William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-10-01 / 10. szám
"I'm proud to say that the Association has moved one step closer to instituting a governance policy" Members’ hard work ensures success of recent events by Steve Varga, Chairman of the Board The Association held its fourth annual picnic on Sept.ll at Penn Scenic View. It was a great success with about 900 individuals attending this event from far and near. I had the pleasure to meet individuals from as far west as Indiana and from as far east as Connecticut. There was an abundance of great Hungarian food, good dancing and prizes for all. The entire Board would like to thank our picnic coordinator, Endre Csornán, for all his dedication and hard work to ensure that it was a success. We would also like to thank John Toth who worked tirelessly to help Endre. Finally, we would like to thank the many volunteers too numerous to list in this article. The Association greatly appreciates the time and effort you put into making this event a high success. The highlight of this year's event was the dedication of the new pavilion, "The Kohut Pavilion." Bill Kohut, a former Director of the Association, was instrumental in securing the 183 acres in Rockwood, Pa., that we now call Penn Scenic View. We thank Bill for his great foresight and courage. I would like to take this time to welcome aboard our new sales director, Mark Lantz. Mark, a highly qualified individual, was hired to rebuild our sales department and increase our membership. Welcome aboard, Mark. Over the summer, several other important events took place which are worth mentioning. First, the Association held its annual golf outing in Harrisburg. The Board wishes to thank all members of Branch 336 for all their hard work for making this year's event a huge success. We would also like to thank National Vice President-Secretary Richard Toth, who spends many hours putting these events together and always seems to outdo the prior year. Thanks, Rick. In August, a special corporate governance and strategic planning meeting took place in Toledo, Ohio. I'm proud to say that the Association has moved one step closer to instituting a governance policy. A final draft will be presented to the full Board for a vote at our October Board meeting. The Board also took the time to meet with some of the Association's members who live in the Toledo area in an informal setting to discuss their concerns. Members spoke one on one with the directors and voiced their opinions on several topics, including annuity rates, our financial status and the future of the Association. We hope that we were able to satisfy their concerns. While in Toledo, the Board also attended the 30th Annual Birmingham Ethnic Festival. The Association was proud to support this great event which helped save a great ethnic community 30 years ago. The Board wishes to thank Robert Ivancso, chairman of our National Auditing Committee, who served as a festival committee member. Because of his hard work and dedication, I'm proud to say that Bob has been named vice chairman for next year's festival. Congratulations. The Board will meet in October for our next quarterly meeting. On the agenda for this meeting will be several important issues. First, the Board will vote on whether to accept our newly drafted governance policy. Also, the Board will be setting the Association's goals and priorities for the upcoming year. This will include taking a first look at next year's budget. The Board will also meet with our National Auditing Committee to discuss the results of their semi-annual audit and what the Board can do to strengthen the Association's fiscal policy. Finally, some members made a strong point to meet me at the picnic and expressed their concerns over the Association's suspension of the Hungarian Language Camp. This topic will be on the Board's October agenda as well. We hope a decision can be made on this topic, and it can be put to rest. Finally, with Halloween approaching, I wish to remind everyone to keep the safety of our children in mind. The Association will once again be sending out Halloween items to be used by the children, so look for them in your mail. Please stay safe and remain alert. [WPL Williu Pew Life, October 2004 3
