Hello Navy Leaguers! We have completed our National Convention, which is covered below, and Veterans Day, a period to reflect on the contribution of our veterans of ALL WARS. So, have a Happy Thanksgiving! If you have questions or comments about the information below, please contact the Member Service Center at service@navyleague.org or 800.356.5760. Thanks! Bill Waylett
Featured Sections:
I. 2007 NLUS National Convention Report
II. Public Relations
III. Membership
IV. Legislative Affairs
V. Development
VI. Announcements
I. 2007 NLUS National Convention Report
The 2007 Navy League National Convention was successfully concluded at the JW Marriott Resort in Palm Desert, CA on November 4, 2007. Highlights are presented below and will be posted on the Navy League website, www.navyleague.org soon, including presentations that were shared with members during the Convention. Highlights are:
National Election
The new National Board of Directors (elected at the Annual Meeting of Members Saturday) elected the following officers for the next year
National President, J. Michael McGrath
National Vice Presidents (with portfolio listed)
Pamela Ammerman, Education, Information Technology, and Communications
Albert Bernard, Region, Area, and Council Presidents’ Liaison
Joseph Donnell, Corporate Affairs and Development
Patricia du Mont, Public Affairs
James Erlinger, Youth Programs
Randy Hollstein, Legislative Affairs
Thomas Jaffa, Membership & Marketing
Richard Macke, Sea Services Liaison
Jackson Stevens, International Affairs
John Tozzi, Strategic Planning
Region Presidents (with Region listed)
Thomas Hoffman, Caribbean/Mexico
Donald Rullman, Empire
Elizabeth Reese, European
Joseph Daigneault, Florida
William Glynn, Great Lakes
William Keller, Liberty
Donald Walker, Lone Star
James Offutt, Mid-Atlantic
Midwest, Norman Besheer
New England, Shirley Hill
Northwest, David Todd
Pacific, Delores Coates
Pacific Central, Donald Hale
Pacific Southwest, Raymond Roth
Rocky Mountain, Richard Brown
South Atlantic Coast, Thomas Wright
Southern, Hans Krucke
Forty-five Area Presidents were also elected within the regions.
Major Actions Approved by the National Board of Directors
1. Approved the 2008 National budget of $9.40 million.
2. Approved the following Dues and Rebates, effective July 1, 2008.
- Life Member $500 dues, $164 rebate
- Husband/Wife Life Member 750, 294
- Regular Member 50, 12.50
- Two-year Member 90, 21
- Three-year Member 125, 26
- Husband/Wife Member 85, 25
- Associate Member 50, 12.50
- No changes were made to Active Duty Spouse Member ($30), Community Affiliate Member ($400), Corporate Gold Member ($14,000), Corporate Regular Member ($4,400) and Business Associate Member ($1,600).
3. Approved a second national meeting in the spring of each year, most likely in Washington, DC. The National Steering Committee will determine details of this additional meeting.
4. Approved the National Convention for October, 2009, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Previously, the Board had approved the National Convention in 2008 to be held in Kansas City, KS on October 27-31.
Announcements
1. The Navy League National Headquarters Building is fully leased and will generate positive cash flow in the second half of 2008.
2. A new video introducing the Navy League was premiered; each council and National Director will receive a copy of this video, which is posted on the NLUS website.
3. Plans are being completed for the Navy League to provide website hosting services at no cost to NLUS councils by the middle of 2008. The Web Hosting Presentation will be posted on the Navy League website very soon; details on applying for web hosting will not be available until the project nears completion.
Presentations
The following presentations were made during the Convention and will be posted very soon on the NLUS website:
• Navy League Web Hosting Services
• Navy League 2007 Membership Survey results.
• Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) presentation on the Chief of Navy Information’s field outreach organization. Programs managed by NAVCO include the Navy Speakers' Bureau, Navy Band support, Navy Aviation support, Caps For Kids program, media outreach, as well as coordinating with Ships and Submarines for namesake visits during the Navy Weeks.
• CNO’s Reading Program – A status report on this initiative, which was briefed at the National Convention in St. Thomas in June, 2006, was presented to Council Officers.
• USS Constitution Museum’s “Old Ironsides Across the Nation” – Navy League councils have sponsored this exciting educational program for schools and communities. Learn how your council can bring this program to your community.
Workshops
The following new workshops were presented during the Convention:
• Grant Writing for Councils – Does your council need more funding for important community service programs? Learn how to find grant money (grantors) and apply for financial support through grant requests. This workshop can be customized for your community; to schedule the workshop, contact Bill Waylett at wwaylett@navyleague.org, or call (703) 312-1593.
• Council Activities Workshop – Are your council’s activities aligned with the Navy League’s Mission and Goals? This workshop reviews some basic council activities that support your community, the men and women in uniform, families of the men and women in uniform, and youth in the community.
Special Events
The following special events occurred during the Convention:
• Online Community Demonstration – A tutorial on the use the Navy League’s online membership database.
• Spiritual Terrorist Seminar: Global Terror Threat, The Iraq Factor – Our National Chaplain, Rabbi William Kloner, presented this seminar.
• Honors Ceremony: Presentation of Outstanding Council Awards – Celebrating and recognizing the Navy League’s best councils for 2006.
• Sea Service Panel – An update on the issues affecting the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine, featuring these speakers:
o Major General John F. Kelly, Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), USMC,
o Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, Chief of Information, USN,
o Rear Admiral Mary Landry, Director of Governmental & Public Affairs, USCG, and
o Mr. James Caponiti, Associate Administrator for National Security, Maritime Administration.
• Sea Services Awards Luncheon – Recognizing the sea service’s outstanding performers for 2006. A complete list of the winners is posted on the NLUS website at http://www.navyleague.org/public_relations/all-award_winners.php.
• Final Dinner -Our speaker, General James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented an update of issues affecting the Marine Corps.
II. Public Relations
New Navy League Video Premiered at Convention!
The new Navy League promotional video is now available online!
Navy Leaguers Donate Your Miles!
Are you interested in donating your frequent flier miles to assist families of seriously wounded servicemen and women? The Fisher House Foundation <http://fisherhouse.org/> makes it extremely easy for you to pass along your miles to service members in need. You can donate to the Hero Miles program online at http://fisherhouse.org/programs/heroMiles.shtml or by calling 888.294.8560 and a Fisher House staff member can answer your questions and assist you in making your donation. Thank you for continuing to support the men and women of the sea services.
Call for council stories, photos and video
Please keep sending your stories, videos and photos to publicrelations@navyleague.org <mailto:publicrelations@navyleague.org>. The Communications Department wants to showcase your hard work on the website. Please send Navy League mission-oriented stories, photos and video to Tiffany Anzalone, Dir. of Public Relations at 703-312-1581or tanzalone@navyleague.org <mailto:tanzalone@navyleague.org>. You’re help is greatly appreciated.
III. Membership
Senior Director of Membership and Deputy Director of Membership Announced
Salvador Chairez has been promoted to Senior Director of Membership, replacing Jim Hoffman, who is retiring. Salvador comes to us from the American Health Lawyers Association and brings considerable experience in member servicing. Salvador can be reached at schairez@navyleague.org, or (703) 312-1572 by telephone. Salvador emphasized at the National Convention that successful completion of the Membership Database conversion is his highest priority.
David Smith returns to Deputy Director of Membership. David can be reached at dsmith@navyleague.org, or (703) 31201569 by telephone.
IV. Legislative Affairs
Grass Roots Legislative Affairs Update
By Randy Hollstein, Vice President, Legislative Affairs
As reported at the recent Annual Meeting, the Grass Roots program is making good progress in delivering the first standard Grass Roots presentation to Members of Congress nationwide. By year-end, five of our fifteen U.S. regions will have delivered the presentation to more than fifty percent of their Members of Congress. We expect twelve regions to have reached that mark in 2008. Also, development work is now beginning on Grass Roots Presentation Two, which will be available early in 2008.
On a disappointing note, recent rules passed by Congress will no longer permit the offering of free Navy League memberships to their members. Grass Roots Presentation One will be modified slightly to reflect these rules changes. If you are planning to deliver the presentation soon to your Member of Congress, please check with your Region Vice President for Legislative Affairs to make sure you have the current presentation version.
On a congratulatory note, North Carolina’s Senator Elizabeth Dole became the latest of five Members of Congress to receive a visit from National Director Milt Price or other members of the Piedmont Triad Council team. For this council with less than eighty members, reaching five different Members of Congress (two Senators and three House members) to give the Grass Roots presentation is impressive. During the most recent visit, Senator Dole was complimentary of the Grass Roots effort and indicated her strong support for returning the U.S. Navy’s fleet to more than 300 ships as soon as possible.
V. Development
Greater Los Angeles Women’s Council Endows Navy League Foundation Scholarship
Edna Ralston, longtime Navy League member, provided a check in the amount of $50,000 at the Navy League Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The gift is from the estate of former Navy League member, Gladys Ann Smith, and will fund a scholarship to be awarded each year to a Sea Services dependent who lives in California.
The Navy League Foundation is profoundly grateful to Edna Ralston, Gladys Ann Smith, and the Greater L.A. Women’s Council for the vital role they will play in a young person’s life for years to come.
Support Navy League Foundation in the 2007 Combined Federal Campaign!
The Navy League Foundation is a participating organization in the 2007 CFC fund drive. Our CFC number is 11067.
We appreciate your promoting Navy League Foundation, CFC #11067 and making your adopted ships, units, commands, plus friends and family employed by the Federal Government aware of this opportunity to support the Navy League Foundation. The Campaign season runs until December 15, 2007.
VI. Announcements
1. Correcting IRS Records
If your council has any questions about your non-profit status, the correct point-of-contact (POC) is the IRS Cincinnati Area Office. Contact info is as follows (per the IRS website):
"Charities & Non-Profits
You may direct your technical and procedural questions concerning charities and other non-profit organizations to IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Customer Account Services at (877) 829-5500 (toll-free number). Direct questions about employment taxes to the Business and Specialty Tax Line at (800) 829-4933 (toll-free).
If you prefer to write, you may write us at:
Internal Revenue Service
Exempt Organizations Determinations
P.O. Box 2508
Cincinnati, OH 45201”
2. Digital Edition of SeaPower
The digital edition of the November issue of SeaPower is now live. Check it out!
http://www.seapower-digital.com/seapower/sample/
Member Servicese
service@navyleague.org
www.navyleague.org