May 2016
Summer Message ...
29/05/16
Greetings COAA Members and Friends,
COAA is embarking on exciting paths to more fun and more opportunities for involvement in this great hobby. My campaign for re-election was focused on more ways to make this hobby fun and less emphasis on bureaucracy.
COAA is now poised to assure there will be more opportunities to enjoy our hobby and look to the future so that COAA continues to increase its membership and enjoy "The Happiest Music on Earth."
The following members volunteer hundreds of hours per year for the betterment of the COAA. Their contributions go mostly unnoticed, yet without them the COAA could not exist.
Membership Chair: Gary Stevenson, has single-handedly renovated the retention methods which have kept COAA membership within 98% of its peak four years ago. Please pay your dues on time; Gary devotes countless hours to keep COAA's membership stable and vibrant.
Vice-President: Bob Yorborg, Education Chair, will be unveiling a program of activities for young people and the possibility of college scholarships for those interested in mechanical music.
Webmaster: Gordie Davidson, has innovative ideas to draw attention to our hobby, utilizing the power of the Internet to keep hobbyists informed while appealing to young people who are enthusiastic about digital technology.
Social Media: Board Director Sam Harris. This is a new committee and will be focused on keeping members connected while offering opportunities to involve legions of new members via the Internet.
Publications: Board Director Bill Hall will be leading the direction of our publication, The Carousel Organ Journal, and other publications. Recruiting more advertising and more authors will be among the primary goals.
Advertising: Director Bill Nunn, will be spearheading a campaign to increase ad revenues so that more pages and color can be added to the Journal.
Organ Rally Chair: Suzanne Hendricks, will continue to seek venues for the rallies that attract more than 1/4 of our members and to seek and support local hosts for the rallies. Typically there are 6+ rallies per year and more venues are always welcome. Rally Hosts: The COAA Organ Rallies could not happen without members who volunteer to make the rallies happen. They are recognized in the annual Organ Rally Edition.
Organ Rally Website Coordinator: Ted Guillaum, as Immediate Past-President, Ted contributes to the COAA by creating the websites for every Organ Rally. He appreciates the input from all Rally Hosts to provide accurate information to all.
Treasurer: Marc Dannecker continues to track every dollar that COAA takes in and spends, providing fully accurate accounts to the COAA Board. Marc's unwavering commitment is appreciated.
Records and Retention: Secretary Wally Venable, newly-elected in January, is creating a digital history of the COAA policies and actions. This will be the first easily accessible documentation of the COAA Board's past work. Wally has developed a digital records retention and destruction policy which the Board adopted at our May Board meeting. It is based on the important past work of Mary Jo Bopp and Fred Dahlinger.
Liason to Related Hobby Groups: Director Bob Buckler, this is a new post that will create ways in which related hobby groups can cooperate with the COAA to further the enjoyment of this marvelous hobby.
Fund-raising: President Angelo Rulli will be focusing on raising donated funds designated for educational and outreach activities such as: providing Scholarships to budding composers and enthusiasts and funding special projects, i.e. publishing a Directory and Organ Census, producing a Promotional DVD of Organ Rallies, etc." Further, he will be ex-officio on all other committees.
Board Director Ron Bopp is a member of the Publications Committee and often leads the COAA Winter Meetings in Florida. Beyond his salary as Editor, Ron contributes many hours in producing the Journal and annual Rally Edition.
For the COAA,
Angelo