President's report - ROAL President's Message

On 22-24 August I attended my first ExCom meeting in Washington, D.C. I tried to digest as much of the read ahead material as I could to be informed. The first day (Friday) I attended the ExCom Academy and was educated in how ROA operates. During a tour of the headquarters building, we realized that the building needs a great deal of attention. If ROA does develop some sort of building fund, I urge you to support it in whatever way you are able. This building has a premier location in the nation's capital, which gives ROA and ROAL high visibility. It must be maintained accordingly. ROA generously allowed me 20 minutes to inform them of ROAL's recent achievements and our goals for this year. I also used this opportunity to urge each member of the ExCom to support ROAL by becoming a member. Admiral Merrilees echoed this and several applications were turned in by Sunday.

Now that ROA has decided to continue holding two national meetings a year, at least for now, I have asked the Ad Hoc Committee for Special Projects to adopt another project. They will be working to disseminate information from ROA and keeping ROAL members informed on issues that affect ROAL. They will study the ROA executive director's SITREPS, the ROA president's weekly e-mail updates, minutes from ExCom meetings and any other information received from ROA. We need to stay abreast of these issues. What affects ROA affects ROAL and this partnership must work both ways.

While I attended the ExCom meeting, the Strategic Planning Direction Committee met Saturday and Sunday. I realize it seems we have expended a great deal of funds on this with what seems like little or no progress shown. Please understand that this plan could not move forward until adopted by you and this did not happen until the National Convention in June of this year. The Strategic Planning Direction is now ready to be implemented. We will be forming working groups before the Mid-Winter meeting to this end. Keep in mind this is a plan for today and the future. It is ongoing and changeable. Not everything will happen at once. The direction is our means for survival for years to come and will be updated when necessary. Much of the funds needed have been spent. The planning phase has been the most intense in the requirements of funds, which have been spent for working time for the committee members. I thank Col Jim Rebholtz for giving so much of his time and expertise to make it happen. We thank those on the committee for their hard work: Marjorie Davenport, Pat Plummer, Beverly Merrilees, Ann Groskreitz, Rick Riccardi, Mary Muncey, Marija Astfalk and our 1st vice president, Betty Hammer.

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTION UPDATE

The ROAL, Strategic Planning Direction (SPD) has been submitted, with a few clarifying and target date revisions, to Steve Ford, our national president. I know that all of you are anxious, since the SPD approval in New Orleans, to start seeing the fruits of our labor. Working groups will be established, and please don't hesitate to volunteer for any group that suits your area of interest and expertise. There will be a presentation at the 2004 Mid-Winter Conference concerning the ROAL SPD and strategic planning in general.

During the past six months, I have been continuously alerted to the necessity of strategic planning. When I attended a workshop on "Fundamentals of Budgeting," which related to my profession as an accountant, the instructor stressed that one must have a strategic plan in order to create a meaningful budget. I later started reading Life Strategies by Phillip McGraw, Ph.D., and it is filled with advice on the importance of having a strategy to reap the most from life.

The overall strategy of our Reserve forces is to ensure that Reservists will survive and succeed in campaigns such as those that have been initiated as part of the global war on terrorism. With the necessity of a viable strategy having now been validated in so many areas of our lives, the early development of the ROAL Strategic Planning Direction is proving to have been a timely move.

--By Marjorie Davenport

Chair, Strategic Planning Committee

ROAL PROGRAM CHAIRMEN: VITAL FORCES

Every year it becomes more evident that our society is ever changing. What we do, how we live, what we read, and our interpretations of what is important constantly changes, despite our basic principles, which remain constant. Departments and clubs in ROAL need to recognize these factors. You need to keep current while adhering to the basic concepts. ROAL bylaws state our objectives shall be "to support a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate National Security and to promote the development and execution thereof." These objectives do not identify do's or don'ts. They give each club the opportunity to design programs that can be patriotic, inspirational, educational--or just fun.

The member responsible for programs is one of the most vital in your department or club. Programs are the key to a successful year. Those who assume the duties of program chairman are the ARM that holds the torch of success. Well-lit torches will result in:

A--Active participation

R--Retention of members

M--Membership growth.

Programs should reflect the members, so plan your programs accordingly.

--By Agnes von Berckefeldt

Second Vice President, ROAL

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