[CTSARA] SARA 2014 Annual Report and 2015 Dues Notice

[Jon Perelstein]

Stamford Amateur Radio Association (SARA)
2014 Annual Report and 2015 Dues Notice

Thank you all for another good year.  No major storms or disasters this
year (<whew>), just another year of enjoying ham radio.
Highlights for 2014:

* With the merger of the Bennett Cancer Center Hope-In-Motion bike ride
into the Bloomin Metric, we provided support for the Bloomin (along with
members of GNARC and other clubs), and we did a great job of it.  In
conjunction with other clubs, we also supported the Bikes for Bikes event -
with prominent mention in their newsletters that reach hundreds of their
dedicated members.  New this year some of our members participated in the
communications support for the Fairfield Half Marathon and for the Harry
Chapin Run Against Hunger (in Westchester).

* Field Day - ahhh Field Day.  Incredible performance all around.

* Regardless of points, we had a great Field Day.  We had over 70 visitors
to the site, had cable news coverage on News 12, and had adio coverage on
WSHU.  The food was good and we had another great demo by Georgi Todorov
K1GTT.  Thanks to everyone who participated and special thanks to Terry
W1TSM (our fearless Field Day leader) and to Ernest KA1NGG and Steve KB1YLQ
(logistics - especially food).

* We continue to have good attendance at the meetings with good programs.
John WB1GRB continues to maintain an outstanding club website (
www.ctsara.org) with the best listing of local repeaters and the Mailman
reflector is a major avenue for communications to hams throughout the
area.  Our Facebook page (Stamford Amateur Radio Association) continues to
get more hits and members.  We hope to have an antenna construction project
at an upcoming meeting.

* Eight of our members are members of Stamford CERT - which is the
mechanism that the City has chosen to use for volunteer assistance in time
of emergencies.  Our CERT members are the backbone of communications within
Stamford CERT and have been asked to provide communications training to
other CERTs in the area.  We need more hams in CERT!!!!!

* Two of our members were pictured on the front page of the Advocate while
participating in the statewide Emergency Preparedness drill back in June.
During that exercise, we demonstrated Winlink to City officials and got to
use it in communications with state officials.


The Board wishes to thank all of you who participated in 2014.

As always, the club IS growing and there is always need for members to help
plan and run the various activities.   Looking forward to 2015, we have
opportunities:
* To work with NBC Sports,
* To help students at AITE with electronics and math, and help students get
their ham licenses, and
* If our work with AITE goes well, to set up a ham club at AITE.


*****



Membership is open to all licensed hams. Dues are $25 for the year, which
includes membership for you and members of your immediate family.  Dues are
$10 for matriculated students and hams that live outside a 50 mile radius
of Stamford.  New hams are welcome to be members at no charge for the year
in which they first become licensed.

In the past, club members have made donations in addition to dues to
support activities of SARA.  We are a 501(C)(3) corporation and your
donations qualify for tax deductions under the 501(c)(3) rules.

Dues to SARA help us to fund the following:

* Costs associated with our website (ctsara.org)
* Business registration and taxes
* Mailman reflector
* Insurance
* Operation of 4 repeater radios at 2 sites plus their care and maintenance
* Field day operation which includes equipment, supplies and four meals

In an effort to reduce SARA’s substantial cost for sending out bills we are
moving to electronic information and notification. In all the above
endeavors we try to spend your dues carefully and wisely and we appreciate
your understanding.  You can register for membership and pay on-line at

http://www.ctsara.org/SARAdues.htm

If you register on-line you will pay by Paypal - the largest on-line
payment processor in the world and considered to be highly secure.  You do
not have to have a Paypal account to pay by Paypal - you will be able to
just enter your credit card information.  Of course, if you do have a
Paypal account you will be able to use that.

If you do not want to register and pay on-line, you can print out and mail
in the registration form below.


Last Name ______________________________________________ DUES  Standard $25
____


First Name ______________________________________________ Student/Out of
area $10 ____


City, State, Zip ___________________________________________ DONATION $
______


Telephone (h) _____________________________


Telephone (c) _____________________________


Call ____________________ Class _________________


Email _________________________________________

Please make checks payable to Stamford Amateur Radio Association and mail to

Ernest Laug
33 Vincent Ave
Stamford, CT  06905

When you fill out your membership form please be assured that the
information you provide is for internal use only and is not circulated.