Here's the slideshow (click on the picture):
And here are the notes:
www.dixieabate.orgDIXIE ABATE MEETING NOTES: 5/19/12 Eagle Vision Cycles, Steele, AL
Members present:
Randall Green
Matthew Schroeder
Shane Coker
Kris Cook
Nancy Green
Ronnie Turner
Chad Bowman
Tom Wade (welcome new member!)
Jerry W. Moon (welcome new member!
John Whitehurst, Jr. (welcome new member!)
Rick Lambott
Phillip Cavender (welcome new member!)
Scott Crafton (welcome new member!)
James (unreadable) (guest)
(unreadable) Cooper (guest)
Tony Linkins
Nancy O’Rourke
David Fail
Welcome new members Scott Crafton, Tom Wade, Jerry Moon, John Whitehurst, Jr., Jason Foster, and Scott Chandler! We are delighted to have you. Scott was our host today – he owns Eagle Vision Cycles.
The State Board of Directors will move to a quarterly meeting format starting January 1, 2013. Quarterly meetings will move around the state, ideally to be hosted by different Dixie ABATE chapters in the state. Our organizational documents do not address meeting frequency, but the general consensus of this discussion was that the Regions are free to meet as often or as little as they see fit, but that an officer from each region chapter needs to attend the quarterly state level board meetings.
Matthew and Shane have plans to start a chapter in the Gadsden area, since we have a good number of members in that part of the state. Kris to send the membership roster to Ron, Matt, and Shane, ASAP, so they can sort it by region and see exactly who they have in their geographical area.
Kris is contemplating whether a Birmingham area chapter should be started. No action on this subject was taken at this meeting. It takes five people to start a chapter, and all need to have been Dixie ABATE members for at least a year.
Our Legislative Director, Vickie Rumble, has resigned. According to our ByLaws, another member may be appointed by the Board of Directors, by a majority vote, to fill that office for the remainder of the current term. Kris nominated member Larry Lindsey to fill the position, Matthew seconded the nomination, and the vote was unanimous. Larry Lindsey, Daphne area Rider’s Edge instructor and retired school teacher, is now Dixie ABATE’s Legislative Director.
We discussed Larry’s attendance at the recent AIM/NCOM convention in Indianapolis. Larry wrote a full report, which will be sent out with these notes. Dixie ABATE has joined NCOM, The National Coalition of Motorcyclists. This membership was free and puts a wide range of information within our reach.
We reiterated for our new members and guests what some of the benefits of Dixie ABATE membership are. Among the membership benefits are a discount for membership in Air Evac Lifeteam and, beginning in early 2013, a 10% discount with Allstate insurance.
Dixie ABATE meeting notes – 5/19/12, page 2
There will be no statewide meeting in June, since Dixie ABATE has to set up at the quarterly ALCOC meeting in Huntsville.
The July 28the meeting will be in Dothan, if a suitable meeting spot can be found.
Project: Setting up a 501(c)(3) Foundation so that Dixie ABATE can qualify for more grants and donations. The name will probably be the Dixie ABATE of Alabama Educational Foundation, or something along those lines. Next action item: nailing down an exact cost for setting this up. There will be a CPA and a lawyer involved, and Kris is to research exactly what needs to be done and how much it will cost and report back to the board. This step will be complete by May 25th.
Tom gave Kris the phone number for the person who is in charge of classroom materials for ABATE of Illinois – Nancy Glover. She has been presenting a motorcycle awareness module in their drivers ed classes for years.
Project: Getting a motorcycle safety component into the Alabama Driver’s Education Course of study. Next action step: Matt will contact Vickie to get the number for Michael Bassett, of the State Education Department. The course of study is updated and republished every six years, and the next scheduled revision is next year. Mr. Bassett told Vickie how and where to monitor the process of updating the course of study, and he also told her that if we want to be in on the process, we need to go talk to the committee about what we want to do and present the materials we have for their review.
Matt talked about how successful the first annual Dixie ABATE Ride to the Capitol was.
Tony Linkins, who was instrumental in getting the word out about the ride, suggested we start now to get ready for next year’s ride. Matt explained how much has to be set up to make an event like that happen.
Dixie ABATE needs a representative to the Unified Alabama Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Coalition. They generally meet on a weekday, mid-morning, at the Alabama Traffic Safety Center in Montevallo. When we find out when the next meeting is, we will see if any of us is off work, and if no one volunteers, Kris will take off and attend the meeting. It would be best if the same person could go every time. Meeting times are unpredictable, and we don’t always know very far in advance when one is scheduled
Dixie ABATE needs a representative to the MRF. Member Tom Wade is a longtime member of the MRF, in addition to being a past officer with ABATE of Illinois. He is checking to see what the duties are and will get back to Kris about whether he would like the position or not. If he can’t do it, Kris will, unless someone else steps up. Candidates for this position have to have been a member of the MRF for at least a year.
The MRF’s Meeting of the Minds conference will be in Durham, NC, from September 20 to 23. This is an even bigger conference than the BEAST of the East, and Dixie ABATE needs two or three people to attend. This is a call for volunteers. The MRF puts on a conference packed with information we need. You attend “on your own dime.” We are not yet in a position to underwrite members attending conferences.
Date of next meeting: Saturday, JULY 28, 2012, at 2 PM
Tentative location: Harley-Davidson of Dothan, 2418 Ross Clark Circle SW, Dothan, AL 36301. 334-792-0063
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