Lots of chapters meet at the same time, same place and have done so for so many years they cant fathom doing anything else. If you're seeing the same faces and getting the same excuses from those that never make it out, maybe you should consider a change.

In Chicago, we cover a pretty good area and for a LOOOONG time we were meeting at an American Legion hall on the second TUESDAY at 1930

• Working troopers always had trouble due to a very long day and work on wednesday
• Traffic can still be pretty bad trying to make a 1900 arrival
• The location was in the NW suburbs
• The hall had no tended bar
• A group would get together at 1700 for dinner prior to the meeting but if you worked, no go usually
• Since we'd get out of the meeting at 2130 everyone just shot out of there headed for home after a long day or early wake up.
• Some seniors previously ok with the date/time started expressing difficulty driving at night and stopped coming

If you've heard or are hearing any of the same... maybe its time to shake things up. When Chicago put me up for Chairman (no, I didnt ask for it) I told them that I would ONLY accept the nomination IF they were willing to be flexible and allow for some changes to be tried. They agreed and before my hand was down from swearing in, I hit them with the move.

• Second SUNDAY of the month at 1400 (go to church, do your chores and then come join us)
• Two locations, alternating months, one in the north near Ohare Airport and the other in the western suburbs. Both near the major roadways and we may look at a third in the south as we move forward.
• Both locations are microbreweries/restaurants
• Format change, order your meal then we start the meeting and the wait staff is instructed to quietly deliver your meal during the meeting and the members eat as we conduct the meeting (Chair and officers usually do a lot of the yapping anyway)

We have seen an increase and a change, both in the number of total members at the meeting AND new faces that we had not seen before. With the prospect of a beer and a meal (wait staff handles as seperate checks but gratuity for large group calculated) the members can come out on a day typically able to be easier for working members to attend and older veterans can manage during easier daylight hours. Many come 1/2 hour early and stay a little later talking since there is little or no rush to take off.

Key to this... find a place with a back room or area that can be more private, work out standing booking to ensure the room is available (we found that the managers were happy to know they had a 20+ person booking every other month)

We meet at a place called Rock Bottom and The Ram

Hope this offered some ideas... and I hope to see others post ideas that they've come up with as well. Squaring your fellow troopers away to the best way to accomplish the mission should be a top priority.

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I will bring this up at the next meeting that I attend.

I try to do alternate months due to a fifty mile trip and gas now at $4.30/gal.

All the way, sir!!!

RJ

USPMA #11, CVMA #1271 NH 5-1

reagantrooper (6/12/2008)

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In NH CVMA 5-1 we have our monthly meeting at a different VFW each month. To decide what location the next months meeting will be held at  a motion is made to what VFW and then we vote. If my 82nd assoc did somthing simular I may be inclined to atend one.

That could be a good thing or a bad thing. One of the issues we do run across is people forgetting which location as well as inviting new people to attend could be troubled if you are not sure of the following location. A little consistancy offers us the ability to make it easier to know whats up next.

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I went down to Dothan for an informal meeting with people about two and a half years ago.  We did letters to Association members and non-members as well as making phone calls and we had about thirty people show up.  As part of my talk to them I pushed the idea of them starting their own Chapter since Ft. Rucker should provide a fertile ground of former Division Troopers.  We are going to try and set up two or three meetings in areas of the State that are farther away this year.  These meetings may be informal, but would at least give people in those areas a chance to come out and meet the officers and express their views on the Chapter and the Association.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI.  One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS

I wish someone would just gather together the troopers in the Columbus, Georgia AO and utilize the 50 miles in that area to build a new chapter. That chapter could be a monster if they play thier cards right with Benning and it would be able to handle southern alabama and help take the pressure off you guys to try to capture those people.

Cant we find a few high speed low drag that live near Benning?

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