Hi everyone,
For many, especially recent retirees, the middle to late August, as summer wanes and stores advertise back to school specials, an ache begins to build in one’s stomach signaling that summer is coming to an end and the start of school is on the horizon. Luckily for most of us it is a signal to clean out another closet or plan our next adventure.
This year our chapter will see some changes, especially in the way we will communicate to our members about upcoming events. Mailing and duplication costs have increased significantly. In response to those increases and our desire to keep costs down, we have decided to email, via our alert system, specific information about our Fall Luncheon invitations, dues increase, donations and our newest initiative, File Of Life project. We will also include this information in our Newsletter and posted on our website. Our VOTE COPE campaign will continue to be sent out from Nancy Pratt by mail in the Fall.
We plan to continue to support our school and community. Our mission is to ensure that our donations and support is fairly distributed to the Elementary, Middle and High School; that will benefit all the students in Suffern Central. Our $1,000 teacher grant with The REACH Foundation will be earmarked for either the Elementary or Middle School staff. We are continuing to encourage and support the Christ Episcopal Soup Kitchen and the Community Food Pantry( SloatsburgFood Pantry). Your support and generosity has had a significant impact on the lives of many members of the Suffern community who depend on these charitable organizations to help mitigate food insecurity in their lives.
This year our chapter has seen an increase in requests from clubs and organizations, especially the high school, for financial assistance in special situations. In addition to the fundraising the students are required to do to defray the cost for application fees, travel and lodging when their club, organization, teamare competing in state and national competitions. To help manage these requests we have created a Finance Committee to review these requests and make recommendations to the Executive Committee on which requests we can support financially. We are also encouraging our members to think about privately supporting any request for financial assistance that we are made aware of. We will send out alerts as the requests are made. Donations can be sent to the schoolstreasurer indicating where you want your donation allocated. Reminder! Not all donations are tax deductible. Those teams that have club organizations ie. Mat Club, Crew etc. can provide a letter for tax purposes. More to follow.
Our VOTE COPE Campaign was a success this year. Your individual contribution allowed us to receive a refund for $2,669.20. Yet, this was accomplished with approximately 143 members contributing either through personal checks or pension deduction. This is roughly 40% of our membership.
The Executive Committee after thoughtful deliberation voted to increase our dues to $15.00 a year.This is the first increase since the formation of our Retiree Chapter twenty-one years ago.Additionally, the Executive Committee established an Advisory Committee that will be comprised of three retirees from 2015 to the present.This committee of newly retired teachers will help us stay current with issues facing the current staff and the needs of recently retired members. We are happy to have Bill Delaney join our committee. We still have two more positions yet to be filled. If interested please contact me at amigos48@aol.com.
The Executive Committee has invested in a program which we feel will directly impact our members. The program, File of Life, provides its users a way to gather important medical information,emergency contact in the event of an emergency, and a list of your medical doctors that you can keep with you and a larger packet that can be placed on your refrigerator in the event an ambulance or medi vac crew needs to transport you to a hospital if an emergency occurs from home.These packets will be free to all of our members who are up to date with their membership dues ($15). To receive your File of Life packets, just send a self addressed stamped business envelope ($.78 cent stamp), along with your dues and response to our Fall Luncheon (and any donation you wish to make to the Soup Kitchen or Food Pantry) to Judy Veltidi. Once received, Judy will mail your packet to you in the business envelope you supplied.
For those attending the Fall Luncheon,one will be provided to you.
Important Reminders !
❖ Fall Luncheon (9/30/2025) response, dues ($15), donations to the Soup Kitchen & Food Pantry.
❖ Self addressed stamped business envelope($.78) for the File of Life material.
❖ Updated member information if necessary-sent to Anne Clark.
❖ 207 members out of 369 remitted their dues (44% decrease)😭
❖ Maintaining eligibility in any NYSUT programs requires payment of chapter dues.
❖ Look for the start of our VOTE COPE campaign in the Fall.
We continue to remain active and relevant in the Suffern Community through your continued generosity and support.
❖ SHS Panorama Yearbooks (4)
❖ Christ Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen and the Community Food Pantry.
❖ REACH foundation $1,000 Teacher Grants.
❖ Teacher Appreciation candy baskets.
❖ Cards of Condolences sent to deceased members' families.
❖ SHS Spring Musical
❖ Yearbook Ads
❖ SRTC-SEA $1,000 Family Scholarship (must be current with your dues)
❖ Spring and Fall Luncheons
❖ Members ALERTS , Newsletter, SRTC-SEA Website
Please send your luncheon information, dues, donations and self addressedstamped business envelope ($.78) File of Life to:
Judy Veltidi
35 Van Orden Ave.
Suffern, NY 10901
See you at our Fall Luncheon to honor our 2025 retirees.