At the January monthly chapter dinner meeting, temperatures outside were very brisk but even so we had a good turnout of members who enjoyed a scrumptious meal of pork loin and roasted potatoes. Also, four (4) new members joined our chapter at this dinner meeting. Please extend a warm welcome to:
 Kevin Edwards |
 Mike Caffey |
 Emily Ervin |
 Deborah Merryfield |
Below, you can see Chris Ferguson in action swearing these new members into the chapter:
Richard Wentz
Following the meal, there were several announcements: Chapter Fundraiser Chair Richard Wentz announced to the group details of the upcoming chapter BBQ fundraiser scheduled for April, and handed out tickets to be sold.
David Perdue
Chapter Scholarship Chair David Perdue informed the crowd that for 2024, the chapter board of directors has authorized two (2) $1,000 chapter education scholarships to be awarded. The opening date for scholarship application submittals is February 1st, 2024.
It was announced that this year, Chapter Food Chair Claudia Powell is in charge of the chili cook-off. A hardcopy sign-up sheet was passed around asking for volunteers to commit to bring food (pots of chili, cornbread, and desserts) for next month’s February 21st chapter chili cookoff. Several members added their name to the sign-up sheet but there are still more slots to fill, so a a SignUpGenius members-only email is being sent out to ask for more signups to bring food to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat.
Chapter Treasurer Tim Doxey announced, on behalf of the new Awards Chair Virginia Wahab, that nominees for the IWLA Tobin award are due to Virginia via her email address no later than March 1st, 2024. Your submission to Virginia at should include a brief statement describing the achievements of your “Tobin Award” nominee for the 2023 calendar year. The Tobin award is given to a dedicated chapter member–such as one who shows up all meetings, signs up first for work crews, serves on committees, helps maintain chapter grounds, is a key volunteer for conservation projects and/or outdoor activities, and in general makes the organization run more smoothly.
