August 2015 MRTF President’s Message
Greetings to the “MRTA FAMILY” from the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation (MRTF). In the May edition, I mentioned green leaves, green grass, and blooming flowers. Guess what? Things are still very green with lots of rain. We should enjoy because it is unusual for this time of the year. Yards are not burned up yet, but it is getting very warm.
I would like to touch briefly on two quick items in this edition of MRTA In Motion. First is the status of the 2015 Classroom Grants. The fourteen MRTA Region Vice Presidents are very busy organizing the selection committees in their regions for the grants. Some regions have already made their selections. The due date for grant applications was June 30. The goal is to have the checks in the hands of winners by the time school starts. The Foundation Board of Directors is very proud of this program. 2015 will be the BEST YEAR EVER with the number of grants available. Each of the fourteen (14) MRTA regions will receive four (4) grants for a total of fifty-six (56) CLASSROOM GRANTS in 2015. Each grant will be in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500). The number of grants has increased significantly the last several years (2009-5, 2010-7, 2011-14, 2012-14, 2013-44, 2014-44, and 2015-56). The continuing and generous support of the (MRTA FAMILY) makes this wonderful program possible. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
The second item to mention is the upcoming SILENT AUCTION to be held in conjunction with the MRTA ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting will be held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City on Wednesday/Thursday, September 16-17, 2015. The flyer below as well as a bid sheet was included in the packet of information about the annual meeting and was sent to Local Unit Presidents earlier. Last year’s Auction was the most successful ever. The number of items and money received ($9,000) was a record. Karen Miller and Jan Powers will Co-Chair the auction this year. We really appreciate the wonderful support of INDIVIDUALS AND LOCAL UNITS in this event. Let’s make 2015 a BIGGER and BETTER result than last year. All proceeds to the Silent Auction will go toward the CLASSROOM GRANT PROGRAM.
Walter Cochran
MRTF President