March 2008 Chapter 18 President’s Letter

Hello Pioneers and Friends,

In this letter I want to touch on 3 items:  A summary of my trip to the Telecom Pioneer Annual Meeting; a plea for participation in Pioneer sponsored programs and A sharing of information about a Spring Beeping Egg Hunt.

I am pleased to announce I have Graduated!  Yes, I’ve just returned from the Telecom Pioneer Annual Meeting in Austin Texas.  The meeting was modeled after a university setting.  There was an opening Pep Rally mixer, seminars to learn about Pioneer programs and processes, a phy-ed fundraising Bowl-a-thon experience and a graduation/award ceremony. 

I was pleased to accept two trophies for Minnesota, a Chapter award for hosting the Beep-Baseball World Series and another award for the Metro Council’s “Operation Share” event.  I plan to display the awards and trophies at various sites and meetings around the state in 2008.

The last evening participants from the US and Canada celebrated at a toga party (much more tame than the “Animal House” version you may be familiar with) and you can see me in my homemade toga in website photos.

Annual meeting are funded by Sponsor Corporations with Pioneer members and by Pioneer Affiliated companies.  Companies like Wells Fargo, Lincoln Financial, LTCR, Scholastic and Waterford Financial- Pioneer Banking Center are looking for your interest in their offerings and our affiliations with these companies drive revenue to chapters, councils and clubs and help us continue to meet our community service goals.

An important source of funding for the MN Chapter, Councils and Clubs is your personal acceptance of Qwest programs like Direct Awards and 1% Back to School Program.  You can direct 1% of your Qwest bill as a donation to a school district of your choice when you sign up for online billing and autopay.  It’s a great program to show a Spirit of Service.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2008, Pioneer volunteers will host a Spring Beeping Egg Hunt at MN Academy for the Blind in Faribault from 5p – 7p (Set up at 4pm).  More details will be available soon at www.mnpioneers.com. 

Kathy Hanson, MN Chapter 18 President

kfhanson@msn.com