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1686 GAZETTE
Newsletter of Chapter 1686 Sunnyslope
OCTOBER 2014
Vol. XXXV
No. 1
Meetings of Chapter 1686 NARFE held at Cross Roads United Methodist Church, 7901 N.
Central Ave., Phoenix. (S.E. corner of Central & Northern Aves. Enter from Northern Ave.)
NEXT MEETING: Friday, Oct. 17, 2014
Come join us and support NARFE. ~ ~
All Federal Employees, Retirees, and their
spouses are most welcome. ~ ~
NOTE THE TIMES FOR THIS MEETING!
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.:
Marc Rosales of Blue Cross Blue Shield will speak and answer questions on
their health insurance plan.
12:00 noon - 12:30 p.m.: Bryan Sperling will speak and answer questions on the GEHA health insurance
plan.
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Refreshments.
1:00 p.m: Chapter 1686 business meeting, followed by a celebration of the Chapter’s 35th Anniversary! ~
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
(Virginia Ginter ,
alnav5@juno.com):
Happy 35th
Anniversary,
Chapter 1686!
1979 - 2014
Happy Halloween
Special meeting this month 35TH CHAPTER ANNIVERSARY !
Also, come early for the information from Brian and Marc from
GEHA and Blue Cross. Changes
occur each year. Be informed.
Workshops and Conventions are over.
Changes are already in the works. In February
2015, all chapters and their members will receive
a new Federation newspaper. At the present
time only chapter officers receive the Federation
News. There is quite a bit that would be of interest to members, but cannot be passed along in
meetings and chapter newsletters at the present
time due to time and space.
Also, Gems will be changing as some feel
there is too much unnecessary information presented. No time given for the change.
(Continued on Page 5.)
Page 1 of 8,
LEGISLATIVE REPORT (Lois Gossett):
Voting Records:
• The October issue of NARFE
Magazine
includes NARFE’s
113th Congress Scorecard. The
insert shows how members of Congress voted
on NARFE’s priority legislation during this Congress. The scorecard also includes life-time
voting records.
Lame Duck:
• Congress is scheduled to return on November 12th for a Lame Duck session. During the
session, they are expected to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act and a Continuing Resolution spending bill that will take us
into the new Congress. The present CR will expire December 11th. It is not expected to be a
cantankerous session, nor is it expected to go
later then mid-December.
• One piece of legislation that may be debated during the lame duck is the postal reform bill
pending in the Senate, S. 1486.
o NARFE opposes the bill for a variety of
reasons, all of which on their own is enough to
oppose the larger bill.
o
NARFE members should be using the
recess before the lame duck to let their Senators know they oppose the bill.
o We revised the previous action letter to
reflect possible lame duck action. Click here to
send your Senators the action letter. This letter
contains the main points of the bill and why we
are opposed to them. It effects other than postal employees as well and is worth reading.
COLA:
♦
The COLA has now shrunk to 1.6%. The
final figure is dependent on the September
number due out in October. ~ ~
SERVICE OFFICER’S REPORT
(Richard Yee, birdy55@yahoo.com):
Open Season for 2014 starts
on Monday, Nov 10th through
Monday Dec 8th This is your time
to decide if you still want to keep
what you have or check out the
other insurance companies. If any of you are
interested in the literature for any insurance carriers, you can research the internet or give me a
buzz.
On September 14, 2014 the Arizona Republic published an article about Long Term
Care (LTC) Insurance, stating that it is starting
to look like a necessity for many folks. Point to
consider: Medicare covers only up to 100 days
of rehabilitation following hospitalization. Beyond that—nothing.
Seventy (70%) of people older than 65 may
likely need some form of LTC at some point.
For married couples, the chance that one
spouse will need LTC rises to 91%. Women
outlive men, and thus are more likely to need
some sort of home health care someday.
The big question about LTC is how do you
pay for it? If you have very little money but a big
need, Medicaid will pay for it. It’s the people in
the middle with incomes of $100K to $1 million
that may have issues. So you should do the
math, and if your math is not encouraging, then
arrangements should be made based on your
other resources..
The bottom line, as I have repeatedly said
in past issues, is that having LTC is a choice we
should make, as some of us who already have it
may not ever need to use it, while others who
don’t have it, may really need it! ~ ~
Columbus Day
Oct. 12th
1686 GAZETTE is published eight issues a year
by Chapter 1686, National Active and Retired Federal
Employees (NARFE), 825 E. Cinnabar Ave., Phoenix,
AZ 85020-1732. Members annual dues include subscription to this publication. Non-profit bulk mail rate
permit postage paid at Glendale, AZ. ~ ~
Page 2 of 8.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT (Clarice Pharo,
HEALTH FAIRS:
clarphx@cox.net):
During FEHBP Open Season many health
fairs will be held at many government agencies.
NARFE will be setting up tables at these fairs to
pass out literature and explain about what our
organization is doing to help federal employees
and retirees. This is an opportunity to sign up
new members.
The chapter needs members to help man
the tables and talk to prospective members. If
you are able to work at one of these tables for a
few hours, please contact Richard Yee as soon
as possible. Tel.: 623-337-45498 or E-mail:
birdy55@yahoo.com. Thank you. ~ ~
The monthly Activity Report
from NARFE National Office has
not been received yet.
The new Membership Drive
was explained in the last newsletter
and packets with more information were distributed at the September meeting. This is an incentive for chapter members to recruit new
members. For each member they sign up he/
she will receive $10.00 from the National Office.
The Arizona Federation will match this with another $10.00. The recruiter’s name will then be
put in a drawing for each member they recruit
for a Kindle Fire Tablet. Be sure to put your
NARFE ID number on the application form.
The packets will again be available at the
October meeting. If you can’t attend the meeting and would like more information, give me a
call or e-mail message.
(602-943-4753; clarphx@cox.net) ~ ~
“You need NARFE; NARFE needs You”
NARFE DUES SCHEDULE:
$ 40 ~ 1 yr.
National, plus Chapter Dues
$ 72 ~ 2 yrs., National, plus Chapter Dues
$102 ~ 3 yrs., National, plus Chapter Dues
$ 34 ~ 1 yr., National, Dues W/holding,
plus Chapter Dues
(Retirees only eligible for Dues W/holding.)
NEW CHAPTER 1686 MEMBER:
Theddeus L. Nelson, 1018 E. Acoma Dr.,
Phoenix, AZ 85022-4324
Welcome to Chapter 1686 Sunnyslope!
We hope to meet you soon. ~ ~
$ 10 ~ 1 yr., Chapter
$ 40 ~ New Member, first year only
(Includes National and Chapter Dues.) ~ ~
See how long it takes you to do this.
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9
FYI:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
It takes glass one million years to decompose,
which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite number of times.
Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust, even if
it’s buried for thousands of years.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink
more water. When a human body is dehydrated, it’s thirst mechanism shuts off.
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in
your mouth by 61 percent.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body
that’s attached at only one end.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in
their hair. ~ ~
15
15
15
15
15
15
Put a number in each square, using each
number only once. Numbers across and down
must add up to “15”.
- - - Thanks to Richard Yee
Page 3 of 8.
SUMMARY - MINUTES OF THE
SEPTEMBER MEETING.:
President Virginia Ginter called
the meeting to order at 1:08 p.m. She
called for a moment of silence for all
departed members, and then led us in
the Pledge of Allegiance.
Secretary called the roll.
Carol Culbertson, today’s keynote speaker and
Chapter 1686 delegate to the 2014 NARFE National
Convention in Orlando, Florida, happily reported that
she was able to avoid meeting up with a large alligator that was spotted at the Rosen Centre Hotel,
where about 785 people were attending the convention.
Carol also reported on the many highlights of
the conventions such as the National Office election
results, bylaws amendments, and resolutions which
were voted on and passed or defeated. The resolution to require NARFE Headquarters to schedule
training of Chapter Service Officers at various locations was rejected. The resolution to reassign current nationwide E-NARFE members to statewide
chapters was withdrawn, so no action was taken.
Carol said that Democratic Congressman Alan
Grayson of Florida is fighting the Chained CPI. Also,
NARFE will save ½ million dollars right away by
eliminating the National Officer positions from four to
two. By 2016, NARFE should have an Executive
Director position at a salary of $200,000. The ENARFE chapter has 382 votes.
Carol was awarded a NARFE cup by President
Ginter.
John Curth made an observation that a simple
majority rule on voting might be better than the 2/3
rule, and it was suggested that he e-mail Rodney
Adelman about this matter.
Membership Officer Clarice Pharo gave her
membership report. She said the monthly report
from NARFE National showed that we have two new
members, two members have dropped out for nonpayment of dues, and there are three prospective
members. The membership drive has been extended until the end of this year. Recruiters will receive
$10.00 for each new member they recruit. The Arizona Federation has agreed to match the “finder’s
fee” of $10.00, making a total of $20.00 for each recruiter.
Legislative Officer Lois Gossett reported that
the House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution that will keep the government operating until Dec. 11, 2014. At this point in time, Congress has not used any means to block a one percent pay raise for federal employees granted by
Page 4 of 8.
President Barack Obama, so the raise is scheduled
to go into effect in January. The VA Construction .Assistance Act would seek increased oversight
of veterans’ hospitals. If signed into law, a project
manager from the Army Corps of Engineers would
oversee Veterans Affairs. that cost more than $60
million.
Lois also reported that the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee approved bipartisan
legislation that would give disabled vets who were
hired as federal employees access to their full year’s
sick leave immediately upon starting their jobs. The
Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act would give the
service-disabled 104 hours starting out, instead of
starting from zero, and accruing more leave as federal employees currently do.
Virginia discussed the summer luncheons. Lois
suggested we drop the Asian luncheon and suggested a barbecue place for next year.
Virginia discussed future speakers for our chapter meetings.
We will have a nominating committee to select
nominees for next year’s board. The committee consists of Eleanor Dullas and Carol Ehle.
For our October meeting, our chapter will conduct a mini-health fair from 11:00 to 12:45, before our
chapter meeting. Marc Rosales of Blue Cross/Blue
Shield and Brian Sperling of GEHA will be present.
Roberta reported that so far we have only heard from
Humana and United Concordia, whose representatives will not be able to attend.
Richard said that Dee Price of Chapter 1234
has offered to accompany him to the Sunnyslope
Post Office health fair and also the combined health
fair of the IHS, U.S. Attorneys Office, and DCMA.
Richard announced that the Alzheimer’s Walk
will take place on November 8th at Bolin Plaza. A
box for monetary donations from our members will be
placed in our meeting room during the October chapter meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at about 2:45 p.m.
(There were 16 members present.)
Submitted by Roberta Yee, Secretary ~ ~
FEDERATION WORKSHOP:
The Federation Workshop was held on September 26th and 27th at the Clarion Hotel in Ahwatukee. The following members of Chapter
1686 attended: Virginia Ginter, Carol Culbertson, Roberta and Richard Yee, Lois Gossett,
Clarice Pharo, Jean Rigtrup and Joan Ashton.
Several of these members will speak on the
highlights of this Workshop at the October 17tth
meeting. ~ ~
BIRTHDAYS: Oct. 16 thru Nov. 15th:
Richard Yee
Philip Hanna
Rita Kulawiec
Dale Armstrong
Alan Finkel
Oct. 20
Oct. 21
Oct. 21
Oct. 24
Nov. 11
Best Wishes!
SUNSHINE REPORT (Carol Ehle,
carollehle@gmail.com):
No cards sent this month . ~ ~
50/50 WINNERS:
Fred Garcia drew the winning names for the
September 50/50.
Winners of $7.00 each were
John Curth and Lois Gossett . The chapter treasury
received $14.00. ~ ~
President’s Message (Cont. from Pg. 1:
At the September workshop, Bill Gates and
Lisa Heidinger representing the two Governor
candidates presented the candidate's views on
issues, followed by a Q&A.
In Arizona, all the House of Representatives are up for re-election so this is an important election for NARFE. Read the article in
the October NARFE issue "How they voted:
113th Congress score card." We have escaped
certain threats in the past, but our earned benefits are never secure.
It is important if you have changed your
phone or email address (as many have) to
please let us know. Contact any of the officers,
phone numbers in back of newsletter.
Thank you to those members who will give
their time at this year’s Health Fairs. .
One last note. Each year I remind you,
"The Great Pumpkin is Coming". Don't believe Oh Dear! You will be missing out.
Happy Halloween! ~ ~
REFRESHMENTS:
The refreshments for the
September meeting were furnished by Jean
Rigtrup and Roseanne Sonchik. Thank you. ~ ~
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING:
The November Chapter 1686 Executive
Board meeting will be held on November 6,
2014, 1:00 p.m. in the Library Room at the
Cross Roads Church.
All members are welcome to attend.~ ~
BIRTHDAY DRAWINGS:
If you find the Hidden Birthdate in this newsletter and it’s yours, you will receive a NARFE
cup.
Also, if your name is drawn from the list of
birthdates in the newsletter, you will receive a
cup.
No one claimed the September hidden
birthday.
Three names were drawn from the list in the
newsletter - Gary Gard, Elnora Robinson and
Rolf Cartharius. None were present, so no cups
were given out. ~ ~
ELECTION OF CHAPTER OFFICERS:
Election of Chapter 1686 President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer will be held
at the November Meeting.
Eleanor Dullas (602-266-2664) and Carol
Elhe (602-943-7308) are in charge of getting a
slate of officers for the election.
If you are willing to serve the chapter by
running for one of these positions, call Eleanor
or Carol and let them know.
The Appointed Officers, consisting of Legislation, Membership, Service Officer, Public
Relations, and Editor will be appointed by the
President after election. Are you willing to serve
as one of those?
Also, there are committee chairmanship
positions that need to be filled. Step up and let
us know how you can help. Your chapter needs
you. ~ ~
FEHBP Open Season:
Nov. 10th through Dec. 8th, 2014
Check out our AZ Federation Web page at:
http://www.narfeaz.com
Page 5 of 8.
CHAPTER 1686 HOLIDAY PARTY:
ALZHEIMER’S WALK:
The Chapter 1686 Annual Holiday Party
will be held at the IronWorks Restaurant on December 19, 2014, starting at 11:30 a.m.
The entrée will be a choice of Turkey, Pork
Chops or Meat Loaf, along with salad, potatoes,
vegetable, coffee or tea, and rolls.
The charge will still be $15.00 per person
and the chapter will pay the difference in price.
The Chapter 1686 officers for 2015 will be
installed at the party. There will be a Silent
Auction, Door Prizes, 50/50 and the Losers’
Prize drawing. If you turned in all of your losing
50/50 tickets for the year, you will have another
chance to win a prize.
Plan to attend, send in your reservations
early, and we’ll see you at the party. ~ ~
The Walk will be held Saturday, November
8, 2014, at Wesley Bolin Plaza, 1700 W. Washington St.. Phoenix, AZ.
Live entertainment throughout the morning.
One- and three– mile Walk routes are available,
all paved and over flat surfaces.
♦
♦
♦
7:30 a.m. - Registration
8:45 a.m. - Walk Program starts
9:15 a.m. - Walk begins
If you are unable to participate in the Walk
but would like to donate to the cause, give or
send your check to Richard
Yee and he will give it to the
Alzheimer’s Assn. (Richard’s
address is on Page 8.) ~ ~
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS FOR HOLIDAY PARTY:
A Silent Auction will be held at the Holiday Party again this year. Due to limited space, we plan
on having fewer items and items of better quality.
If you have a nice item that you would like to donate for the auction, please bring it to the October or November meeting. Jean Rigtrup and Roseanne Sonchik will be in charge of this event. ~ ~
CHAPTER 1686 ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY
WHERE:
IronWorks Restaurant, 17233 N. 45th Ave., Glendale., AZ
WHEN:
Friday, December 19th, 2014 - TIME: 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
COST:
$15.00 per person - Includes Tax & Gratuity
ENTRÉE: _____ Turkey; _____ Pork Chops; _____ Meat Loaf (Mark how many of each.)
NAME: ____________________________ SPOUSE: __________________
Guests: _____________________________________________
Total Number Attending: ________ @ $15.00
=
(List names)
$ __________ enclosed.
Installation of Chapter 2015 Officers
Silent Auction
Door Prizes
50/50
Losers’ Prize
Make check payable to: Chapter 1686 NARFE, and give or mail to: Clarice Pharo,
825 E. Cinnabar Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020-1732. Reservation Deadline: Dec. 9, 2014. ~ ~
Page 6 of 8.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Oct. 17, 2014 (Fri.)
Nov. 06, 2014 (Thurs.) Nov. 21, 2014 (Fri.)
Dec. 19, 2014 (Fri.) May 3 –5, 2015
-
Chapter 1686 Mtg., Cross Roads Church, Northern & Central Aves., Phx.
Chapter 1686 Exec. Board Mtg.,Cross Roads Church, Northern & Central Aves., Phx.
Chapter 1686 Monthly Mtg., Cross Roads Church, Northern & Central Aves., Phx.
Chapter 1686 Annual Holiday Party, IronWorks Restaurant, Glendale, AZ
Federation Convention, Windermere Hotel in Sierra Vista, AZ ~ ~
DONATIONS FOR DESERT MISSION:
Thanks to those who brought items to the
September meeting for Desert Mission. Three
large boxes of clothing and miscellaneous items,
along with food items were delivered to the Mission following the meeting.
We hope members will bring new or like
new, unwrapped toys to the November meeting
for the Mission to distribute during the holidays.
Desert Mission, right here in Sunnyslope,
has been our chapter charity for a number of
years. Their Treasure Trove Thrift Store on Central Avenue has closed and they have opened a
new, larger store at 333 E. Dunlap Avenue. It’s
new name is North Mountain Community
Thrift Store. With the larger store, they need
more Items to fill it. They would appreciate good
used clothing and household goods and mentioned that at the present time they are short of
purses.
Stop in and visit their new store. They have
some very nice items. ~ ~
2014 NARFE SCHOLARSHIPS:
Scholarship winners have been announced
and one is Jenna Richie, the granddaughter of
our Chapter 1686 member Marlyne Falk. Jenna
will attend the University of Arizona..
The other Arizona winner is Austin Platt,
grandson of Merle Zunigha of Chapter 1395.
Austin will attend Grand Canyon University. ~ ~
We sincerely thank the First Credit Union for supporting our newsletter with their monthly advertisement.
Stop in and visit them at 803 East Devonshire Ave., Phoenix, AZ ~ ~ 9-15
THIS CREDIT UNION IS FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION
Page 7 of 8.
NARFE
Nat’l. Active & Retired Fed. Employees Assn.
Chapter 1686 Sunnyslope
Clarice M. Pharo, Editor
825 E. Cinnabar Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85020-1732
Time Value
OCTOBER 2014
Address Service Requested
Dated Material
CHAPTER 1686 EXECUTIVE BOARD:
President:
1st V. President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Virginia Ginter
602 942-6093
Carol Culbertson
602 943-7834
623 337-4498
Roberta Yee
Richard Yee
623 337-4498
8844 W. Kings Ave.
Peoria, AZ 85382-3511
Legislative:
Lois Gossett
Unlisted
Membership:
Clarice Pharo
602 943-4753
Service Officer: Richard Yee
623 337-4498
602 943-7834
Public Relations: Carol Culbertson
Editor:
Clarice Pharo
602 943-4753
COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN:
Sunshine, Carol Ehle:
602 943-7308
Greeter, Lynn Engles:
602 265-3750
Membership Records,
Fred Garcia:
623 878-7007
Attendance and 50/50
Fred Garcia
623 878-7007
Refreshments, Clarice Pharo 602 943-4753
Telephone Chairman,
Virginia Ginter:
602 942-6093
NARFE-Pac Coordinator, Vacant
Asst. to Editor, Jean Rigtrup: 602 841-1203
* * * * * * * * * *
Dist. 1 V. Pres.: Thad Andreski
Fed. President: Rodney Adelman
Reg. VII V. Pres.: Frank Impinna
928 252-6743
623 505-4719
303 482-1747
October
Flower
Calendula
Page 8 of 8.
Stone
Opal
CHAPTER TELEPHONE CALLERS:
Richard Yee
Roberta Yee
Joan Ashton
Barbara Campbell
Carol Ehle
Need a Caller
-
Addie to Clark
Carlos to Gilchrist
Ginter to Kelber
Kelleman to Miller
Moed to Schultz
Solnit to Zandee
Contact Virginia (602 942-6093) if you would
like to be a caller. Thank you. ~ ~