The Red Pencil
The Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XIV,
No.4,
March 2012
Nanci Tolbert Nance, editor
_ntn1066@hotmail.com 963-8892
March Meeting Noon, Thursday, March 15, 2012
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, check payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Program:
A local attorney will be speaking to us on “things we really need to know but didn’t know to ask.” This program is one you will not want to miss.
Also, we will be spending time helping you to “flip” your method of payment for your NCRSP membership. PLEASE come, and PLEASE, PLEASE read this newsletter carefully for important information you will need before you come.
Bring as much non-perishable food as you can manage for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, cans of soup, oatmeal and pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYTHING non-perishable, will be acceptable. Remember those empty medicine bottles, too; each one of them saves the Hunger Coalition at least a nickel. And plastic bags. And Box Tops for Education. And individual servings of food such as crackers or fruit or mac and cheese for the backpacks our county’s hungry children take home over the weekends.
And yourself, of course.
With the coins in Sue Aldridge’s sock and the coins in Ann Millsaps’ coffee can, plus the coins you put in the little watering cans on the tables, we collected $107.49 for the scholarship program at our December meeting. Thank goodness for the coin-counting machine at the State Employees Credit Unit!
Very important note: If your caller has not phoned you by the 11st of March, call your caller if you plan to attend. If you change your mind at the last minute about attending, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 immediately and come ahead! As usual, Margaret thanks her team of callers who generously volunteer their time doing important work for our organization.
AND remember: After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared! Let one of your officers know as quickly as you can at the meeting so that your meal will be ready for you to take home.
President’s Message
None of us can be aware of all the individual contributions our fellow NCRSP unit members make to our community, but I want to thank you for your collective efforts on behalf of the unit and remind us of what we accomplish. Our unit has supplied food and money to the Hunger Coalition, donated food for the backpacks our elementary students take home over the weekend, saved and delivered hundreds of aluminum tabs to the American Legion to help with the expenses of Ronald McDonald houses and thousands of medicine bottles for DSS to use to fulfill their clients’ medical prescriptions, gathered carload after carload of supplies for our schools and Box Tops for Education to purchase school equipment, and raised enough money to award $1,000 scholarships each May.
Most recently, we supplied one of the baskets for the Watauga County NCAE group to raffle fortheir scholarship this spring.
Now, please take aminute each day to record YOUR INDIVIDUAL donations of time and energy to ourcommunity. You’ll make us all look good.
La Verne Franklin
In Memoriam
The Watauga Unit of NCRSP extends its sympathy to the families and friends of Elizabeth Elliott, who died on August 14, 2011, and Mary Moore, who died on September 21, 2011. In their memory, we have made contributions to the Watauga Unit Scholarship Fund.
The ways by which we communicate are changing. Don’t be left behind!
We hope you aren’t tiring of hearing this message, because we can’t tire of saying it: every member of our unit who receives The Red Pencil by email saves the unit nearly $1 per issue. If you do not currently receive the newsletter by email and would like to do so, please send an email to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com with your name and email address in the body of your message. Use the same address if you would like to contribute to The Red Pencil.
AND, AND, AND, here’s a reminder that the web address for our Watauga County NCRSP blog is http://wcrsp.blogspot.com. Put that address in your Favorites column and keep up with the activities of our unit, including a copy of The Red Pencil and photos from meetings, courtesy of our webmaster, Lee Stroupe.
For your contact information file, please note that our vice-president, Bill Winkler, has a new email address. You can find him at winklerbr@gmail.com.
While you’re working at your computer, try this music for every taste from AARP:
http://www.aarp.org/etc/aarp/statics/global/html/slacker-player.html
Please be a good internet friend and don't forward, leave, or include unnecessary addresses anywhere in messages to people who don't need it or don't know each other. *Respect individual privacy. *ALWAYS use Bcc when sending to multiple addresses. *Judiciously choose forwards, deleting sender and all prior email addresses from them. *Remember to copy and paste into an entirely new email to send Bcc. *Do not forward emails as attachments. *Do not forward a story or dire warning until you check www.snopes.com.
Thanks for helping to make the internet safer for all of us.
Volunteering is Easy – We Do It All the Time!
Have you noticed how quickly these seven and a half weeks of the new year have slipped away from us? Have you looked to see how many times you have written- and circled- some hours of volunteer service on your new calendar? I find that keeping them on the calendar serves two purposes: first, reminding you to DO those helpful things that you wish to do and might otherwise forget, and, second, serving as a record when you begin to compile your report of volunteer hours.
Today I came across a note in handwriting that I don't recognize. It is about Helen Trexler, one of our members, having done 18,000 hours of volunteer service over 27 years !! I called her to confirm these numbers and she denied their accuracy. Together, we decided that the report I had simply transposed some of the numbers – BUT, I quizzed her and found that she had volunteered in the hospital gift shop for 27 years and usually worked six hours each Monday. According to my arithmetic prowess, that would come to about 8424 hours in that one place of service! What if the hospital had had to pay her for all those hours!! This is just one example of the importance of our volunteer work.
We need to let our representatives in Raleigh know what we are doing for our community when they begin to talk about teachers and retirees being overpaid.
We are all so involved in our community that we probably volunteer hours and hours a week without even realizing it. Take a few minutes to consider your time and you’ll see. You’ll find a volunteer hours reporting form in this issue of the Red Pencil as well as a list of all the activities for which you may count your time. Please use it.
Eula Mae Fox, chr., Community Service Comm.
The elderly customer calling the newspaper office loudly demanding to know where her Sunday edition was.
"Madam", said the newspaper employee, "today is Saturday. The Sunday paper is not delivered until tomorrow, on SUNDAY.”
There was quite a long pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a spark of recognition as old lady was heard to mutter, ..
..."Well, fudge. That explains why no one was at church either.”
What’s New that You Need to Know:
The State NCRSP Convention is happening in Winston-Salem March 21-22. Representing our unit will be LaVerne Franklin, Eula Mae Fox, Nanci Tolbert Nance, and Bill Winkler.
Our unit currently has 121 members. Every single member is important, yet we obviously need to grow. If you are aware of current members of the education community who are nearing retirement, please begin now to explain the value of their membership in NC Retired School Personnel.
Post in a prominent spot and check regularly. We recommend a calendar on which your record activities. Circle them if they qualify as volunteer time.
NCRSP Community Participation Volunteer Hours 2012
Name ______________________ Unit Watauga County District 3
Category Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Education
Other
*Total Hours in All Categories ________
*Volunteer hours for the “Other” category include the following activities. Please note that activities for which you are paid (honoraria/stipends) and activities performed in caring for grandchildren, elderly parents, or other family members DO NOT COUNT toward your volunteer hours.
• Political
• Governmental
• Civic
• Hospital
• Companion to shut-in
• Non-profit group
• Healthcare/Red Cross
• Church/religious work
• Schools
• Athletics
• Transportation
• Mentoring/tutoring
• NCRSP
• Libraries
• Social services
• Habitat for Humanity
Preserving Your Membership in NCRSP – Nothing Is More Important
Four of our members have already “flipped” their membership dues payments online. You should have received email instructions for doing so, but if you did not or if you’ve misplaced them, please let Nanci know at ntn@skybest.com. If you choose to “flip” online, please notify Dot at 264-3621 or at dot24@bellsouth.net.
You may have received a form in the mail to change your method of payment. WE WILL TAKE TIME AT OUR MARCH MEETING TO COMPLETE THESE FORMS. We will have your membership number and the other information you’ll need, but you MUST BRING A VOIDED CHECK.
You may still choose to join by cash and a membership form. Ask Dot at the March meeting or give her a call.
Any action you take to change your dues payment take effect in September, just as it always has.
If you have an immediate question about “flipping” your payment method, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621 or email Nanci at ntn@skybest.com.
Our legislature has overridden the governor’s veto of the bill to strip our right to payroll deduction, and the only way we have to fight back and preserve both NCAE and NCRSP is through this “flip” process. Membership in our professional organizations is much too important to let it slip away.
Watauga County NCRSP
451 Poplar Hill Dr.
Boone NC 28607
