Welcome to District 17
Alaska
Commodore's Page
Starting
a New Year
The holidays
are behind us, now it is back to Auxiliary business.
I see, by reading the various Flotilla newsletters, that everyone is
engaged in planning boating courses, flotilla events, outdoor shows and the
District Conference.
Speaking of
the District Conference….It has shaped up to be a very good one again this
year. There is something for
everyone, from the newest member to the most seasoned veteran.
I want to thank Terry Stoddard, our District Conference Coordinator
for getting a top rated team to work on putting the Conference together.
My sincere thanks to Nanci Terencio, DSO-MT, Patricia Fairbanks,
D-AA, Frances Eischens, DSO-FN, Roy Stoddard, DCOS, Michael Robinson, IPDCO
and of course our DIRAUX Staff.
When you see these auxiliarists at the conference, please stop and say
thanks for a job well done. Who
is volunteering to get in the pool in a gumby suit?
2009 was a
tremendously successful year. As
the final totals come, I cannot believe all the accomplishments our members
had achieved. At the conference,
you will here about the successes of District 17, and there are many.
As for goals for 2010, well, I hope we continue on the path of 2009.
RBS is still our focus.
But there is ONE GOAL that I will be concentrating my efforts to this year.
That goal is Fellowship.
Some members have worked so hard, almost to the point of burnout.
As we worked on our successes, some members began to feel as though
the Auxiliary was “not fun anymore”.
I know that a deluge of mandates came crashing down on us from
everywhere; National Auxiliary, Homeland Security and even from District
Seventeen. We used so much
energy trying to comply with “all this stuff”, it soon became overwhelming.
The more we tried, the more was asked of us.
In the process, we forgot how to have fun.
This year is
the Year of Fellowship. It is
time for us to have fun again.
Fellowship is an important part of this organization and the number one goal
for 2010. When flotillas get
together for SAREX events, build in a component of a “raft-up”, invite
members who may not have a boat, to come aboard your boat for a weekend and
participate in a flotilla “burger burn” at some nice cove in the middle of
nowhere. At flotilla meetings,
set aside some time to have a snack and just talk about whatever comes to
mind. Yes, we will probably
still have those “mandates from above” but don’t let them consume your
auxiliary life. We can work them
out, help each other and still have fun.
Lets get
going, we have a lot of fun to catch up on,
I will be looking for the “Fun Reports” in upcoming flotilla
newsletters.
