Dear Joanne,

         I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write to you concerning this question. If you are at the Wednesday Regional meeting we will try to have different people cover different meetings that will be held on Wednesday and Thursday and ask that people bring back reports to the Thursday Regional meeting. There will be committee meetings on all types of subjects. I believe that the insert in the Connection magazine in either Sept. or Oct. lists the agenda. I will be in a meeting all day on Tuesday with the board and I might have insight as to where we would like for our members to be. Some years there are proposals coming from committees and  it is good to cover the discussions that will occur during the two days before the BOG, Board of Governors, meeting on Friday. This week I received a notebook   that I will read before the meeting. All the committees have written reports that we serving on the board review. All committee reports are brought before the BOG and voted on. Sometimes they are just reports and sometimes changes are brought before the BOG such as the percentages being increased for awards. The executive board reviews these and we consider their impact and the financial aspects. A few years ago we put together requirements for anything needing financial support to go through a implementation process to assure that every aspect of a suggested program  was well thought out. Before that someone on the floor of the BOG might make a motion that everyone was for and passed, but there would not be money budgeted to cover it. Motions are still made on the floor and passed but the development process must be gone through before they can be instituted . It is an interesting exchange of ideas from everywhere in the country and I find it very stimulating.

              I am also thinking about a Regional meeting to be held April 1 and 2 in Kansas City next year. I think that this type of meeting will be helpful for our region. I would like to have more of them throughout the region if there is interest. We will discuss these ideas.

               There are now growing parts of our region with grant requests and also our scholarship program to discuss. I would like input from representatives about these things and these topics could be also be covered in April.

               From now until the convention there may be more things to add to the agenda. I am hoping that many of you will bring your concerns and interests and we can find ways for our region to work effectively together.

                Linda Landers