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CCPP Annual Report
July 1998 – June 1999
What a year this has been! We have accomplished much since last summer. Here is a list of our major accomplishments.
1. Following an “organizational meeting” at the June 6, 1998, Santa Barbara volksmarch sponsored by our sister club, the Channel Islands Volksmarchers (CIV), two north Santa Barbara county residents (Bill Uttenweiler & Bob Dell’Aringa) decided to organize a club in this area.
2. A draft constitution and slate of officers was approved via e-mail in July 1998, and we petitioned the American Volkssport Association (AVA) for a charter. The wife of our Regional Director Tom Luppnow took it to him in the hospital recovering from minor surgery so he could approve it. The charter was granted on August 18, 1998. We became USA club #876, California club #59. Our first slate of officers was:
3. “Regular” Volksmarches:
4. YREs: We organized four year
round events which opened in January 1999:
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We had submitted the paperwork for them to California Volkssport Association (CVA) President Pat Lucero even before the AVA had approved our charter. She had to add our club number to the application so it could be processed. Given the short suspenses, establishing four YREs so soon after our organization was a great accomplishment. The Executive Council is pleased that participation in the walks during their first six months has been so great. The EC expected participation in the bike would be much lower, and are pleased that it will likely generate enough income to pay its sanctioning costs by year’s end.
The CCPP has used these routes, plus the Big Valley Vagabonds’ YRE in San Luis Obispo, for “club walks.” During months when there has been no “regular” volkswalk nearby, the members have met at 9:00 a.m. on a designated Saturday to complete one of the YREs together. Attendance has varied from a high of 18 to low of one (ouch!).
5. Membership: We began July 1998 with no members, and ended June 1999 with 18 individual/family members. Unfortunately three of our leadership cadre have already left the area or will do so shortly. They include: Judy and Dic Law (military transfer in May 1999), Donna Eagle (family relocation in June 1999) and Bob Dell’Aringa (military retirement in September 1999). The remaining leadership appreciates their help in getting the club and its events organized and will miss them during the coming year.
6. Web Site: We established a web site
consisting of over 25 pages of content. In June 1999 the AVA announced
an awards program. Judging criteria included both content (information
is current, newsletter included, friendly to newcomers) and technical (looks
attractive, downloads quickly) factors. 14 sites nationwide scored
at least 90 out of 100 possible points, earning the designation of “AVA
Gold Award Sites.” Our site was one of three in California to win
the award. The URL for the site is:
http://www.concentric.net/~wuttenwe
7. Newsletter: We began publishing a newsletter, which is distributed monthly almost exclusively via the Internet. It is posted on our web site and sent via e-mail to members and prospective members. For a short time two copies were sent by mail; however, by spring 1999 they obtained Internet accounts and “snail mail” copies were (at least temporarily) eliminated.
8. Conventions: Our president represented the club at the annual California Volkssport Association (CVA) held April 30-May 2, 1999, in Auburn, CA. We provided a proxy to Jean Vik, a member of the Low Desert Roadrunners and the southern California regional vice president of the CVA, to represent us at the 11th Biennial AVA convention held June 23-25, 1999, in Muncie, IN. The club did not provide any financial assistance or expense reimbursement for either person.
9. Financial Report: Our expenses included dues and sanction fees to both the AVA and CVA, costs of AVA/IVV materials resold, and costs for the regular and year round walks. Our income came from dues, fees at events, and resale of AVA/IVV materials. The leadership thinks we did so well financially because: (1) the members the first year generously paid extra dues ($25 instead of the current rate of $10); (2) we decided not to incur large expenses like patches, medals, or t-shirts either for the general membership or as an award for the Santa Ynez walk; (3) we found a sponsor to help with printing costs; and (4) our postage costs were minimal because virtually everyone on our mailing list had e-mail. We took the prudent step of paying the 2000 sanction fees to both the AVA and the CVA for our YREs early. While we cannot predict what income and expenses will be for the next year, the club appears to be on good financial footing.
As I wrote at the beginning of this report – What a year this has been! However, the club will not be without challenges during the next 12 months. We will undoubtedly loose more Charter Members who joined but have not participated in any events in over six months. Despite the large number of walkers in our area, few have tried our sport. However, the 1998-1999 year has provided an excellent base upon which to build.
See you on the Trail!
William L. Uttenweiler
President
If you have questions or wish to find out more about our club or
about volkssports, please e-mail Bill
Uttenweiler.
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Copyright © 1998-1999 by William L. Uttenweiler. Last Updated: July 31, 1999.