I hope this New Year finds you all in good spirits and more importantly, in good health. The Association remains very strong and financially stable. Our new Treasurer Fran Pionegro, along with our Financial Secretary, Jean Hammel have been diligently working and managing our finances. It is a very tedious job and they deserve all of our thanks for doing it so well.

A few changes have been made at the Board level of our Association. We welcome three new members, Roger Sarmuksnis, Greg Burke and Nancy Foley and we welcome back the one and only Hugh White. Thank you to Richie Ryan, Theresa Flanigan Eileen Young and Claudia McDade for their service to our Association as board members. Please remember our deafriend Ms. Frances DeRosa who we lost in 2009.

There will be many events (as usual) scheduled this year. Please keep in touch with the Association, read the weekly pointer and come to our meetings so you do not miss a thing. As always. we will be looking for volunteers to assist us in these endeavors. If you have any ideas for an event or an outing, please bring it up at one of our meetings and we will discuss it.

Remember, the Cooperative is celebrating its 50th anniversary this entire year. Many Cooperative events will take place so we need to be especially careful when schduling events this year.

Remember, the prompt payment of your 2010 RPA dues and your continued support to help sustain RPA programs for children and adults throughout the year. Our annual events are enjoyed by people of all ages in the community. There is sincere concern for the youth and seniors. The Association continues to sponsor successful events and is open to exploring additional  events that there might be interest in. As a reminder, your RPA dues must be paid prior to submitting a letter of reference for sales, rentals and transfers.

Please continue to attend the RPA General Membership meetings. The meetings agendas reflect the concerns of the community and allow Association members the opportunity to express their opinions and share ideas with fellow shareholders. You will see familiar faces and have the opportunity to meet new members of the RPA. If you haven't attended our meetings in the past, mark your calendars and make an effort to attend. Attendance at RPA meetings and participation in Association and Cooperative programs has been the key to our success. The Association is only as strong as our membership and we need the input and ideas of each and every member. I look forward to seeing you at our meetings, participation and volunteering at our scheduled events and seeing you in the community.

Sincerely,
Tom MacLellan, RPA President