President’s Message
The year has reached its midpoint for your club. We are rapidly approaching Eukanuba, the Winter Specialty with our National Specialty soon to follow. These are exciting times for our young breed and its future. I find this Breed and our Club fun and exciting. Sometimes there is the temptation to be worn down by the Nay Sayers and Opportunists. I, however, am always uplifted and renewed by the dedicated, caring, hardworking, selfless individuals who give of themselves for the betterment of our breed. Our progress has been noticed and appreciated. Here is an update of our progress. Please make a special note of the folks who are helping us make our club fun and exciting.
A committee has organized and volunteered to do our booth at Eukanuba in December. Patti Buckelew is coordinating this event for our club this year. Visit our booth while at the show. Last year it was a sight to behold. An unbelievable number of spectators lined up to see and touch the Cresteds.
The Winter Specialty premium lists are prepared and will be mailed by the show Secretary. Make plans to join us in New York City. We will have a gift raffle if there is any interest. I will hold a 50/50 raffle where the cash proceeds will be split between the General Treasury and Health and Genetics. Currently I am soliciting volunteers to help work the Specialty. It is mainly a “fly in” event and we can maximize our benefits if we coordinate our efforts in advance. Please contact me if you will help with this Specialty. Mr. Dick Dickerson is our Show Chairman. Several Board members are attending but we need as many workers as we can get to make this a showcase. Come to the “City that never sleeps”!
We are organizing the National Specialty that will be in Oklahoma May 2007. If you have skills than can facilitate performance events and are willing to help please contact Alana Sisk. Conformation is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the abilities of the Chinese Crested. Adding performance events has been challenging. Lis Kristof, Sandra Brunsell, Shelley Hennessey and Frank Gilmer could use some help with the performance events.
Making a clerical note, I am pleased that our Treasury has enough to secure two Specialty shows simultaneously. Each show ties up a significant amount of money from our treasury which we now can commit without hesitation. It is very kind of our Treasurer, Carolyn Strunge, to make an interim report of our clubs finances. This report is now published in the Treasurers section of the Journal. Take notice that the information published in this Journal is password protected and not to be republished on the web without permission from the club.
In the works right now we are making preparations for several of our annual mailings. The updated membership booklet is at the printer as we speak. Keeping the booklet current is a huge task. Amy Thompson, Phyllis Lane, Penny Inan, and Marian Blackman have put overtime efforts into this task so you can be kept up to date. We would love to have this list be as correct as possible. Please send information we may not have to Marian Blackman, our Corresponding Secretary.
We have updated the ACCC Code of Ethics and it will be included in the Membership booklet mailing. Please take the time to read it over. It needs a two thirds membership approval to be accepted as our doctrine at our next general membership meeting. Sharon McCadam, Janis Chaffin Bell, Barbara Bittner, and Karen Cooper produced this well done professional code.
Membership dues renewals are also included in this mailing. We are now able to use Pay Pal for payment to our Treasury. Please try to meet the payment deadline in December. Note that there is no charge for the Breeders Directory. Our online Web Site superbly managed by Phyllis Lane and Nancy Larson has greatly extended our range of contact. Include yourself if you are a breeder. Let’s all keep Chinese Cresteds out of commercial pet shops. Please mail Carolyn Strunge your dues and completed renewal form.
You will also soon get your judges selection ballots. You will be selecting your Conformation and Sweepstakes Specialty judges for 2008 and 2009. Read the instructions carefully. Carol Martz and Pat Welch have championed this effort. If you have questions regarding how to complete the selection ballot please contact them.
Your Board of Directors has done its due diligence. We are meeting almost once a month and are a cohesive unit that has been productive through our efforts. Our efforts to create standard operating procedures develop written standing rules and precedence of performance of the board is starting to take shape and be noticed.
We have had a wonderful response to the membership drive. Welcome to all new members. We look forward to you joining us to make this a showcase breed of the American Kennel Club. A short executive session of the Board of Directors is a small price to pay to have such resources added to our club. We are a building club and need the resources every member can contribute to keep our breed respected and appreciated.
Have a happy Thanksgiving. We all have so much for which to be thankful.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Miller