President’s Message for October

Fall foliage greetings!

Despite writing this from my hotel room in Las Vegas (yes, he’s traveling again), my thoughts are on New England’s beautiful fall colors. No place does autumn better.

This could be my second-to-last President’s Message . . . if someone else is elected president next month. And in all seriousness, if you have a solid vision for SGM, I encourage you to add your name to mine on the list of candidates for president. At SGM, every board position is up for election each year, and contested elections are always encouraged. So even if you already see a name on the roster for the position you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to write your name in as well. The more the merrier!

But enough about elections. The main topic of this Message is the many benefits of membership in SGM. At each weekly meeting, I like to remind everyone that SGM is a membership organization, and that membership is encouraged, though never required for attendance at our various gatherings. So if it’s not required, why bother? Indeed, I suspect that more than one of you feels this way.

To encourage your membership, we “bribe” you with some wonderful benefits that mere attendance at SGM meetings doesn’t provide:

• Voting rights—Your voice gets heard at our yearly elections and at other special elections that may come up from time to time.
• Identity newsletter—You receive our wonderful newsletter, either electronically as an e-mail attachment or Web download, or by the U.S. Postal Service for an additional fee. Everyone I’ve spoken to has said that James, and Jeremy before him, have both done wonderful jobs as editors.
• Membership card—Be a “card-carrying member” of SGM . . . literally! The card provides discounts at many area establishments and could easily pay for your membership after a few uses. I often find myself at Colby’s Restaurant on a Saturday morning, and the yummy wait staff there always give me a 10% discount.
• Discounted prices—When we have special functions, such as the annual sunset cruise, members generally have a reduced price to pay. And although we haven’t had an autumn dinner/dance in a few years, who knows what events the next board might decide to plan?
• Discounted advertising rates—Members get to advertise in Identity for less than nonmembers.
• Access to the Fun List—Members with e-mail addresses get to send and receive messages that go to every other member on the Fun List ().

In my opinion, this last benefit is huge! Not only is it a convenient way for the board to contact all members in a timely fashion, but the members themselves can get the word out quickly about an impromptu event they’re planning. In fact, next weekend Jay is planning an excursion to Foxwoods and has opened it up to anyone who wants to join in on the fun.

So, what if you don’t like some of the messages that get posted? For example, what if you are opposed to gambling and are offended by Jay’s invitation? Or what if you are not a bar person and are offended by Howie & Bob’s notices for HOBO’s in Salisbury Beach? Sadly, this has happened, and a few members have asked to be removed from the Fun List. I strongly encourage you to reconsider your decision. If there is a message that you don’t wish to read, that’s why God made the Delete key! And no nonmember can post to the Fun List without the message getting approved by either the webslave (Jeremy) or the webmaster (me). And I promise that neither Jeremy nor I will ever let a spam message through. So if you’ve asked to be removed from the Fun List, please tell us to re-add your e-mail address.

In conclusion, there are many benefits to membership, and I’ve probably omitted a few in the list above. If you’re not a member, please join! And if you are a member but know someone who is not, please invite him to read this (http://sgminc.org/Pres0610.htm) and become a member.

Until next month, be out, be proud, and vote!

Carl