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President's Message
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Archives
October 2009
By Patty Jordan, President
Up and Away with PTA
Have you ever seen the launch of a group of hot air balloons? When my children were young, our family watched in awe as a cluster of hot air balloons floated freely over an open field. They were all headed in the same direction. Each had its own distinct color and size. Some were higher and some were lower. In the distance they seemed so small, yet as they got closer we were able to see how big and beautiful they were. Most of the work with hot air balloons happens before the balloon leaves the ground. It takes a team to carefully orchestrate a lift-off. A suitable launching point must be found, and the basket and burner must be correctly attached. Then the burner is lit and the balloon begins to inflate and rise. In PTA, building our membership and keeping our organization strong and vibrant also depends on teamwork. And the results can be just as beautiful! Our Fourth District PTA membership theme for 2009-2011 is Up, Up and Away with PTA! Now that school has begun, much of the work needed to orchestrate the “lift-off” of your PTA has already taken place. Even though your PTA may be up and floating, the work doesn’t end here. Just as the burners must always be lit so hot air continues to keep the balloon afloat, so must your PTA continue with the message of every child, one voice. Just how important is membership to the PTA? Our very existence as an organization is based on our members. The purpose of our organization is to serve our members and their children. As we advocate in Sacramento and elsewhere, the more members we have, the greater our voice. We need members to be a viable organization and to accomplish the mission and many goals of PTA. Recruiting new members is not the job of the membership chair alone. Every officer and chair in your unit or council is responsible for building membership. How many members will you bring into your PTA? Have you asked your past presidents to join? Did you remember to ask past Honorary Service Award recipients? Don’t forget your principal, teachers, superintendents and local school board members. In a survey conducted by National PTA, the number one reason for not joining PTA was simple: “I was not asked.” It is our responsibility to ASK everyone around us. Make sure YOU are part of the ground crew and lift our PTA to new heights!
As published in the October 2009 issue of "Orange Leaves". For subscription
information, click here.