spring_2012_ByWays_Color .pub

Volume 26 Issue 2
Western Area FMCA
Sandy King - Editor
Spring2012
President’s Message
Hello To All:
As my presidency
is coming close to
the end; Shirley
and I are trying to
visit as many
chapters as we
possibly can.
After leaving
Quartzsite, AZ,
where we helped
work the FMCA
Booth for four
days and recruited
thirteen new members making our
total 128. It’s really easy just be friendly and be able to answer all
their questions about FMCA.
Next we were on our way to Laughlin, NV for a little R & R and to
celebrate our 2nd. Anniversary; then to “Southwestern Bus Nuts Rally” at AVI. We had so much fun, those are the friendliest folks. Back
to the Riverside for “Beat The Odds Rally”. Didn’t win much money
but enjoyed being with so many friends.
changing their By Laws to reflect allowing SOB’S to become members if accepted by their Executive Board. Their membership has
been declining with not to many GMs out there. How could we refuse their offer to join their chapter, so we did. Thanks guys.
We were home for a few days but the “California Coasters Rally” was
almost in our back yard so we just had to go. Glad we did, field trip
to the Nethercutt Museum and Fillmore Mystery Train ride were great
to see.
Next week we will visit “Dick Gibb’s Rally in the Oaks”. If you can’t
go this year be sure to go next year. He opens up the rally to everyone and it’s fun from the time you get there till you leave.
We will make one more stop back to Valencia to the “Komfort Kruisers Rally” They always have fun theme’s, good food and special
friendships so we know we will have a good time.
Our next trip the next day will be by airplane for 10 days of meetings
at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati so I can better serve the Western Area and FMCA.
What I learned from visiting these chapters was their need for information on On Call; Michelin Tires; Fantasy Tours; GMAC; Office
Depot and all the other benefits FMCA has to offer. They are very
interested in any suggestions for recruiting new members.
From Laughlin, we went to NASCAR Races in Las Vegas. We braved
the winds for five days but loved the races. We went next to the
“Monaco Romers Rally” just off the strip. Dick Gibbs and I presented them their 25th. Anniversary Certificate and check. We had so
much fun, we joined their chapter.
To all the chapters, if you have any questions, please contact me or
your Area VP. That is their job; so let’s keep them busy.
Our son, his wife and our grandson (celebrated 21st. birthday) flew to
Las Vegas from Maryland so we stayed three days to help them celebrate. Oh to be twenty-one again or maybe not.
Safe Travels till we meet again
After saying good bye to our loved ones and our money, we headed
south to Borrego Springs, CA for the “California Pacers Rally”. This
was not only a fun rally but very informative. We toured the area,
had a guest speaker and watched a silent movie. The chapter
opened up to SOB’S (some other brand) and now have a mixture of
RVs. Mary Ryberg fell and injured her knee and went all the way to
hospital in Indio. She seemed to be doing alright until she got home
and had to go to the hospital with an infection. Glad to report she is
on the mend. Everyone was so friendly and we had a great time.
Would you believe, we went back to Laughlin to AVI to celebrate the
25th,Anniversary of the “Western G.M. Coach Rally”. Bobby &
Shirley McClenny were our host and along with everyone else made
us feel at home. We were able to assist them in discussing and
Let’s all share our “Happy RV Experiences” and each recruit one
new member and we’ll double our FMCA membership.
Bobby L. Donald, F107800
National VP
WMHA President
P AGE 2
W EST ER N BYWAYS
V OLU ME 26 ISSU E 2
WMHA Senior Vice
President's Views
Election of Western Area officers
should either be underway or soon to
be completed when this issue is published. Regardless of your preferences, I hope you voted. It's great to
exercise one of America's best privileges.
Some interesting Proposed Bylaw
Changes are to be submitted for approval at Indianapolis. To mention a
couple: The admittance of 5th Wheels
and Travel Trailers, which are self contained, into FMCA, and allowing members to hold an elected position in two
different chapters. The first one is obviously intended to increase FMCA
membership, the second one, because
it is sometimes difficult to get members
to run for or accept chapter offices.
Executive Board met with Fairground
Officials to develop a new contract.
Both sides then retired to reach their
respective positions. The Executive
Board appointed Dick Gibbs to be our
head negotiator and we appreciate his
efforts on our behalf. It is expected
that we will directly purchase several
services that were previously obtained
through the Fairground and other
changes. The formal contract is in
preparation at this time.
I have noticed that not many chapters
are using the Event Calendar in the
Motor Coaching magazine. Rally attendance could be increased by posting your chapter rallies in the magazine. Sometimes out of state visiting
FMCA members may register and join
in your fun.
Our contract with the Riverside County
Fairground expired upon completion of A reminder for the coming Family Reunions: Indianapolis, IN Aug 27-30the last WMHA Rally. While there, our
2012, Gillette, WY June 19-22-2013,
Perry, GA March 17-20-2014.
Jan and I will be attending the Northwest Area Rally in Coos Bay, OR at the
Mill Casino June 21-24-2012. Parking
starts on June 19th. The weather
should be great on the coast at that
time of year. Suggest some of you join
us.
I am still collecting pull tabs for the
Ronald McDonald House which is only
a few miles from our home. Save them
and give them to me any time
We hope to see many of you soon at a
rally or on the road. Safe and fun travels.
Rick
Rick Ricordati
Central Area Vice President
Spring has sprung with all the rain we have had the hills
are green, the trees are full of blossoms. What a great time
to go camping. Fuel prices continue to sour so many Chapters are reviewing their rally schedule to see if they can cut
down on the miles to travel to & from the rally. I would hope
that you don’t have to cancel any rallies because of fuel
prices. The total cost of a rally can be greatly reduced by
controlling the food costs.
attending. This rally is always a fun rally and a great way to
get the spring camping season off to a great start.
Congratulations to the Monaco Romers on their 25th Anniversary on Nov. 24th 2011. They celebrated their anniversary in Las Vegas on March 15. Bobby Donald & I were
there to present them with a certificate & a check.
Here is my contact information:
Congratulations to the Coaches for Christ on their 10th Anniversary on April 6th, 2012. I plan to present them with
their certificate at their Anniversary Rally.
Our next rally will be Spring Time In The Oaks April 25th –
29th where we will have members from 7 different Chapters
If your Chapter is having any problems with declining membership, bylaws updating, or have a need to redefine your
scope please contact me as I may be able to help. Don’t
forget to recruit new members for FMCA & your Chapter,
they are the “Life Blood” of any organization.
Dick Gibbs
1650 E. Clark Av. #349, Santa Maria, CA 93455
Home 805-934-7105 / Cell 661-203-9180
[email protected]
Dick Gibbs
WMHA Central Area Vice President
V OLU ME 2 6 IS SUE 2
W EST ER N BYW A YS
Southern Area Vice President
P AG E 3
Notes from Northern
Area Vice President
ture new members ---- so, our hats off
to those of you who continue to look
Nothing Submitted.
for new ways to keep your Chapter
and the Family Motor Coach Assn.
seeking another office with WMHA. I
would like to thank everybody for their alive and well!
kindness and hospitality to both me
Our last presentation was held at
and my wife, Sharon. We have had a
WMHA Northern Area Vice President
Laughlin, Nevada for the Western G.M.
wonderful time meeting all the members of the different chapters and pre- Coaches. Their club held a fun-filled
rally for their 25 year membership at
senting many with certificates of lonthe Avi Casino RV Park.
gevity. Congratulations to our clubs
who continue to foster warm relations
My last thanks for all the help you have
with their members and for all your
given me at the Indio rally every year.
hard work.
Keep volunteering and enjoy healthy
travels!
Meeting with your chapter gave us a
much better perspective of why chapters grow, prosper and survive in the- Until we meet again…..
Roger
se difficult times. It’s very refreshing
to see chapters with so much enthusiasm and willingness to provide exciting rallies and involve all their memSouthern Area Vice President
bers alike. We see all too often many
chapters that have fallen due to age,
coach preference, and inability to capGreetings from the South.
This will be my last article for the ByWays as Vice President as I’m not
George Saam
Roger Garst
MEMBERSHIP
Things have been pretty quiet with the membership chairperson position since January (Indio
rally). I have had a few requests from the National
Office which I have passed on to the chapters that
people were looking for information about. Also
Chapter Presidents and/or Secretaries please let
me know if your contact person for membership
changes. If I have that information up to date and
get a request for information on your chapter it
saves time and gets someone to respond to the
request sooner and hopefully will get a new member for your chapter. Also some of these people
who are requesting information on chapters are
not FMCA members so this is a good chance to
recruit not only a new member for your chapter
but a new FMCA member. If you as the contact
person for your chapter get this request – be
sure and remember the “Five (5) free memberships” that are issued to your chapter.
The “5 Free Memberships” for recruiting new
members to FMCA will be continued this year.
Hopefully your chapter will take advantage of
these memberships and sign up new FMCA and
Chapter members. These free memberships are
sent to the President of the Chapter. Also the
“Dozen Does It” program is still available.
Remember I and also the Western Area Executive Board are here to help your chapter if you
need us.
Alice Bernard – Membership Western Area.
P AG E 4
W E STE RN B YW AY S
VO L U M E 2 6 I SSU E 2
Page
“A Dozen
Does It”
FOR SALE BY OWNER
1994 36 ft. Diesel Monaco Dynasty
60,000 Miles, loaded & in excellent condition. MUST SEE!
For additional details contact:
Lou Beckert
Home: 951-272-9185 or Cell: 951-317-2051
Don’t forget that we all have been asked to step up
our recruitment efforts in 2011 and help to introduce more motorhome owners to the fun and fellowship and the great benefits we enjoy as FMCA
members. FMCA was never meant to be kept a secret. Spread the word and help us to make the “A
Dozen Does It” membership recruitment program a
rousing success. You’ve heard the saying, “If it’s to
be, it’s up to me.” Well, that’s true of this membership recruitment program as well. We can make it
happen. Each chapter is being encouraged to recruit at least a dozen new members to FMCA this
year — that’s only one per month. FMCA has
helped out by providing each chapter president five free memberships to jump-start the chapter’s efforts. After a chapter recruits
12 members, the chapter will receive a fantastic prize package
filled with items they can give away as door prizes at an upcoming
rally (limit two packages in 2011). Individual members also receive a $10 recruitment coupon for each paid member they recruit. The coupon is good toward the payment of their FMCA
membership dues or toward the purchase of merchandise from
the FMCA Store or from Camping World. If you need additional
help with recruiting, check out the recruiting video on FMCA’s
Web site http://www.fmca.com/members/memberrecruitment/3165-go-recruiting-on-wheels.
Dates to Remember!!!
Convention and Rally Schedule
Great Lakes Area Rally
May 24 – 25, 2012
Berrien County Youth Fairground
Berrien Springs, Michigan
Northwest Area Rally
June 21 – 24, 2012
Mill Casino on Coos Bay
North Bend, Oregon
Northeast Area Rally
July 19 – 22, 2012
Champlain Valley Exposition
Essex Junction, Vermont
Need a Western Area Badge?
Anyone who is interested in Western Motor Home Association badge it can
be ordered by contacting Alice Bernard phone 530-934-7346
cell - 530-519-7346 e-mail [email protected]
The badge has your name and F number on it (cost is $10.00 each). If you
want to have a hanger with your city or something else, each hanger is
$2.50.
FMCA’S 87th Family Reunion &
Motorhome Showcase
August 27 – 30, 2012
Indiana State Fairgrounds
Indianapolis, Indiana
Rocky Mountain Ramble
September11-16, 2012
CAM-PLEX
Gillette, Wyoming
California Chapter’s Oktoberfest
September 27– 30, 2012
Golden Village Palms, Hemet California
V OLU ME 2 6 IS SUE 2
W EST ER N BYW A YS
P AG E 5
Western Motor
Home
Association
Chapters
Alpine Coach NorCal
Alpine SoCal
The Ambassadors
Apollo Amigos
Beat the Odds
The Big E
California
California Capitals &
Bay Area Liners
California Coaches for Christ
California Coasters
California Cruising Club
California Cruisers
California FMCA HMC
California Heartland
Cal-West Wins
California Pacers
California Roamers
California Southwinders
Colorado River Ramblers
Crafty Crafters
Cruisin’ Condos
Delta Sierra Coachers Club
Discovery Club Of California
The Elitists
Frustrated Maestros
GMC Forty Niners
GMC Pacific Cruisers
Gold Diggers
Gold Dust Travelers
Golden Gate
Golden Spike
Golden State Trackers
HMC Club
Komfort Kruisers
Midweek Wanderers
Monaco Nor’ Cal
Monaco Romers
NorCalRex
Northern California FMCA Elk
Outdoor Resorts Palm Springs
Overland Trailblazers West
REXasaurus’
Rockwood West
Safari R Us
Sierra Hi Rollers
Sierra Ramblers
Southern California FMCA Elk
Southwest Country Coachers
Southwest Roamin’ Catholics
Southwestern Bus Nuts
Suncrest Motor Coach Club
Thousand Trails West
Traveling VIP
Western Bus Nuts
Western Executives
Western GM Coach
Western Motor Home Association, Inc.
Executive Board 2011-2012
President
Bobby Donald
F107800
Cell 805-479-4483
Senior V P
Rick Ricordati F173709
V P Northern Area
George Saam F105711
V P Central Area
Dick Gibbs
F278983
V P Southern Area
Roger Garst
F168062
Secretary
Shirley Donald F107800
Treasurer
Eloisa Bunn
F263349
Tel. 909-862-1237
Cell 909-496-9010
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 831 423-1778
Cell 831 332-1778 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 661 203-9180
Cell 805 934-7105 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 310-324-4707
Cell 310-210-5376 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 805-482-8561
Cell 805-469-2066 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 916-391-8329
Cell 916-505-8673 e-mail: [email protected]
Immediate Past President
Tom Ainsley
F182814
Tel. 916-391-0283
Cell 916-494-4168 e-mail: [email protected]
APPOINTED OFFICES 2012
Membership
Alice Bernard
F79098
Bylaws Chairman
Phil Griffin
F128165
Western Byways Editor
Sandy King
F182280
Webmaster
John King
F182280
Tel. 530-934-7346
Cell 530-519-7346 e-mail:[email protected]
Tel. 818-346-9869
Cell 818-406-4619 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 619-468-3765
Cell 619-922-3765 e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 619-468-3765
Cell 619-922-3765 e-mail: [email protected]
Western Motor Home Association Website
www.wafmca.com
Deadline for next Byway’s July 23, 2012