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Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America
BY ELAINE SIMMONS, PRESIDENT
So many things are happening
in AVVA that I hardly know where to begin. In my last column,
I was excited to inform our members that AVVA was developing
a Veterans Service Officer Program. I am very pleased to
announce that the AVVA Veterans Benefits Committee has, in
fact, completed the policies, the application, and all the
other necessary paperwork and documentation required by the
VA to be approved as a recognized veterans service organization.
The application has been submitted to the VA, and we are
looking forward to its approval in the very near future.
Also in my last column, I informed our
membership that AVVA is now prepared to begin accepting petitions
for chapter incorporation. I congratulate the members of
AVVA who are affiliated with VVA Chapter 542 in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, for completing the paperwork to become the
first AVVA chapter. For additional information on how to
form an AVVA chapter, contact AVVA Membership Chair Sharon
Hobbs. She can be reached at shobbs@avva.org
AVVA has begun to move into the electronic
age and will now be using email as the tool to send all materials
and information to State Representatives, State Presidents,
Chapter Representatives, and Chapter Presidents. National
Secretary Patsy Varnell will be requesting email addresses
from all current State Representatives and Presidents. AVVA
has reviewed the cost related to mailing packets that contain
the minutes of Board Meetings, Committee Reports, Regional
Reports, and other information. The AVVA national organization
will save close to $2,000 annually by using email. The savings
will be even greater if State Representatives and Presidents
adopt the same procedure and forward this information electronically
to chapter representatives. This is a cost-saving measure
that also will allow members to receive information quickly
and more often.
For several years, members of AVVA have requested
that the AVVA Leadership Conference be expanded. In Louisville
next July, AVVA will celebrate its ten-year anniversary and
will offer a three-day Leadership Conference. We invite members
of AVVA to join us in our celebration of ten years and to
register to participate in three full days of seminars that
will prepare our members for the next ten years.
I hope that
our members will continue to send us their thoughts, ideas,
comments, and suggestions. Hope to hear from you soon.
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