FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

Greetings AREA members and welcome to 2014-2015 Retired Educators Association year!

First, let me thank you for the success of the 2013-2014 year and for electing me to serve a second term as your president. Because of your selfless and supportive spirit, AREA received 11 of the 13 Awards given at the 56^th Annual Convention in Savannah, April 22-24, 2014. The Unit of Distinction Award evaded AREA because we did not meet the 10% membership growth during the GREA year, April 1, 2013-March 15, 2014 and we did not submit 10 Spotlight Ads at the cost of $50/Ad ($25/ad remains in AREA treasury and $25/ad goes to GREA). The purchase of a spotlight ad information will be placed on the GREA website. The ads support GREA membership and helps local units to sponsor scholarships for future educators. This year my appeal to you is to purchase a spotlight ad and ask AREA members receiving pension via Teacher Retirement System to consider joining GREA or renewing through Automatic Dues Deduction (ADD). The $25 retained in AREA treasury from the purchase of a Spotlight Ad would assist with sponsoring the annual high school senior scholarship. The ADD would help with the 10% membership growth as well as the unit receiving $5 rebate per joining member. 2013-2014 AREA received $180 rebate for members joining or renewing via ADD.

The theme for the 2014-2015 GREA year is Busy as a Bee. The theme chosen by State President, Vivian S. Teasley, challenges all units to Bee Enthusiastic, Bee Energetic, Bee GREA, Bee Excited. President Teasley states in the most recent GREA newsletter “the most exciting thing we hope to accomplish this year is to build the museum that we have talked about for years. Work has begun and we are buzzing with joy”. President Teasley's humanitarian project is saving tabs from any aluminum can. The tabs will be collected at the annual meeting and delivered to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, SC.

Please see our 2014-2015 calendar of events in the section entitled Meetings.

SAVE the date: 57^th Annual GREA Convention, April 28-30, 2015, Legacy @Lake Lanier Island.

Peace and Blessings,

Alice Moore