MEETING NOTES: August 19, 2023 The Secret Bed & Breakfast, Leesburg, Alabama
In attendance:
Kris Cook
Matthew Schroeder
Shane Coker
Blythe Joslin
Kat Shaw, guest from Georgia ABATE
James “Ghost” Johnson
Rodney Green
Kris passed out meeting notes from the previous meeting, along with a treasurer’s report. There was a successful motion to accept the notes from the 6/17/23 meeting and treasurer’s report as presented. These documents are approved and are now a part of the records of Dixie ABATE.
Matt had the fundraising raffle tickets with him. We discussed the raffle and distributed the tickets. A scan of the details will be attached to the website and to the Facebook page. We are now actively selling tickets. If we sell them all, we will net $15,000 at the least. We have to sell 93 to break even. The shop that has the firearms will ship anywhere. We will draw for the winners at our 12/16 meeting in Mobile.
Our treasury is low. We have to sell out the room at Barber for the October 14th event, and we need to sell all of the raffle tickets. Kris to send out a mass email and mail out tickets for members to sell.
Katie Holms, our past activity director, wants to give up that position and move into fund-raising, focusing on writing grants, with an eye toward getting more money into motorcycle training and young driver training in Alabama. We need healthy funding to be able to make a difference in these two fields. We need to seek out every driver training class and teach one class period. We welcome the help in that department.
We need a newsletter editor. If you have any interest in this position, please let us know.
KC has forwarded an MRF call to action to the Dixie ABATE mailing list, asking every member to ask his/her senators to sign on to S 2090, the “Preserving Choice in Vehicles Purchases Act.” This bill would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent a ban on the sale of internal combustion engines, effectively trumping any state law that outlaws their sale. We need everyone to take part in this grassroots effort.
We discussed what to focus on, legislatively, next year. A poll was taken, and the majority feel that next year is when we need to bring a helmet freedom bill. We have stayed away from this issue for the last fourteen years, but we feel it’s time. We probably can’t succeed, but it will stir the pot and bring in membership and support. We will also write up a Shoulder Surfing bill and see if we can get someone to sponsor it.
Blythe has turned off the membership reminders. Kris to get renewal reminders out via email first then via mail.
Kris gave the MRF report entitled “Will you ask your Senators to protect the internal combustion engine?” We also discussed the MOTM in Harrisburg. It looks like Alabama participation will be thin this year.
We need a head count by the end of September for the Slider Gilmore event, so that Kris can line up Bruno Hospitality. It would be nice if we could afford sandwiches and drinks for this event. We can’t bring our own unless what we bring is sponsored by someone. Matt talked to Law Tigers and they said they would sponsor, but we don’t know any more details than that. Kris to nail this down ASAP.
The next meeting is at 10:30 AM Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Barber Motorsports Museum, 6030 Barber Motorsports Parkway, Leeds, AL 35094. Coming to this meeting requires purchase of a $35.00 ticket, which covers your admittance to the museum (downstairs on the restoration level of the museum, which is closed to the general public) and a three hour talk by Dick “Slider” Gilmore, entitled “BLUE HAIRED OLD LADIES, ROAD ALLIGATORS, & TAR SNAKES!” You can buy your tickets by aiming your mobile phone camera here, and touching the link that comes up when it focuses on the QR code.
Please take the 2023 Motorcycle Profiling Project questionnaire here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ridefree2023
Or to use your smartphone and use the QR code below
