Minutes, 16 August 2012

Call to Order was at 18:05, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Moment of Silence. The Sergeant at Arms called for a moment of silence followed by the invocation, offered by Chaplain Jim Kelley.

Roll Call. All chapter officers were present. Attendance for the meeting totaled 40 members and 2 guests.

New Members and Guests. The chapter welcomed new members Tony Bowser, Howard Deguare, Gary Romansik, and Dennis Romeo as well as pending member Bob Martin and Bonnie Hubert (AVVA). The chapter also welcomed back Ron Bradley, Steve Sherman, Steve Loomis, and Terry Wiederhoft.

Guest Speaker. Bob Martin, veterans’ rep with Nevada Job Connect, who said he spoke earlier to chapter member Jerry Wittman. Mr. Martin works in the Reno-Sparks area seeking out veterans with disabilities, finding their barriers to employment and then seeking ways to help these individuals to overcome those barriers and find gainful employment. He reaches out to various organizations to include the VA, DAV, VVA and others to help accomplish these goals. Greg Montalvo asked Mr. Martin to chair a committee to get bus passes for veterans in need.

Minutes. President Gary Fink called for acceptance of the minutes of the July meeting.

Motion. Mike Miller moved to accept the July minutes, seconded by Jeff Gunderson (unanimous).

Reports.
Treasurer’s Report. Treasurer Bob Marshall presented the treasurer’s report.

Motion. Jim Hanson moved to accept the Treasurer’s report, seconded by Eric Hobson (unanimous).

Petty Cash. President Gary Fink presented the Petty Cash report.

President’s Report. President Gary Fink reported the chapter now has generic business cards. Gary reported two patches are now available for sale. The VVA Life Member patch sells for $6.00 and the VVA 989 patch (same as on the front of chapter shirts) sells for $7.00.

Outreach Committee. Jim Hanson and Dave Billau reported there will be an outreach on 25 August at Walmart. Because it will be Burning Man weekend, they were considering splitting the outreach efforts between Fernley and North Valley (Pyramid Highway). Eighteen members answered a call for volunteers to work the outreaches.

Horticulture Committee. Rusty Bolton reported the garden is growing well. Larry Runyon added that, due to the late freeze, the garden isn’t as productive this year. Greg Montalvo suggested printing a flyer to encourage people to participate in the garden.

Traveling Wall. Jeff Gunderson expressed concerns about events surrounding the wall, for example re-enactors wanting to fire blanks, and other. Michial Nolan suggested the chapter write a letter to the war games organizers expressing the sense of the chapter concerning re-enactments at a war memorial. Terry Hubert stated the re-enactors brought the wall to Chapter 388 and set the event into motion. He stated the event will be complicated by a senior citizen carnival, Nevada Day, and being an election year. Greg Montalvo asked if the volunteers have been organized. Terry stated he has the sign-up list.

Vietnam Memorial. Jeff Gunderson stated he has no personal knowledge of progress on this issue.

Chapter 388 Report. No report this month.

Old Business.

Shirts. Bob Marshall called for a show of hands for shirt orders and asked members to see him following the meeting. Bob asked members to get their orders in because he orders them in lots of 30. The chapter recognized him for his efforts.

We Care. Norm Graham reported he and Gary Nicholes gave Amber Dawson a $200 gift certificate for Smart and Final and engaged in outreach in the Record Street parking lot, meeting a number of veterans.

Adopt a Vet. Jim Hanson reported there are 90 providers in the community and recounted last meeting’s motion. Jim reported the VA treats ineligible veterans with an antibiotic and a pain pill. Jim stated the VA sends patients to Linda Haigh’s program. The program is looking for volunteers to act as case managers to assist needy vets through the process. The program is now focusing on emergency care and Jim reported HAWC donated $5000.

Motion. Jim Hanson moved to donate $1600 to “Adopt a Vet,” with funding dedicated to uncovered direct costs, e.g. materials. Ed Davis seconded the motion. Bob Sperry proposed tabling the motion for further research. Tod Brill stated the research had been done, and we need to pass the motion. Jim Hanson amended the motion to donate $200/month for 8 months, for a total of $1,600. The motion passed with 1 dissent.

Motion. Michial Nolan moved for the chapter to present certificates of appreciation to participating care givers, seconded by Jim Hanson (unanimous).

Motion. Jeff Gunderson moved for the chapter to frame the certificates, seconded by John Sheets (unanimous).

Challenge. Jim Hanson issued a challenge to chapter 388, Nevada State Council, the Marine Corps League, and all other veterans organizations to donate to the “Adopt a Vet” program.

VA Stand Down. Bob Sperry reported the stand down will be on 28 September. Bob stated volunteers will load trucks the night before and deliver to the VA site early on the 28^th.

Tribute to Fallen Soldiers. Tod Brill reported the event, held August 3 – 5, was poorly attended. Tod stated several politicians who promised to attend did not, but Glenna Smith from Sen. Heller’s office did show up.

Nevada State Council. State Council President Terry Hubert reported the next council meeting will be 20 October in Tonopah. A special election will be held at that meeting for Secretary and Sergeant at Arms. Terry also reported 227 chapters are facing suspension for poor financial reporting.

Good of the Chapter.

Birthdays. The following members celebrated birthdays in August:

Lloyd Beniek Clay Coleman Dee Garder Monk Mann

Larry Mullins Raymond Ransom Herman Vargas

Motion. John Sheets moved to adjourn, seconded by Mike Miller (unanimous). Meeting adjourned at 19:25.