September 10, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Christopher DiBiaseMeeting Minutes

September 10, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Attendance: Directors present were Herman Martinez, Jerry Hufford, Bob Sharak, Steve Milbrod, Bob and Ernie Wawrowicz.  Thus, there was a quorum.

Call To Order: Herman Martinez called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.  Member at large Ernie Wawrowicz led the Pledge of Allegiance. Herman Martinez provided the invocation.

New Members:  Herman Martinez gave welcoming remarks and new members stood up at the meeting and introduced themselves: Richard and Ann Pfister, and Paul and Susan Cote.

Officer Reports

Treasurer’s Report: Current Balance is $3,154, an increase of $243 from the prior month.

Secretary’s Report: Bob Sharak asked for Board approval of Aug 13, 2019 meeting minutes. Steve Milbrod approved and Jerry Hufford seconded.

Committee Reports

Membership: Bob Sharak reported 138 members in good standing, an increase of 42% from last year. A Membership Directory is posted our website and requires a password, which can be obtained from any Board member.

Website: No report. Jerry Hufford indicated that Chris DiBiase is the organization’s Webmaster.

Outreach: Jerry Hufford reported for Ken Anderson, the committee chairperson. Outreach for A.V.M.S. member families will continue.

Historian: Steve Milbrod keeps the organization scrapbook, which is always kept in the WiFi Café. It is available for anyone to view.

Sergeant of Arms:  No report.

Supply Officer: Fred Chapman still has A.V.M.S. hats for sale at $15 and shirts for $35. Not all sizes of shirts are available.

Old Business

  1. Veterans Memorial – Construction continues near the entrance to the Oasis parking lot. All Services will be represented. Dedication planned for Veterans Day in November.
  2. Member of the Quarter – Chris DiBiase, the organization Webmaster, was nominated and approved at the August meeting.
  3. Operation Thanksgiving – The goal this year is 100 Dinner boxes. Prior year was 70. Sunday Nov. 24 is set for the Packing Party. Delivery to MacDill AFB will be the next day Monday the 25th. Looking for volunteers with appropriate vehicles to deliver. Sponsorship is $50 per box. At the October meeting, the sponsorships will be opened to the members first. The next day, sponsorships will be opened to the general public.

New Business

  1. AVMS is sponsoring a fund raiser dance/concert Friday October 4th, hosting the Beatles Tribute band The Glass Onion. Tickets will be available first to members at the September 10th meeting, and to the general public starting  Sept 16th  and continue the rest of the week. Prices are $15 each for members and their spouse, and $20 for non members.
  2. Veterans Day Celebration – Celebration will be on Sunday Nov. 10th, and will include a Golf Cart parade. The organization is looking for Service representatives to carry the flag of their service. Please email Herman Martinez with your bio if interested.
  3. Military Funerals Support for “Unclaimed” Veterans. Bob Sharak reported on the program that will be supported by AVMS:
    • “Unclaimed” Veterans have no next of kin to claim the remains, as well as insufficient funds to pay for a funeral.
    • Funeral service is held 11:30 am every Wednesday at Sarasota National Cemetery.
    • The ceremony is 20 minutes long and includes: reading the names of the deceased, their branch and dates of service, unfolding and folding of the flag by active military members, playing of Taps, and prayers said by a chaplain.
    • There will be a sign-up sheet at each meeting for the upcoming month, as well as placing a sign-up sheet in the RSVP Binder in the WiFi Café.
    • Bob Sharak will administer the process for AVMS.

50/50 Winner of $50 was Joe McAuliffe.

Herman Martinez announced that there would be no meeting in November, due to the other AVMS activities planned.

Open Forum

  1. Harvey Goldberg made a motion to make an effort to support more local charities with our fund-raising proceeds. Motion seconded and passed.
  2. Suggestion of having the organization assist with putting up hurricane shutters. The Board indicated it would take it under advisement. There are already neighborhood groups performing that function for some. Would need someone to coordinate the effort.

Motion to close the meeting was made by Ernie Wawrowicz and seconded by Steve Milbrod. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.

Respectively submitted,

Robert Sharak – Secretary