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German-American Journal President’s Corner
Liebe Mitglieder und Freunde! Dear Members and Friends, I wish everyone a happy Easter and Spring Season. With the gloom of winter behind us and the hope that spring brings for warmer weather I also hope that we see a renewed hope for the world economy. Not many are unaffected by the current economic conditions and that includes our members. DANK membership is a discretionary expense for many and we do very much appreciate your continued support of the causes of DANK and thank you for your membership. If you have not paid your dues for 2009 yet, we hope that you will consider doing so, even though the deadline of March 31 has passed. If you want to keep your membership longevity (the number of years you have been a continuous DANK member), there is a $5.00 reinstatement fee, for computer processing. If you don’t care about that we will not charge a fee and you receive a new membership number. In either case we do appreciate your membership and we realize that it is our members that make DANK what it is. If you are interested in additional information about our membership payment policy, please read the small writing in parentheses at the end of this president’s message. When I ran for DANK National President in the fall of 2007, I pledged to our members that I will do my best to improve the value of DANK membership and improve our organization so that we can all be proud to be part of DANK. The following are significant changes, amongst the many that we have made so far, that you might have noticed. There are more to come. We have improved the look and content of the DANK Journal newspaper and the DANK national website with the inclusion of Forums and President Blog. Our national office was remodeled to provide a modern look and make it more functional. A new office manager was hired at the beginning of this year to help us with upcoming programs. We are now offering a very attractive credit card program to benefit our members and the organization. National and local policies have been streamlined and standardized to save us money and set up the organization for growth. A DANK travel and merchandizing/product program are either up and running or in the process. We are also working with our chapters and schools to help them revitalize and instill growth. All this was done at very little cost to DANK through donations or cost savings. We will continue this process and I hope that you will support us to make DANK the best and most valuable GermanicAmerican Organization in the United States. You might notice that I used Germanic as a more inclusive term since we do have quite a few members that are of Austrian, Swiss or other Germanic descent that share our cause and we trying to be more inclusive in our terminology. As mentioned before, our national convention is coming up this November and will be hosted by Chicago-South chapter. We are looking forward to a great convention in this, our 50th anniversary year. I hope that you will join us in the celebration and the convention. We will have much more information in the following issues of the DANK Journal and on line. We also want to congratulate the Chicago, Chicago-South and ChicagoWest chapters, which share the anniversary with the National organization. Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
William Fuchs National President
DIE BRUECKE ZUR ALTEN HEIMAT “Building Bridges to Germany”
April / May 2009
Mission Statement D.A.N.K., a society of German Americans today, was founded in 1959, and is active coast to coast,with the purpose of representing all German Americans in the United States. D.A.N.K., a non-profit organization, supports German cultural landmarks and events, sponsors German American student exchanges and the study of the German language and culture. It promotes harmony and goodwill among German American clubs and societies across the United States. D.A.N.K.’s cultural almanac, with its many programs and suggestions for local events and its D.A.N.K. Journal are the visual and communication links between its members and its corporate headquarters in Chicago.
D.A.N.K. also acts as an information center and exchange on a variety of subjects concerning the German American community at large We welcome your inquiries, contributions and donations for a United German America.
Der Deutsch-Amerikaner
DANK National Executive Board Benefits to belong to D.A.N.K. D.A.N.K. was chosen by many because of our leadership in representing the interests of all German Americans on a national level. D.A.N.K. has many Chapters across the United States of America. D.A.N.K. has over 30 Associated Member Societies. D.A.N.K. offers German Language classes for both children and adults
Editor’s Column
President: William Fuchs 1. Vice President: Erich Wittmann 2. Vice President: Donna Lippert Treasurer: Maria Thompson Secretary: Beverly Pochatko DANK National Executive Office
Who Is My Mother? A lot can be said (and a lot has been said!) about mothers and how they shape our lives as we grow up. One of my favorite quotes is from Abraham Lincoln, who said, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” My Mother Gail is half of the Father/Mother team, the one who gave birth to me. When she first held me in her arms, she looked down at me and smiled! She is the one that changed my diapers, gave me my bottle, bathed and dressed me. She is the one who tended to me when I was sick, wishing she could bear my pain, but unable to. There is none like my Mother. If you have children, then you know what it’s like to be a Mother. Often it’s a tough job. A Mother is lucky when she has well-disciplined children, but it is only because she has done her best in order for them to be well-adjusted adults. I have learned that my Mother is a human being, capable of making mistakes. She is not perfect, just as none of us are perfect. But she is the one that I pictured as being perfect during my childhood. As I became older, I realized that my Mother was capable of doing things the right and wrong way, just as much as the next person. But she is still my Mother. The thing that sets her apart is her everlasting love for me and my two brothers. Not until we become adults, do we really begin to appreciate who Mother really is. She nurtured me through my childhood, put up with me during my teenage years, and supported me as an adult. As I grew older and had my own children, I realized that my Mother was a very strong person, and I wondered if I could ever fit into her shoes. No, we wear our ‘own shoes’........we can never do things the same as our Mother, although she has given us the foundation from which to build. Mothers are special. If your Mother is living today, try to make this Mother’s Day the most wonderful day of her life! Show her you care if only by telling her you love her. Take her out to eat, bring her flowers, but show up on Mother’s Day, if possible. You will never know how much this helps a Mother realize her family still cares. Sometimes we get busy doing the usual things in life, and lose sight of the most important aspects - loving our family. And Mother happens to be where that “family” began. Without Mother, there would never have been a family. While you are at it you might also tell Father that you are so happy that he chose Mother to be his wife.
4740 N. Western Ave Chicago, Il 60625-2013 Call (773) 275-1100 Toll Free (866) 926-1109 Fax (773) 275-4010 Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Look for us on the Web: www.dank.org
Editorial Staff Darlene Fuchs, Editor Darlene@GoldenFoxPro.com Margita Mandel, Editorial Staff mulman3@comcast.net Beverly Pochatko, Chapter News Editor erieoma@verizon.net Stephen Fuchs, Layout & Design Stephen@FoxTaleEdit.com Erik Wittmann, Membership erik25@comcast.net
Eva Timmerhaus, Exec. Secretary Amelia Cotter, Office Manager
For Advertising & Classifieds, Contact: Darlene Fuchs Darlene@GoldenFoxPro.com
General Information Darlene Fuchs Managing Editor
Visit our website, DANK.org, to listen to Live German radio from “Radio Heimatmelodie” in Germany.
CORRECTION In an article published in the Feb/Mar ‘09 Journal, under the headline “Volkstrauertag - Fort Custer Michigan, November 16th, 2008”, the second sentence should have read: “It (Volkstrauertag) is one of many services held in the USA and Germany.” Another Volkstrauertag ceremony at Fort Sheridan National Cemetery has been hosted by DANK Chapter Lake County, Illinois for 30 years.
You will also find a list of additional live German radio stations that you can listen to online for free.
Submission Deadline For The June / July Issue: May 1st, 2009
- ISSN 1086-8070 - is published bi-monthly and is the Official Organ of the German American National Congress. Periodicals Postage paid at Chicago, Illinois and additional Mailing Offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: German-American Journal 4740 N. Western Ave Chicago, Il 60625-2013
Annual Subscription Rate: $15.00