Today’s Meeting: Induction of 2018/19 club officers and a member’s meeting
Future Speakers:
June 19th – David Wertz of PC Works – discussing Cyber Security
June 26th – TBD
Whacha’ May Have Missed Last Week: What a great meeting last week as we presented an Amtryke to 4 year old Cohen Allen of Altoona. At the table, Cohen was surrounded by his family…..Mother Stephanie, Father David, Sister Elisa, and Brother Hudson. Cohen was born with a head defect so severe that he was hospitalized for over 650 days at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. His father told me that he quit his job as an on-the-road salesman to devote more home time to Cohen. He then decided to make a career change and has since earned his nursing degree from St Francis. His mother told me that Cohen rides a therapeutic tricycle at his Kid’s First therapy sessions and therefore when he got on his very own new Amtryke, he knew exactly what to do. Before they left the meeting, Cohen’s brother and sister were already planning to ride their bikes with Cohen when they got home. In the picture, Cohen is surrounded by President Kristan, his Mother Stephanie, Father David, and Sister Elisa.
Our speaker was Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror. Neil is the Mirror’s managing editor and has been for the last 12+ years. Neil, a Johnstown native, came to Altoona when he attended Penn State Altoona as a journalism major. He began writing for the Mirror when he covered PSU-Altoona sports beginning in 1974. He stated that he often filed his stories by slipping them under the door of the Mirror’s then Green Avenue office. The Mirror began publication in 1874 and has changed quite a bit since its inception. Neil noted that the paper, contrary to when he started, is now a morning paper that is published seven days per week. Its coverage area has expanded to now include news and sports in Cambria, Bedford, and Huntingdon counties. He also talked about how newspapers have struggled with the instant access to news that people now have, but mentioned that smaller community papers have been impacted less so than the larger markets. A typical Mirror weekday will see them print about 20,000 papers. On Sundays they print about 30,000 (the largest editions between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg). Neil also discussed his involvement with the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame. Since its first class in 1987, the hall has recognized many great Blair County athletes and coaches and has presented a number of high school athletes with scholarships. To date, 85 inductees to the hall and over $100,000 given in scholarships makes the efforts of Neil and the other HOF member’s time very worthwhile.
Guests of the Day:
…..There were none.
News of the Week:
…..New president, Kristan noted that grant writer, Dave Aikens, presented her with a $2,500 check for our Amtryke fund from the UPMC Altoona Foundation. Dave has been very busy writing numerous grant requests on the fund’s behalf. Dave’s hard work has paid off from the generous donations that he has secured over the last year or so. Great job Dave and thanks to the UPMC Altoona Foundation!
…..Mark your calendar….the AMBUCS will face WeCare in the WeCare Softball Marathon on Friday, August 10th, at Seitz field in Eldorado. Tony Miller needs players. Details to follow soon.
…..Last week’s Amtryke presentation to Cohen Allen was funded by a very generous donation from Top to Bottom Commercial Interiors! Top to Bottom creates exceptional workspaces by listening carefully to your workplace objectives. Using state-of-the-art software they can design your new or renovated commercial space with furniture, flooring and window treatments. Visit them at www.t2binteriors.com or by calling their Altoona office at 942-3250. A big thanks goes out to Top to Bottom from both Cohen and the Altoona AMBUCS!
…..The AMBUCS board resumed their meeting following our regular meeting last Tuesday. The meeting agenda included a discussion on several publicity items and it was decided to share these items in a special meeting this week along with the official induction of the club officers. Also discussed was the current backlog of 10 Amtrykes that we have on backorder. National AMBUCS has announced that most of the Amtryke models are on backorder until July.
…..Winner – Winner – Chicken Dinner! Actually, many chicken dinners as Dean McKnight strode to the head table when his ticket was drawn last week and quickly made his card selection. What do you know….he chose the Joker that has eluded so many before him. Dean’s share of the raffle pot was $800! This week, we will start with a new deck, two Jokers, and a starting pot of $50.
In Closing:
