Post date: Jan 11, 2011 7:47:50 PM
IBM Tampa Bay Retiree Club
Steering Council Meeting
January 11, 2011 Meeting Minutes
Presiding: Jim Hughes
Attendees: Hari Arora, Donna Fryza, Susan Gryzbowski, Dianne Hartt, Mary Ann McCoy
Janell Ray participated by conference call
Judy Manowitz called in to report on the Back to the Races event
2011 Assignments - Jim
Jim – President, meeting minutes, mass emails
Hari – Vice President, assist with Seminars, IBM executive contact
Donna - IBM Coordinator, IBM Club, Golf Outings
Susan - Seminars
Dianne - Golf Outings
Mary Ann - Volunteer Council, Retiree Data Base
Norm - Treasurer
Harry - Website
Judy Manowitz is coordinating the Back to the Races event.
Membership Report - Susan
Ron Rosenblatt has indicated interest in contributing to the Club. Susan will contact him and invite him to the next Steering Council meeting. Ron will be invited to join the Steering Council to assist Susan with Seminars,
Treasurer's Report - Hari for Norm
The current account balance is $1,866.17. A deposit of $150 was made for Back to the Races
on November 30 which will be reimbursed from the event fees. A deposit for the May 7 Golf Outing will be required in April.
Retiree Database and Membership Registration Report – Mary Ann
The Retiree Data Base has 803 entries. New registrations are being added to both the Retiree Data Base and the mass email data base on Vertical Response. A number of new entries have been made as a result of the Seminars, especially the Medical Benefits Seminars. Retirees are starting to use the web site more for additions and changes. Dianne will send a list of emails for the Golf Outings to Mary Ann to review for potential adds and/or updates to the data base.
Website Report - Jim for Harry
Access of the website grew monthly from 263 in August to 630 in December due to Club activities in the Fall and the rescheduling of the Medical Benefits Seminars to December.
Seminars Report - Susan
The Is this What Recovery Feels Like Seminar was attended by 35 retirees. 22 other retirees registered for the Seminar but didn't attend. The average rating was 4.5 of 5.0. Presenters might be changed this year to get a different perspective.
The Medical Benefits Seminars were again a big success with 125 attendees and average rating 4.6 of 5.0 for the Medicare/Medicare Seminar. 5 retirees attended the non-Medicare round table. The Medicare/non-Medicare Seminar was canceled this year due to delay by IBM in enrollment and 2011 benefits documentation causing a conflict with a vacation commitment. The documentation was emailed to 45 registered retirees on 12/15 and questions handled by email and phone. Response of retirees was positive and no issues were reported.
Participants this year included retirees from groups from Orlando and The Villages with Seminar documents provided to others in Central and North Florida by their representatives and the Club web site. On December 17, Hari and Jim participated in a Q&A conference call with about 45 retirees from the Orlando Retiree Club.
Changes planned for next year include a transition to Medicare module for the non-Medicare roundtable and Jim and Hari coordinating retiree Q&As for each other's session.
The annual Tax Seminar is tentatively scheduled for March 1. Doug House and Paul Houser will present the Seminar again this year. Janell will ensure that retirees in Orlando are aware of the Seminar and the value it has provided to retirees who have attended in the past. This is the only Seminar planned for the Spring.
Volunteer Council Report - Mary Ann
Mary Ann coordinated school supply collection at a Bucs game for the Hillsborough Education Foundation Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools.
Donna was honored as the On Demand Community volunteer of the month. She led a group of volunteers that provided 217 Christmas stocking to the Child Abuse Council store.
As part of IBM's 100 year anniversary celebration in June, employees around the world will be asked to perform 8 hours of community service. Retirees will also be invited to participate to help commemorate the milestone.
The Volunteer Council has been less active lately because of limited volunteer opportunities especially with the Aquarium and Humane Society. Many volunteer opportunities are during the workweek and active IBMers are unable to participate.
Golf Outings Report- Dianne
The Community Fall Golf Outing October 1 at East Lake Woodlands Golf & Country Club only had 16 participants. Those that participated enjoyed the event including course, food and amenities. Usually 40- 60 people participate in the Golf Outings. A number of folks that normally participate were unable to participate due to various circumstances. Also the first weekend of the month may have been a factor. The Spring Outing is scheduled for May 6 at Plantation Palms.
Back to the Races - Judy
The event will be held Saturday, April 2 at Tampa Bay Downs in the Party Room which can accommodate up to about 90 people. A minimum of 50 people must attend or the event will be canceled and $150 deposit forfeited. The $22 per person includes a tip. Judy will check on the 1 complimentary ticket that has been provided in the past. Judy will pay the remaining amount based on actual head count 1 week before the event and will be reimbursed by the Club. There is a lot of interest in the event and we expect to exceed the 50 minimum.
Active employees are invited and Donna will include a notice in Stu Bean's newsletter
IBM Synergy – Donna
The IBM 2010 Community Picnic was a big success again. About 22 retirees and guests attended this year. A 2011 Community Picnic is subject to the availability of funding.
The IBM Club is currently renegotiating their contract for discounts for Seaworld. These discounts are temporarily unavailable but expected to be available again soon. A new discount is available from AirTran.
A celebration is planned at the Convention Center on June 17 to commemorate IBM's 100 year anniversary. Retirees will be invited to participate in the celebration with a fee to be determined.
Mailing
The mailing is planned for the week of January 28. Jim will provide the letter and documents for the Back to the Races and Tax Seminar events to Lee by Tuesday January 18. The Tax Seminar flyer will also be posted on the web site. The flyer, directions, and registration form for Back to the Races is already posted. A mass email reminder is planned for the 4th week in February with reference to the web site for detail information and forms.
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Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 22 from 11 AM to 1 PM at IBM Harborview.