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Silverdale Washington was the site of this year's convention. There was about 125 persons registered, a slight increase in participation from last year's convention. I flew in on Saturday before, and caught a ride to the convention with John Northrup, president of the Kansas State REACT Council. The following report is based upon my personal observations and photo's taken by myself.
Copies of the official minutes from the convention are to be made available thru REACT International, once approved and accepted, for the low cost of $2.00 per copy to cover RI's cost of printing and mailing. It is hoped that they will soon afterwards be posted electronically on the Internet Web Site for REACT International. Also note that Tobacco Valley REACT has made available a 5-1/2 hour video of the convention on VHS tape, at $30.00/copy if ordered by a non-convention attendee, and $15.00/copy if ordered by someone who attended the convention this year. Send orders to Tobacco Valley REACT Team #3626, PO Box 568, Broad Brook, CT 06016-0568. Board of Director Election Results. It was a close race between myself and Christine White, but Chris won. I wish her the best of luck during the next year on the board, and all I can say, is I'll be back! Expect to see my name again on next year's ballots. 1997 Dues Structure. No official announcement was made during the convention about raising/lowering the dues for 1997 that I heard about. 1998 Convention will be held in Janesville, Wisconsin. The other bid was from Kansas, to be held in Wichita. The Convention Site Selection Committee was given authority to move the date of future conventions, beginning in 1999, up/back a week or more, and to change from requiring "hotel" to "facility". There was some talk about changing the format to a "Thursday-Saturday" format, with special trips or events being held before/after those days as an option. One suggestion made by myself, made partially in jest, was to approach a resort for some of those "4 days, 3 night free" packages, and the special trip could be the "90 minute tour of their properties". Board meet with State Councils. Among the chief issues raised by delegates, was a concern about getting acknowlegment from the board when letters were written to them by the states or teams. Virginia showed their state license plate that boasts the REACT logo, similar to the custom plates now available in Texas for Volunteer Fire, Amateur Radio Operators, etc. Perhaps this is an idea for Texas to pursue with our legistature. Concern was addressed about actions by RI HQ when someone inquires about REACT in their area. State delegates asked that a general info letter be sent, with contact info for the local state council (if applicable) and/or teams in the area. They asked that only if a charter was specifically requested, that one be mailed out, giving the state councils time to respond first. Next year’s convention will be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (the Niagra Falls area). |