Four New Year's Resolutions for 2012!

1. Double our active membership to 30 members for our group.

In order to do this will need to promote our group throughout the Upstate Community. It will require us to complete and expand our promotion plan for the group. Each member can contribute to this goal in a number of ways and help to spread the word about our cause in the community.

2. Expand & maintain our financial status for this year.

We have made a tremendous amount of ground for our group's financial status and we are certainly starting on very stable footing now as we have been given many blessings in the form of financial support. However with that success comes the responsibility to maintain and grow our efforts. We will need to solidify our charitable status as a group and consider our options to expand our reach. That will give us many more options to help and inform others about Lymphedema.

3. Continue to provide stable education discussions for the year.

We have a strong set of speakers and support session this past year, and we need to continue the effort for the entire year. We all can agree that one of our major goals is to give our members the education and options to make "Living with Lymphedema" easier and more robust. We will be asking for your feedback to the kinds of sessions we need to bring in order to give our members all the information we need.

4. Finally, I want to add to our list the personal goal of each of us making ourselves healthier by the end of this year than we are now. Let us all work to turn the tables on our habits and reverse the trends to lead us all to healthier lives.

How can you help to achieve these goals for this year?

Well, I mentioned before I would ask each of you for four commitments to help achieve our goals so here they are.

1. Commit to do at least two actions a month to promote the group in your community (i.e. your school, work, or church). That could be bringing a friend to a meeting, putting up a Promotional Display at a local business, or getting an announcement read in your church. Promoting this group to the local community is responsibility of us all. By the way, I am including attending the monthly meetings as one of those actions - so you miss a meeting, you'll need to commit to something else to promote our group.

2. Pay your dues and become an active member for the year. This helps us accomplish two goals to grow membership and give a strong foundation to our group, financially. Of course, being active means attending meetings, providing feedback and promoting the group.

3. Suggested at least one speaker or educational topic to our speakers committee to schedule for our group. Keeping our speaker options varied and interesting for each meeting will help us accomplish all of our goals as we promote Upstate Monarchs to the community.

4. Finally, for the personal goal to be healthier in 2012: We will need to support each other to achieve that result: That means being accountable to each other, praising our successes and giving constructive criticism when needed.

As with all resolutions it will take a determined effort to achieve this, but I know we are up to the task. Our families and friends will thank us for that effort.

Thank you for the effort you already have given to our group thus far, and I am wishing a Happy and Healthy New Year to all our members and supporters.

Best Wishes to the New Year,

Bobby

Bobby Clark

President

Upstate Monarchs