Sep 2015 - ABATE of Illinois

-SEPTEMBER
2015St Clair Chapter Membership Newsletter
NEXT MEETING DATE: SEPT. 10th, 7:00 pm
LOCATION: T.R’s PLACE
4901 CONCORDIA ROAD
BELLEVILLE, IL
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 27th Swap meet at Belle-Clair Fairgrounds
October 10th. Freeburg Chili Cook-Off ABATE Booth
October 10th St Clair ABATE, White Lightning Run
January17th. 2016 Meat Shoot Am Legion Stookey Post 1288
We will need volunteers to help sell ABATE Inc. bike raffle tickets
at the swap meet on the 17th. St Clair Chapter shift is from 7:00
am till 10:00 am. It’s easy, entertaining, they serve a good breakfast and the chapter pays your entry if you are there by 7:00 am.
2015 St Clair County
A.B.A.T.E. Chapter Officers
President
Todd Spier
toddsp1@sbcglobal.net
Vice President/Treasurer
BOD Rep.
Renie KinKade
rkrk143@ameritech.net
Secretary
Region Rep.
Joanne Szoke
jkszoke@gmail.com
Membership/Newsletter
Mike Gallagher
mikeg426@att.net
618-791-5033
Activities
Steve Elford
selford@sbcglobal.net
Safety & Ed
Rich KinKade
rkrkx2@ameritech.net
Chaplain
Legislative & PR OPEN
Douglas White
pastorwhite@edgemontbiblechurch.org
618-593-2277
Welcome back Mandy’s as a sponsor of our newsletter.
We gave her a little extra room this month.
Sgt At Arms
David Sebol
dsebol34@charter.net
ON THE COVER: Don’t miss what’s going on in the
legislative arena. Sign up to receive legislative updates via
email. OnDgo2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
TREASURER REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2015
Beginning Balance: $3,925.84 Ending Balance: $4,062.13
Credits: $4874.00 Debits: $737.71
Looking forward to seeing you at the September meeting!!!
Ride safe and thank you for your continuous support in
fighting for motorcyclist’s rights!!
Renie KinKade, St Clair County ABATE Chapter Treasurer
CHAPTER ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER
ALL OFFICER POSITIONS WILL EXPIRE
DECEMBER 31st. 2015
TAKING NOMINATIONS FOR ALL OFFICER
POSITIONS AT THE SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER &
NOVEMBER MEETING DURING NEW BUSINESS.
ELECTIONS HELD AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING
NEW OFFICERS TAKE OVER AT CLOSE OF BUISINESS
AT THE DECEMBER MEETING
NEWS LETTER/ MEMBERSHIP REPORT
CHASERS: Paid $250.00 for 12 months star ting when they
supply us with a new advertisement for full page.
TR’s: Paid $250.00 for full page good until J une 2016.
JUST 1 MORE: Paid $250.00, full page good till J une 2016.
FAY INN: Paid $150.00 half page ad, good till Dec. 2015.
MANDY’S: Paid $60.00 good till August 2016.
C&S: Paid $60.00 good till December 2015.
Belleville Enduro Team: Ad swap, no money exchanged.
The chapter newsletter is our biggest on going expense.
The August issue cost us $91.29 for 170 copies. It is printed by
the Freeburg Tribune and I fluctuate as to how many copies we
print as to what is going on that month. If an event is coming
up I will make extra copies to hand out. We purchased 140
stamps at $68.60 and mailed out 150 copies. The newsletter
cost us $159.89 last month to print and mail out which is about
the average. I have 21 stamps left in the bank to carry over till
next month. We paid our yearly $72.00 last month for our P.O.
Box in Freeburg as we have for the last five or so years. I have
another advertiser but just haven't gotten out to their business
to get it all lined up yet.
On your address label of the news letter is your ABATE
expiration date. If you are close to needing to renew your membership I will circle it and put a red stamp on it with the month
of your expiration. We carry you for two months after you expire then drop you from our rolls if you haven't replied. I stuff a
renewal envelope inside your newsletter for three months lead
in before we drop you. You can renew that way or on line using
your pay pal account.
This newsletter is our most important tool in communicating with our membership. We hope you enjoy it as I try to
change it up once in a while. I’ll have more of a membership
report in it next month.
Mike Gallagher
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT
August 25th began as an ok day with a chance for rain. We
hoped that the rain would go around us, we prepped the float, unwrapped 1440 strands of black and gold beads, and divvied up
3200 tootsie rolls. Then the storms came in. For the first time in
91 years, the Freeburg Homecoming parade was canceled! I want
to thank everyone that came out to brave the weather on the
chance that the parade would go on: the Sebol family, Alex and
Theresa, Big Dog, Mike and Sheila, Rick Haskins, our niece Livi,
and Daren Harding who sacrificed his daughter to the cause. Next
year we will be ready with lots of beads to toss!
The Freeburg Chili cook-off will be Saturday, October 10th.
We will be selling chances on a cooler of booze again. Please
bring mini or regular sized bottles of booze to the next meeting so
that the cooler will look as great as last year. I will set up a booth
at the cook-off and I have a few people who have already volunteered to help cook the chili. I will need volunteers to help work
the booth throughout the day and to help sell the cooler raffle tickets. We had a great time and raised a lot of money for the chapter
last year and I hope that it will be as big of a success again this
year.
Thanks,
Katie Main
Chili Cook
Off is moved
to the
Freeburg
Village Park
in the center
of town
LEGISLATIVE ALERTS
OnDgo2 has replaced the original OnDgo alerts for ABATE
of Illinois.
If you were part of the other OnDgo 537 members, you
were sent e-mail invites to join the new group. This invite was
good for 30 days and this started in early June.
If you did not sign up on the original invite you can subscribe yourself.
1. Send an email to OnDgo2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
2. Follow the e-mail directions received within a few minutes.
3. Your account will be approved
Or
All email addresses on file with the state office will be sent
invites. To date 2100 invites have been sent.
Check your JUNK or SPAM folders if not in your IN-BOX.
OnDgo2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Rich KinKade
Safety & Ed Report – September 2015
Where has the summer gone, temperatures are starting to
change and it is great riding weather. I had to travel this past
month to Oregon and Tennessee and found people still do not
obey laws and Text and Drive plus combined with not having a
blue tooth (Hands Free) is very dangerous. What does it take to
make people understand the repercussions of not paying attention
to the road?
Do you have Flight insurance such as Air Evac Lifeteam?
(Air Med Care Network) If not, you should consider getting it
in the event it is needed to airlift and to get quick medical care.
Short story, “My trip to Oregon was to support my sister who was
riding her Harley from work to home and she felt something
“POP” in her head.” They went to the hospital and discovered
bleeding on the brain. She was airlifted 192 air miles to a major
hospital. The flight cost $65,000 so I ask, will your medical insurance pick up that cost? I encourage each of you to call your insurance and ask the question. Did you know for a low yearly cost
for the entire household you can save thousands of dollars or lots
of financial trouble later? You are covered by 220 aircraft locations over 32 states in the USA and with the cost $30,000 and up
of medical airlift for a low annual fee of $65 you do the math.
Check it out: http://www.airmedcarenetwork.com
I have been invited back to Mascoutah High School for the
driver’s education classes this month to provide motorcycle
awareness. If you are interested please contact me and you can
contribute. This is fun and exciting plus you are representing
10,000 ABATE members providing education to our young drivers.
Please remain vigilant at all times as there are allot of road
construction areas that do not take motorcycles into consideration.
Remain observant at all times!
Ride Safe
Rich KinKade
rkrkx2@ameritech.net
BOD REPORT CONTINUED:
St Clair Chapter opposed the amendment and spoke against it as I (Mike
Gallagher) felt it was not an ABATE issue. Was discussion about modulating
headlights and they are legal in Illinois under Vehicle Code 12-208.
Public Relations: All PR supplies should be ordered via email so
we can track them and keep a record better. News Letter: Articles
are due September 12th. We are now selling business ads in the
State news paper., see the newspaper for rates. S&E: 1,500 Start
Seeing Motorcycle signs available at $5.00 each with short wires
that were used at the state party. No free IDOT stuff with budget
crunch. IDOT is working without a budget right now. We have
$3,200.00 in a special account for our own safety and education
film. We may seek help from other states on co-production.
New Business: Each ABATE chapter pays $120.00 a year for
insurance to cover all their events and 2 chapters still haven't paid
this year. MM & Carried to restrict said chapters vote at board
meeting until issue is resolved. One chapter is broke and is seeking help from other chapters. A set of keys was found at the state
party and no one has claimed them yet. MM to abolish the Preferred Vendors List. MM & Carried to table till next meeting.
ABATE PAC: Repor t in packet and available at chapter meeting.
ABATE FED PAC: Available at chapter meeting.
MRF Report: The Motorcycle Rider s Foundation use to have
6500 plus members in Illinois and is now down to 301 with 3% of
their members being ABATE of Illinois members.
Region Report: Mar ble par ty will be held in New Baden at
Jail House Rock on October 3rd.
Nominations were held for all State Board officer positions and
will be available in the September News Letter.
Meeting was adjourned at 3:17pm.
Full report will be available at the St Clair Chapter meeting.
M.G.
Members of the chapter showed up at Alex Cortez & Teresa Miller’s house to decorate the float for the Freeburg Homecoming
Parade. All went well until the sky opened up right at parade
time. The organizer cancelled it for the fear of lightning strikes
as it appeared it was going to stick around for a while.
Thanks to Ed & Katie for the truck and the trailer.
BOARD OF DIRECTORES MEETING
(BOD) 8/15/15 Attended by Mike Gallagher
Brookins Library, Lincoln Land College, Springfield, Illinois
1:05pm State Coordinator’s Report: ABATE members wer e invited on
a Governor's ride with Governor Rauner on 8/22/15. Rider courses at SIU
are in jeopardy of not happening if the budget isn't approved but as of now
they are still funded. No ABATE scholarships were awarded as we only had
one entry and the criteria wasn't met. Rich Neb Award nominations are due
now until Dec. 1st. Treasurer report: Will be included with minutes and
mailed to chapters, Budget for 2016 will also be in packet. Activities: State
party had a very low attendance (350) but we made $2,379.00 as we had a
$5,000.00 donation. Legislative: Report furnished in BOD packet along
with 2016 Legislative agenda’s. Motion Made (MM) to accept all 3
agenda’s, State/Federal/MRF. MM to amend state agenda to include push
for an increase in fines for operating a vehicle while talking on cell phones.
Amendment passed and all three agendas were approved.
August 2015 Meeting Minutes / Katie Main
7:02 Call to order / 17 members, 2 quests: Larry and Lynn Pelker
Pledge and moment of silence
Secretary:
Minutes from July meeting read by Mike Gallagher and accepted
Treasurer:
Beginning balance: $3,886.82
Ending balance: $3,925.84
No changes since month before
Legislative:
Report given as recorded in newsletter
Wayne discussed a possible new road tax
PR:
We will have a float in the Freeburg Homecoming Parade Aug 25 th,
details given on when and where to meet
Freeburg Chili cook-off will be October 10th, will have a booth as
usual. Brought ticket to begin selling for cooler of booze. Members
should bring in bottles of booze.
Activites:
Gave details of events put on by other chapters and organizations.
White Lightning Run – will have details at next meeting. Discussed
making T-shirts.
Motion made to make chapter shirt with chapter patch on chest
and ABATE of IL motorcycle logo on back. Shirts to be bright
colors with the cost not exceeding $500. – Passed
Meat shoot will be January 17th.
Membership: 180 members in chapter, down 9 from last month. 8,572 state members, down 205.
Spent $35.58 in supplies to make frame for “Start seeing motorcycles” sign for events. Motion made to pay Mike back for these supplies. – Passed
Swap meet coming up in September. Will need workers from 6-10
am.
Newsletter:
Had 170 copies made for $91.29. Mailed 150 out. Bought 140
stamps for $68.60. Have 21 left for next month.
Renewed ads for Mandy’s, Chasers, and TR’s. Will be adding new
ad for New Memphis Station.
SW Reg:
The Marble Run is proceeding smoothly. Reps need to check on
stops. The party is Oct. 3rd. It is time to start planning for next year.
Will have an officers meeting to decide what our chapter’s stops
should be.
Old Bus:
There will be no change to meeting frequency.
New Bus:
There has been an officer no present to meeting in 4 months. President will check to see if she would like to put in an official resignation.
Officer nominations will start at the September meeting.
Larry and Lynn from Backroads present to invite us to do an
ABATE night at the Grizzlies stadium. If we sell 20 tickets, there will be no charge
to set up a booth. $9/ticket. Wednesday, September 2nd.
Adjourned 7:49
Half/Half Drawing-Lynn and Larry, $40. Attendance drawing – $60, Rich KinKade,
not present.