President’s Message

Rosalie Bornn

RTAM President 2016-2017

RETIRED TEACHERS’

ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA

RETIRED TEACHERS’

ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA

Most sincere greetings to all readers!

By the time you receive this issue of KIT, summer will be on the wane, and flocking birds and changing leaves will indicate that a new season is in the wind. I sincerely hope that your summer was an enjoyable one, wherever you were, and whether you were in vacation, in “staycation” or in “home-cation” mode.

On behalf of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba Board of Directors, I would especially like to welcome our newly-minted retired members who have most recently joined RTAM, and may be receiving and reading their first official, hardearned copy of KIT!

While I am writing this, I am trying to remember that patience is a virtue, as I wait to take the ferry from Nova Scotia over to Prince Edward Island. There is no option to pre-book a one-way ordinary car passage, so it is hurry up, line up and wait time. I am wondering why this waiting seems so much more difficult to do than it was when I was newly retired some 10 years ago. Could it just be that I am now realizing that I have 10 years less wait time left on “my clock” to do the waiting thing?

A big shout-out to our staff who kept the RTAM office operations ticking along throughout the summer. Please note that our office is staffed part-time daily by parttime employees, so if an answering machine picks up your call, kindly leave a detailed message and someone will try to respond to your needs.

The majority of RTAM functions are still carried on by volunteer directors who work through committee mandates. Some committees maintain a sizeable function through the summer, such as the KIT committee that assembled this issue. Others are all geared up to get their jobs done. We have many projects on the go, such as the joint MTS/RTAM Pension Adjustment Account Committee to address the eventual dispersal of the restricted surplus fund, as well as our Senior Coalition Committee efforts. Of course, new endeavours are always on the horizon.

I am most pleased that the one vacancy that was left on the RTAM Board of Directors after the May AGM has been filled. At our June meeting, Bill Cann was appointed to fill the vacant Vice President position for the year. Bill previously had served on the RTAM Board, and his previous experience will no doubt be a huge support to our organization. Welcome back, Bill!

Sadly, we will be continuing on without the support of Past President, Marvin Krawec. According to the wishes of Marvin’s family and in memory of Marvin, RTAM has sent a donation to the Heart and Stroke Fund.

In closing, please note that the RTAM mission statement is “to serve and advocate for all retired teachers.” To that end, I look forward to continuing with this year of my RTAM presidency and RTAM welcomes hearing from its membership to help fulfill that mission.

Cheers! n