11 August 2011

Call to order: 18:07.

Pledge of allegiance, moment of silence for POWs and MIAs.

The opening prayer was offered by Chaplain Jim Kelly.

Guests: Christy Moreno, Ivan Jorgensen, Alice Jorgensen, Mike Vader.

New members: Jesse Alger, Ty Cobb, Pat Moran, and Stewart Salamanca were welcomed into the chapter. Pat Moran transferred from another chapter. Jim Snyder was welcomed as a new member of AVVA.

Birthdays: Clay Coleman Doc Determan Neal Arnett
Larry Mullins Ray Ransom

Roll Call: All officers were present.

Minutes. The minutes were distributed electronically and copies were placed on the tables before the meeting. Rick Shuster moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Jim Hanson (unanimous).

Treasurer’s Report. Bob Marshall presented the treasurer’s report. Greg Montalvo moved to approve the report seconded by Jim Kelly (unanimous).

Petty Cash Report. Bob Marshall presented the petty cash report. Greg Montalvo moved to approve the report, seconded by Jim Kelly (unanimous).

President’s Report. See Old Business stand down report.

Horticulture Committee. Dave Billau and Jim Hanson reported the bees are great and we may have honey this year. More volunteers are welcome. Greg Montalvo asked if the excess harvest can be provided to the VGH. The committee agreed to this disposition.

Chapter 388 Report. Terry Hubert (Chapter 388 Carson City) reported they are receptive to a barbecue in September and free T-shirts for the vendor table volunteers(See Convention. He stated 388 is happy to support the stand down by paying for half of 300 sandwiches (see stand down report).

Old Business.

Vietnam Memorial: no news.

Veteran’s Guest House. Noreen Leary gave a brief presentation on upcoming VGH activities. VGH will be the Charity of Choice for AVVA during the convention.

Stand Down: President Bob Sperry reported we rented the storage unit for the stand down and unloaded the first truck of goods from the Herlong Army Depot on 9 August. Goods will remain in storage until we mobilize for the stand down on 30 September. The goal is to provide clothing, some food, and lunch.
-Last year the stand down served 237 homeless veterans.
-The chapter paid the barber $200 last year. This year we have 2 volunteers.
-Greg Montalvo stated Pepperidge Farms provided a lot of product last year and Walmart provided sandwiches. Chapter 989 provided clothing. The question was what will happen this year?
-Dave Billau reported that a lot of last year’s clothing was dirty and that we should assure that donations are clean. He asked who will spearhead clothing this year.
-Bob Marshall stated the VA gave away the surplus clothing to a non-affiliated thrift store. This led to discussion of “Rags to Ridges,” the Ridge House thrift store. Rags to Ridges will serve any vet w/ a letter from the Vet Center or any other program serving vets vouching for them and listing their needs. The program has been under-used.

Chapter Website: work in progress, hope for more news next week. Greg Montalvo asked how members get in. Members agreed there was general confusion about logging on. Gary Fink stated a password for the “members only” page has not been assigned.

New Business.
-Chapter Post Office Box is operational.
– Convention: Convention delegates’ shirts will be in Monday or Tuesday. Chapter shirts can be ordered through Bob Marshall for $22.00/each. We need ~15 shirts to place the order.
– Reno-Tahoe Airport is planning a welcome for veterans, including decorating the terminal, veteran riders, and Bill Manders doing a live remote broadcast. They offered us a table but we don’t have an outreach coordinator.
-Jeff Gunderson stated American Legion would have a table and we were welcome to join them. Jim Hanson stated he would be there. Call Jeff to volunteer.
-Vendor table and convention set-up: Bob Marshall stated he needs people from 12:00 – 5:00 Monday. He needs 2 people Tuesday morning and 2 people Tuesday afternoon. The shifts will be 9:00 – 1:00 and 1:00 – 5:00. Wednesday the hours are 11:00 – 5:00 and Thursday 9:00 – 5:00. Gary Fink, James Stinson, Mike Miller, and Jim Hanson volunteered.

Good of the Chapter: Greg Montalvo reported State of California hired 300 veterans for a new program in which they will meet recently discharged veterans and follow them through adjustment. He suggested the chapter form a committee to approach Gov. Sandoval. No action taken.