AVA Northeast Region NERD Words

(Wayne's September 2, 2021, letter to the club presidents, as a follow up to an August 24 Zoom meeting.)

The August 24 Zoom meeting was held to an hour and although everyone had a chance to speak, I think we left with some loose ends.

* Multi-Event Weekends 2022 & Beyond: It became apparent that more time was needed to consult with your clubs and come up with a plan to host a weekend by yourself or in conjunction with your sister clubs. It would be nice to have a date or dates for 2022 before our individual clubs make their own plans. Can we shoot for October 1?

* Northeast Incentive Books: There is some interest in creating incentive books to encourage participation in the Northeast Region. I've been made aware of a New England Passport Program and a similar program at ESCV. Are there others?

* Northeast Calendar: Some of our clubs post their group events on the Northeast calendar. A club needs to have a website and post events on their own calendars, so they can be automatically combined with the rest of the region's.

* Websites: Some of our clubs have independent sites, like walknmass. org, and some have derivatives of AVA, like avaclubs.org/tsva. For those who would like a website, possibly you could confer with your sister clubs to investigate what might be best for you.

* Renewals of YRE/SEs for 2022: Most renewals have been submitted and approved. Content that exists as of September 15 will appear in the Starting Point book. Any changes thereafter can be viewed electronically at my.ava.org.

* As Mary Frink nicely explained: if you're planning on putting an event in the Online Start Box for 2022, you just need to put the appropriate verbiage in the ESR for now. Then, follow up with your OSB submission before the event starts next year.

* Big Give: The target date is September 23 this year. Full information can be found in The Checkpoint.

* Two-Event Weekend 2021: Turners Falls, MA, October 9 & Keene, NH, October 10. Some people are planning to stay over at the Days Inn in Greenfield on Saturday night and probably have dinner in town.

* Directions & Maps: There are many beautiful directions and maps created in our region. If clubs want to improve the quality of their product, again check with your favorite sister clubs for "best practices." There are many mapping programs available - it's all what you're comfortable with. Many have had good luck with Plotaroute. com. They allow a couple of free maps, and an annual subscription is $25.

* Online Start Box: Many of our clubs have at least one OSB event, and a couple of clubs have the hybrid OSB/ PSB (Physical Start Box) availability. So, if you're looking to add those features, there is a tutorial on the aforementioned my.ava.org website. All OSB submissions ultimately get funneled to Darrell Neily at osbhelp@ ava.org. He's very knowledgeable and friendly, so don't hesitate to use him as a resource. If all else fails, or just for fun, consult your favorite local sister club.

The OSB default is zero stamps. But you get the first one free, and you'll want it for group events. Of course, you can always use the electronic individual or group stamps as a backstop.

* Meetup and Facebook: Remember the good ole days when you'd read a notice in your local paper about upcoming walks? These days, new walkers are more likely to find you via Meetup and Facebook.

I mentioned that the Northeast Region has been asked to populate a checkpoint on one of their events. In the meantime, they want help and suggestions from experienced participants - send a note to Olympiad2023@ava.org.

Thanks again for all the interaction. The feedback has been positive, so I'm looking forward to future meetings and ongoing communication.

Wayne

Using the updated the NE Regional Chart for Traditional Events (TE), as of Sept 14

To see the Chart: Go to NERD web page (www.avaclubs.org/NE_RD), under the picture, click on “Events”. Scroll down to the red printing - “Traditional Events (click here)”. At the Chart, you will see those TEs that our NE clubs have sponsored, down to those that are yet to be held. Some clubs have elected to sanction a one-day walk indicated as “TE=”, while some clubs elected to use an existing Year Round/Seasonal Event that I’ve indicated as “YR=”.

Google Calendar: To view an additional tool, I ask that you return to the NERD page (the one with my photo), & click on “Events”. Again, scroll down past the red printing for “Traditional Events” to the calendar page for September. This is part of our NE Region’s Google Calendar

CLUBS: At the “NE Home” page, click on “Clubs” to have a direct connection to the individual web page for each of the clubs within the Region. Clicking on the name of a club of interest will give quick access to those activities being sponsored by that club, as well as contact information of persons within the club who could assist you further.

CLUB TOOLS: At this location, you will be provided with sites to access information and forms to help manage the club’s business. For example, important dates that need to be met is essential to ensure that the club meets its obligations with the IRS to retain the tax exempt status.

PHOTOS: Your Regional Director is making an attempt to attend some of the Traditional Events of each of the clubs in the NE Region. Here, I shall post a sampling of photos of my experiences. You may see some of your members, or yourself, at an event that I attend, either hosted by your club, or when your members are attending a sister club’s event.

FREQUENT Qs & As: As I have moved throughout our Region, as well as in other regions or national events, AVA members, club members, and potential members ask many of the same questions that are very basic to the running of an international club, such as IVV and AVA. This section will attempt to make us all more aware of how things are done, and why they are done the way they are.