Masthead for AASRA Newsletter
Spring 2015
Spring 2015
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Duane Nelson
AASRA State President
Greetings from the entire
AASRA Board of Directors and
wishing you a pleasant spring, and
for us in Arizona, that means
HEAT so stay cool and hydrated!
My column focuses on the
news from the Capitol and
our concerns with the state
budget. This latest budget cuts
$352 million from school districts, when the prior year
assistance is factored in, which covers technology,
classroom supplies and building repairs. This budget
alone cuts $113.4 million, which is a loss of $135 per
student.
School districts around the state of Arizona are lining
up to propose four day work weeks and informing
parents of other budget cuts facing their children for the
next school year.
The budget also cuts $100 million from state
universities and all funding for Maricopa and Pima
County Community Colleges.
Now, we retirees might say this will have no effect on
our daily lives or us and we don't need to worry! Well,
it could bring about a great deal of concern for your
children attending college here in the state and your
grandchildren attending K-12 classrooms in
neighborhood schools.
The justification for this budget was to overcome a
$717 million deficit in the state coffers. I'm not sure
why Arizona's poor and middle class are usually
affected the most by budgets like this, year after
year.
In other news, Co-Executive Director Janet Fee and I
attended the National Retired Teacher's Association
Volunteer Leadership Meeting March 2-5 in
San Antonio, Texas. We gained information from other
states on problems they are facing, recruitment and
retention of members, talking to Legislators, using
social media to benefit our groups, how to use "real
people" stories and a presentation on the new AARP
Fraud Watch program.
Volume 53 No. 3
Volume 53 No. 3
Janet and I will be sharing the information that we
learned in San Antonio with AASRA members.
Lastly I want to make a pitch for our AASRA
Convention, which will be held, again, at the Embassy
Suites at Interstate 17 and Greenway in Phoenix. Our
convention is filled with lots of valuable information, a
chance to see old friends and make lots of new ones.
Besides, there is lots of fun, so why not come and join
in on all that fun as I end my first year as your
AASRA President!
Mary Anne Vath
We say goodbye to AASRA’s
“guiding light”. Mary Anne
passed away on February 15,
2015. She shared with many of
us her love of lighthouses and
the beacon of light and hope
they bring. The following is a
"Shine on, guiding light..." poem she wrote and shared
which so describes her shining
smile
and
positive
attitude.
We will miss her.
BEACONS OF LIGHT
By
Mary Anne Vath
When we traverse rough water of storms at sea,
Our vessel is tossed towards the dangerous rocks
When suddenly we see the lifesaving beacon of light
That shines brightly and guides us to the safety of the
shore.
We are grateful and joyful for the lighthouse beam
That reaches our life and uplifts our soul
And gives us hope and strength to withstand our
challenges.
CONVENTION REMINDERS
Aluminum Pop-top tabs for
Ronald McDonald House
Glasses for the Lions’ Club
Toiletries for the Red Cross
1 2015
BOARD CHANGES TO
AASRA
CONSTITUTION AND
BYLAWS
Recommend by the AASRA Board
New wording shall be in italics. Deletions in the wording
shall be done as a strikethrough.
One change is just formatting – change “by-laws” to “bylaws”
throughout the document.
A few copies of the current AASRA constitution and bylaws
will be available for members at the raffle ticket table.
Constitution: changes must be approved by a two-thirds vote
of the members present at any Annual Meeting of AASRA
and become effective at the close of that Annual Meeting.
The proposed changes must be submitted to all members at
least 30 days before the date of the Annual Meeting.
Publication in the NEWSLETTER shall serve to meet this
requirement.
C1. Article II- Purpose, Sec. 1 The purpose of this Association
shall be:
Add K. To monitor and support the Arizona State Retirement
System on pensions, health programs, and long term
disabilities programs.
Rationale: This is one of the main things AASRA
does for its members.
C2. Article V – Officers, Sec.1 Board of Directors, C.
C. The Board of Directors may appoint executive director(s)
and/ or other individual(s) to help carry out the purposes and
administration of the organization.
1. The duties of the appointed executive
director(s)and/or other individuals shall be set by the Board.
Rationale: We needed the wording of executive director in the
document to make it easier to file documents with government
entities
C3. Article V – Officers, Sec. 2 Executive Committee A. &
Sec. Elective officers, A.
Sec. 2, A. The Executive Committee shall be:
1. The President All Elective Officers
2. The immediate Past President
Sec. 3, A. The Elective Officers s:
1. The President -elect
2. President – elect
Former #2. Is renumbered 3. District 1 Vice
– President All the rest will be renumbered ending
with #12. The Treasurer
Rationale: It was felt the President is elected and should be
included in the Elective Officers section. So the wording in
the Executive Committee needed to be changed.
C4. Article V – Officers, Sec. 6 Appointive Officers, 4.
4. The Arizona State Retirement Board System Liaison
Rationale: The proper name of the ASRS should be indicated
correctly.
A package has a constitution part and a bylaws part that
work together, so they are presented together.
C5. package Article V – Officers, Sec. 7 Standing
Committees, A
Add – 9. Constitution, Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
Bylaws: page 8 Sec. 9 The Constitution, Bylaws, Policies and
Procedures:
A. Shall periodically review the Constitution, Bylaws,
Policies and Procedures
B. Shall advise the Board and members on additions,
deletions, corrections and other recommended changes
C. Shall review, interpret, and/or initiate appropriate
actions on petitions to amend Association governing
documents
D. Shall review requests for amendments to the
Constitution, Bylaws, Policies and Procedures and propose
wording for such amendments. The committee drafts
amendments, or may review and edit/approve the language of
amendments proposed by members
E. Shall review, evaluate, and formulate changes to
the Policies & Procedures manual
Rationale: Every organization needs to keep its documents
current. All organizations have situations that need to be
addressed in their governing and administrative documents.
These are ongoing tasks. The organization should have a
standing committee, not an ad hoc one that is called every 3 to
5 years.
(The Board or members have the final say on the committee
suggestions and recommendations.)
C6. package Article VI – Amendments Sec. 1 and Sec. 2
Sec. 1 This Constitution may be . . . any Annual
Meeting (convention) of the . . . of that Annual Meeting
(convention).
Sec. 2 Copies of proposed . . . of the Annual Meeting
(convention). Publication . . ..
Bylaws: Page 6 – Article II – Duties of Elected Officers, Sec.
Treasurer, F.
F. Shall. . . Annual Meeting (convention) of the
Association
Page 8 - Article VI – Meetings Sec. 1
Add. (convention) after Annual Meeting
If any phrase has been missed - add (convention) after Annual
Meeting any place in the document.
Rationale: We have called this Annual Meeting a convention
for a number of years. But left in Annual Meeting as it was in
the original document – thought it would indicate to
government entities, this is where we conduct our major
business with the members of the Association.
2 April 6, 2015
consultant has indicated that he needs to increase his fee,
which has not been changed since 2008.
OPTIONS
1. Raise State dues from $20 to $28. Operations from
$14 to $20, Advocacy Fund from $6 to $8.
Unit dues remain $10. Total for Automatic Dues
Deduction (ADD): $38 ($3.16 per month).
2. Same as Option 1 (above) but raise Unit dues to
$15. Total for ADD: $43 ($3.58 per month). 3. Raise the State dues from $20 to $30 and let the
Board decide the exact amount for Operations
and Advocacy. Unit dues remain at $10 or increase
to $15.
4. Leave dues as they are. This will risk loss of our
Legislative consultant, inability to computerize our
records, and further erosion of our Operations and
Program budget amounts.
NEXT STEPS
This is an important decision! While the Board has
the authority to raise dues, we want to represent YOU,
our members. We need your thoughts, concerns,
suggestions and ideas. Please take some time
individually and in your Units to consider the Concerns
and Options and let us know your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Duane Nelson, AASRA President
Please email or send your response to Duane Nelson,
AASRA, 16165 N. 83rd Ave., Suite 201, Peoria, AZ
85382-5816.
Dear Members,
This open letter is written to
inform AASRA members of a
potential dues increase for 2016. The AASRA Board’s
Bylaws provides the authority to set the dues amount.
However, your Board would like members’ input on
this decision. The following information is for
members to consider, discuss at your Unit meetings
and among yourselves.
This is a preliminary survey to gather members’ input.
A vote will be taken at the AASRA state convention
on June 2nd or 3rd and tabulated after the convention.
Any member may express his/her thoughts or have
questions answered in an email, letter or phone call to
his/her Unit President or District Vice President. If you
choose to fill out the survey, email AASRA President
Duane Nelson ([email protected]) and complete by
May 25, 2015. Letters to Duane should also be mailed
by May 25 to the AASRA office, at 16165 North 83rd
Avenue, Suite 201, Peoria, AZ 85382-5816.
BACKGROUND
The operating portion of the state dues was set at
$14.00 around the year 2000 and has not been increased
in 15 years. During the 2005 convention, members
voted overwhelmingly to start an advocacy fund of
$6.00 per member per year. This fund was to be used to
pay the fees for a legislative consultant who would
provide information to the legislative team to help them
be more effective volunteer lobbyists at the
legislature for our Association concerns. That resulted
in the increase to $20.00 for AASRA state dues
beginning in 2006. With a delay of some units not
starting to pay the additional $6.00 until 2007, a
consultant was not contracted until 2008. After
interviews with several candidates a consultant was
contracted in 2008. Total dues for Automatic Dues
Deduction (ADD) were/are $30.00, including $10.00 for
Unit dues. Some Units charge less or more than $10.00.
CONCERNS
Business/operations costs have increased since 2000,
including: cost of newsletters, tracking membership,
postage, office supplies, etc. The Board has determined
that we need to purchase a laptop computer to maintain
Association records and keep track of individual
volunteers’ work done on their own computers. This
will maintain consistency in our Association as officers
change and new volunteers become involved. We need
to increase funds for membership recruitment to
maintain and grow our Association. And, our legislative
I support (circle one): Option 1
Option 3
Option 4
Option 2
CONVENTION NEWS
Date: June 2nd & 3rd:
The Convention Committee has been very busy planning the
annual convention and it is now time to begin registering for
the convention. The cost of the convention is $70.00 for
members and $80.00 for guests. Please use the registration
form included in this newsletter and mail your registration
form to Sue Secrest by May 18th.
There will be many exciting events at the convention.
Laurie Roberts from the Arizona Republic will be one of our
speakers, excellent Gold Mines are planned, officers will be
elected and for those who arrive early, you can come join the
Committee on June 1st for a Mexican dinner at Manuel’s
Mexican Restaurant. This dinner is on your own.
After dinner on June 1st, there will be a pre-conference
session demonstrating the use of Facebook that will include
dessert and coffee.
3 AASRA
2015 CONVENTION RAFFLE
We hope you are looking forward
to our Annual Scholarship
Foundation Raffle at the State Convention, June 2-3.
Remember the raffle is the only fundraiser for the
Scholarship Foundation each year.
We appreciate the wonderful items, such as handmade
quilts, Diamondback game tickets, restaurant cards or
movie tickets just to name a few things that have been
donated in the past. What will you be donating when
you come to the convention?
Just a reminder for all new members, the AASRA
Scholarship Foundation gives three (3) scholarships
annually for future educators, one to each of our state
universities, UofA, NAU, and ASU.
We would like to thank you for all your support to this
important function of AASRA.
Garry York, Scholarship Foundation Committee
ASRS NEWS
ASRS Fund
The fund was $34.7 Billion plus on February 27,2015.
At the Board meeting of February 27th, the Board
voted to shift investing focus. An article in the
March 23rd Arizona Republic by Russ Wiles explained
what the focus would be. It included shifts that would
be taken during the next two years.
Paul Matson was quoted in saying that the fund is
between 76% and 82% funded depending on how it is
measured.
Key message: ASRS is an Earned Benefit
DENTAL INSURANCE
It has been five years since dental insurance has gone
out to bid. ASRS issued a request for bids in
February. The Health committee, on which I serve, will
be meeting in April to help evaluate the bids. It should
go to the Board to be approved in May. The new
contract becomes effective January 1, 2016.
ASRS Social Media
ASRS is on social media. Its Facebook page is very
informative.
DEFEND OUR PENSION BY RECRUITING A
NEW MEMBER
There is strength in numbers!
Janet Fee, ASRS Liaison
“I have considered the pension list of the republic a roll of
honor.”- Grover Cleveland
Trent & Patsy Cone
Why Are You Members of
AASRA?
Bonnie Ford,
Membership Co-chair,
interviewed Patsy and
Trent Cone of the Saguaro
Unit at last year’s state
convention. Here are their
responses as to why they
are happy to be members
of AASRA.
Patsy: I joined because
AASRA keeps us up to date on our retirement situation.
Trent: AASRA works to protect our retirement from
encroachment from other government agencies.
Patsy and Trent: We also like the camaraderie and
social aspects of AASRA.
Patsy and Trent: We like the fact that our Unit is
involved in altruistic projects that gives our group
members an opportunity to volunteer. We have the
opportunity to have input in supporting bills that support
our children’s education.
Bonnie Ford, Membership Co-chair
HEAT! HEAT! HEAT!
This is the time of year that brings on
the heat.
The following is a list of important
reminders to avoid problems when it’s hot.
1. Work outside early in the morning and keep hydrated.
2. Working inside also requires you to drink water
in between your chores.
3, Take a cooler with you when you go out. (Not for
other beverages!) but filled with bottles of water.
4. Add a washcloth to your cooler in case you become
over-heated.
5, Be sure you take a towel to cover the steering wheel
of your car.
6. Read your prescription bottles, certain prescriptions
require you to stay out of the sun.
7. When returning home after being out for a time, rinse
your arms and wipe down your neck and forehead
to return your temperature to its normal rate then rest
for a while. Remember: Always drink plenty of water
and rehydrate yourself.
All these reminders will help you survive the Arizona
summer. Have a great summer and keep safe and stay
out of the heat!
Virginia Brant, Health Chair
4 NORTHWEST UNIT
Northwest Unit would like to
congratulate member, Barb Weber, who has been
selected to receive the
Washington Elementary School
District’s Lamp of Learning
award. This is the highest
recognition given in the District
to community members and staff
members who go “above and
Barb Weber
beyond” in the work they do to
support the education of WESD students. Barb and
the other honorees will be celebrated on May 1st at the
annual Lamp of Learning Awards dinner.
Joe Carter, Northwest Unit President
PCSRA’s
“Memories to Memoirs”
Celebrating the entire month of
February as “Love of Reading” and
its related skill . . . Writing . . . is
always such a joy!
PCSRA chose this special month to
honor all its members who are
published authors:
David Grassie
Pete Bourret, Burgess Needle,
Roni Capin, Rivera-Ashford,
Bill Peltier, David Grassie, Paris Rebl.
Gerry Hernbrode, Dr.Carroll Rinehart,
Gayle Jandrey,“Kita” Scrivner, Lorna Kraemer
These eleven published authors write on a wide range
of topics: mystery, science, culture, music, historical
biography, desert animals, children stories, and poetry
as a way to heal a wounded heart . . .
Our guest speaker, AASRA Board Member,
Jim Grosbach, inspired our members to begin writing
their own life stories. Jim gave us many story
possibilities to get past the blank page syndrome. He
shared his own family stories filled with exciting real
family drama to illustrate his points. He suggested
ways to organize events that were the defining
moments of a family history. His most important
suggestion: “ Just get started!” Each written memoir
could keep the family stories always alive and vibrant.
Thank you Jim Grosbach!
Ann Reaban, Pima County Unit President
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever
becomes a master.” —Ernest Hemingway
SAGUARO UNIT
Saguaro unit has been
enjoying a variety of programs
the last couple of months.
February featured Linda
Davis, sharing information on
genealogy, and how to begin
researching your family
history. In March,
Oly Cowles, from “Justa
Connie Stephens &
Center” was featured. Justa
Justa Center’s Oly Cowles
Center provides a safe daytime
environment for homeless
seniors. Justa Center has helped these seniors
straighten out social security benefits fraud on their
accounts; secure safe housing; seek needed medical
care; and accomplish mundane tasks, such as laundry
and showering.
Our April program will feature Gigi Aja,
Coordinator for the Buckeye Union High School
District Career and Technical Education programs.
Our March food bank donation amounted to
forty-two pounds of canned and boxed foods.
The unit's members have contributed 7582 volunteer
hours during 2014. We have made a difference in our
schools, libraries, churches, and in the lives of the
elderly, sick, and downtrodden.
Connie Stephens, Saguaro Unit President
EAST VALLEY UNIT
AND THE WINNER IS…
Sue Wicke
East Valley
member, Sue
Wicke, won the
quilted play mat and
baby themed basket
filled with all things
baby for our Fall
Scholarship Raffle.
Sue and family
are expecting an
addition to the
family soon and was
very excited to be our winner.
The East Valley School Retirees Association’s
Scholarship Committee’s major fundraising comes
from the annual raffle or raffles. Our scholarships go
to an Arizona State University education major. This
year’s winner was Cherri Redd. Mary Ann Gallagher,
EVSRA Scholarship Committee
5 LOST DUTCHMAN UNIT
AARP’S David Parra joined members of the
Lost Dutchman Unit in a very informative
presentation of AARP’s educational program
Fraud Watch at their March meeting in Apache
Junction.
Member Carolyn Eye (seated 2nd from left)
presented Debbie Duncan with a beautiful hand-made
double bed quilt she was donating to the Scholarship
Foundation Raffle at the 2015 June Convention.
Thank you, Carolyn!
Debbie Duncan, AASRA District Vice-President
WESTSIDE UNIT
Westside Unit had a very
exciting year. Katie Elgar
spoke about the Red Cross and
what members can do to help
as volunteers. The Glendale
High School Choir led by
Amanda Estes sang at our
Christmas meeting.
We heard from
Larry Ceruarich, founder of
the Homeless Youth
Connection speak about the 35 Glendale H.S. Chorus
with Director,
high schools the group is
Amanda Estes
helping. They provide students
with clothing and places to stay enabling them to
complete their education and graduate from high
school.
Dr. Adam Lee from Vision Wellness is scheduled for
our April meeting and Mrs. Brenton’s first grade class
will perform in May.
Westside Unit has been involved in the following
altruistic projects: donating items to the Justa Center,
Box tops and Labels for Education, Women’s Crisis
Center and for our 1st graders, we will be donating a
library book on their reading level, plus crayons and
coloring books.
Sandy Marshall, Westside Unit President
NORTHWEST UNIT
AASRA’s newest unit has been very busy this year!
We are growing! We have 46 members and, thanks to
our eager recruiters, we’re continuing to grow. This year our speakers
have included AZ State
Representative
Lela Alston,
David Haddad, president
of Friends of Freedom,
Phoenix Firefighters
Association,
Alan Roselieb, docent at
President Joe Carter with
AZ State Representative
the Musical Instrument
Lela Alston
Museum, Terri Alexon,
Arizona Corporation
Commission, Scott Ritchey, Justa Center, and our
very own Alice Reule, Lori Good and Marge
Threewit, speaking about Little Dresses for Africa
and Schools for Africa.
On February 18th, Northwest members joined other
AASRA members from around the state at AASRA’s
second Legislative Awareness Day at the Arizona
State Capitol. Our legislative consultant,
John Moody, greeted us. Some of us signed up to
speak, either in person or electronically, at committee
hearings. Rep. Kate Brophy McGee introduced our
group on the House floor. All in all, we enjoyed an
informative and interesting day.
Joe Carter, Northwest Unit President
COPPER CENTER UNIT
Copper
Center
Unit ‘s
March
13,
2015
meeting
was
officiated by new President, Emelie Plunkett (seated
to the right at the table). We discussed the upcoming
AASRA Annual Convention in June and brainstormed
for raffle items to be brought to our meeting in early
May. Again we had guests who expressed an interest
in joining our organization and current members
highlighted the benefits of membership. The meeting
was concluded with a spirited discussion of the state
of education in Arizona and what should be and
could be changed for the better!
Emilie Kanon, Outgoing President
6 AASRA POLICY &
PROCEDURES COMMITTEE
The Policy and Procedures Committee members
would like to invite all interested AASRA members to
attend a brief
workshop on how
to utilize social
media, especially
Facebook, to
publicize your
local Unit and
enhance its image
in your
community.
We will be meeting at the Embassy Suites at 7:30
p.m. on Monday evening, June 1st following dinner
at Manuel’s. A wifi connection is available at the
hotel, so please bring your laptop computer, tablet or
smart phone. We expect the workshop to last less than
30 minutes.
Joe Carter, Committee Chair
AMBA
New Member Benefits website provides easy access
to information!
Association Member Benefits Advisors
(AMBA) is endorsed by AASRA to provide
supplemental “Member-Only” benefits to
AASRA members. These benefits have been
heavily negotiated on behalf of retirees and are of
the highest quality and value for you.
AASRA endorses the following benefits:
¥ Long Term Care / Home Health Care
Insurance;
¥ Long Term Care Annuity
¥ First Diagnosis Cancer Insurance;
¥ Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans
¥ Final Expense Whole Life Policy;
¥ Tax-Deferred Annuity
¥ Medical Air Services Association (MASA)
¥ Discounts available for:
¥ American Hearing Benefits (AHB);
¥ Government Employee Travel Opportunities
(GETO)
¥ LaQuinta Inn & Suites Discount;
¥ Hertz, Avis, & Budget Car Rental Discounts
¥ AMBA TravelPERX;
¥ Identity Theft Protection
Please contact AMBA Regional Director of
Association Relations,
Susan Lowry, at
1.800.258.7041 ext.110 for
questions about the benefits or
to schedule a speaker for your
unit meetings.
Susan Lowry, AMBA Regional
Director of Association Relations,
speaking to Westside Unit
AARP
FAMILY CAREGIVER CONFERENCES
AARP is giving two
very informative
conferences to help
family caregivers deal
with issues that are a
part of taking care of a loved one. One will be held in
east Mesa near Superstition Springs Mall, Tuesday
May 19th, at the Arizona Golf Resort, 25 Power Road
in Mesa. The other will be Wednesday September 16th
in southeast Arizona at a Sierra Vista location. Last
Fall AARP held two very outstanding conferences in
the greater Phoenix area. Caregivers who attended said
the information learned was definitely worth their time.
More details will be available approximately
three weeks in advance at
http://states.aarp.org/region/arizona/ or from
Steve Jennings (602) 317-5364.
Don Ritchie, AARP Liaison
This will be the last time I prepare the AASRA Newsletter
and I want to thank all of you who so willingly provided
articles and support. My role has changed as a caregiver and
so must some of my responsibilities as a volunteer. We have
decided to take time to enjoy some of the “fun” things we used
to do while we can. I will see you at the Convention! Carol
The AASRA Newsletter
is published three times a year. Articles
can be sent to:
AASRA
16165 N. 83rd Avenue, Suite 201
Peoria, AZ 85382-5816
or
[email protected]
AMBA has designed a new website exclusively for
AASRA members and provides easy access to
information about the benefits. Visit
www.myambabenefits.info/aasra to find out more!
!
President – Duane Nelson
Past President– Steve Poe
Co-Executive Directors –
Janet Fee & Garry York
Secretary – Pearl Nancarrow
Treasurer – Sue Secrest
Newsletter Editor – Carol Morton
www.aasra.org
7 .
AASRA • 16165 N. 83rd Avenue, Suite 201 • Peoria, AZ 85382-5816 • Tel: 602-262-5174 • www.aasra.org
5514
2015 AASRA STATE CONVENTION
“LET OUR LIGHT SHINE”
Tentative Schedule of Events
Monday, June 1, 2015 – Early Registration 2:30 to 5:00 then
Manuel’s for dinner at 5:30
7:30 – Facebook session
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
6:30 – 8:00 a.m.
8:30 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast Buffet
1st Session – Keynote Speaker to be announced
Feature Speaker Laurie Roberts,
Arizona Republic Columnist
12:00 p.m.
Lunch – Speaker – Dana Kennedy, AARP State Director
1:45 p.m.
2nd General Session
2:30 p.m.
Unit Presidents and Unit Treasurers Meet
(Break for everyone else)
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Gold Mines
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Happy Hour (Hotel guests show room card, other attendees $10)
6:30 p.m.
Banquet, entertainment, and Awards
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
6:30 – 7:45 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
12:15 p.m.
Breakfast
3rd General Session
Time of Remembrance
Introduction of AASRA Legislator of the Year:
Representative Kate Brophy McGee by John Moody,
AASRA Legislative Consultant
Lunch - Speaker - Paul Matson,
Arizona State Retirement Systems, Executive Director
8