown above. Ayes carried the vote, none opposed. Congratulations to the new Executive Board.
President Roenick thanked Carol Minnie for her excellent service for the past three years as First Vice President and, on behalf of the club, presented her with a thank you card and VISA gift card. She said she enjoyed the position and, even though she is resigning, she is looking forward to continued involvement in club activities.
President Roenick thanked club members for their support over the last three years, wished the new President a successful reign, and turned the meeting over to President-elect Bobbie Schultz.
2019 Rallies
President Bobbie Schultz announced the Spring 2019 rally will be held in San Diego at the Chula Vista KOA on April 3-7, 2019. One of the activities may be a hula class taught by our own Grace Kanomata. More information will be publicized as soon as it becomes available.
The Fall 2019 Rally is tentatively set for October 3-7, 2019 at Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon, on Highway 5 midway between Eugene and Medford. Rotating rallies between the northern and southern regions of GMCWS’s territory ensures the best access to, and attendance by our members at our rallies.
Hoss Hauge presented President Schultz with one of his iconic belt buckles, #8 in the very limited series made by Hoss, Nick Roenick has #6; Stan Edwards, the president of GMCMI, has #7 (presented by GMCWS at the Tucson rally in April 2018); and President Schulz now has #8.
Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Jim Kanomata and seconded by Norm Shier and Geoffrey Godding. Meeting was adjourned at 10:13 a.m.