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Impressive Activities on Part of Retirees
 by Gayle Lockett, RC Chair
This school year, it has been my pleasure to speak with so many of you at Regional Unit meetings throughout the metropolitan region and around the country. It is great to see how unique each Regional Unit is and to meet so many people who are truly enjoying the next chapter of their lives whether that includes a job, volunteer work, travel or helping with the grandchildren. (And many of you are doing all of the above!)
Some members travel more than three hours to attend their Unit meetings. What dedication and enthusiasm! And just in case you’ve forgotten, if you spend time in more than one geographical location, you can belong to more than one Unit. Each unit receives a Retiree Chapter subsidy per member.
Kudos to Gilbert Gottfried the former Pacific Coast Regional Unit leader for a job well done. He and Manny Bierman, who recently passed away, established the Unit and worked for years on CSA’s behalf. We welcome Carol Rainey and Herb Ross as the new leaders. (See Page 11, for introductions!) Their immediate goal is to increase membership.
By now you should have received your new membership cards for the Retiree Chapter, which are valid through 2016 and for AFSA, which are valid through 2015. Along with the cards, you received a letter from me reiterating the benefits you receive and outlining how important our work is in continually advocating for members’ rights and benefits. In addition to our work for retirees, we also advocate for schools and our in-service colleagues through our work with elected officials.
In other news:
- Retirees have been interviewing candidates who have sought out CSA’s endorsement. This year, we’ll be electing all city-wide officials as well as most of the City Council.
- Thanks to Irwin Shanes, CSA special vice president for retirees, and Mark Brodsky, the Chapter’s director, who are among those reading the essays of students who have applied for the CSA Scholarship Fund. The Chapter has taken on fundraising for the Scholarship Fund, and we are asking our Regional Units to help raise money for these worthy students.
In closing, I repeat the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
This column is reprinted from the May 2013 issue of the CSA News.
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