President's Message
President's Message, September 2015
by Gary Rovelstad
"And From Viewers Like You"
This past weekend Mary Kay and I and several other members of our club attended the annual Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation dinner. It was our first time, but, for the Sayre family, the eighteenth. To say that the number of people attending the dinner, awards ceremony, and accompanying silent auction has grown, begs the question. I suspect there might have been 500 people in the ballroom Saturday night. This message, however, is not about the Sayre dinner so much as it is about our own annual, singular, fund raising event.
For those of you new to our club, I am guessing that you have heard older members mention that the Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting is not far off and speak at the same time about location, food, and so forth. Well, it is true that this event is now roughly five and one-half months away. Like the Sayre dinner, the wine tasting evening has grown in size and monetary importance. Last year, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the event raised some $48,000 for us to give to west Hawai’i students.
So, we have two events with some similarities. They are both annual. They raise money for specific needs. They give their attendees an enjoyable evening. They both have silent auctions. And, they cost about $100 per person. But, there, perhaps, the similarities end. Aside from the obvious difference in the number of people attending, 500 versus 200, and, of course, the focus of the two events, it became clear to me, while watching Joe and Tammy help prepare for the dinner, that the Sayres begin planning the next year as soon as this year’s dinner is over. This “permanence of planning” is something that our annual wine tasting has been missing. To this end, your Board of Directors voted at their last meeting to establish a permanent events committee. So, what does this mean for you and me?
This year will be one of transition from planning and having this year’s event to one of on-going planning. I would like all of us to consider how best we might help getting ready for this coming February 13th and then how we might serve on this new committee when asked. Because, after all, the success of this project really does come from “viewers like you.”
President's Message, September 2015
by Gary Rovelstad
"And From Viewers Like You"
This past weekend Mary Kay and I and several other members of our club attended the annual Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation dinner. It was our first time, but, for the Sayre family, the eighteenth. To say that the number of people attending the dinner, awards ceremony, and accompanying silent auction has grown, begs the question. I suspect there might have been 500 people in the ballroom Saturday night. This message, however, is not about the Sayre dinner so much as it is about our own annual, singular, fund raising event.
For those of you new to our club, I am guessing that you have heard older members mention that the Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting is not far off and speak at the same time about location, food, and so forth. Well, it is true that this event is now roughly five and one-half months away. Like the Sayre dinner, the wine tasting evening has grown in size and monetary importance. Last year, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the event raised some $48,000 for us to give to west Hawai’i students.
So, we have two events with some similarities. They are both annual. They raise money for specific needs. They give their attendees an enjoyable evening. They both have silent auctions. And, they cost about $100 per person. But, there, perhaps, the similarities end. Aside from the obvious difference in the number of people attending, 500 versus 200, and, of course, the focus of the two events, it became clear to me, while watching Joe and Tammy help prepare for the dinner, that the Sayres begin planning the next year as soon as this year’s dinner is over. This “permanence of planning” is something that our annual wine tasting has been missing. To this end, your Board of Directors voted at their last meeting to establish a permanent events committee. So, what does this mean for you and me?
This year will be one of transition from planning and having this year’s event to one of on-going planning. I would like all of us to consider how best we might help getting ready for this coming February 13th and then how we might serve on this new committee when asked. Because, after all, the success of this project really does come from “viewers like you.”