Staff Blogs, Newsletters, and other News

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Hello one and all,

I hope this email finds you in good health.

We have had a heck of a summer so far with all the fires, bad air quality and the hot weather making everything worse, so please be careful out there and stay safe. DRINKS LOTS OF WATER. This message is a quick reminder the SCM (state Committee Meeting) will be held on Saturday October 22nd at 3pm. Chapter president or representative, please make plans to attend. It will be the last meeting under the old NorCal Good Sam org.

This meeting is very important as it will mostly consist of conversation about our future in NorCal without Good Sam.  I had to change the original deadline date from December 1, 2022, to November 1, 2022, as when you need to let me know if your chapter is staying on with the new NorCal RV group or if you have decided to leave NorCal altogether. The new NorCal RV Group will be in place January 1. 2023.

A vote by ballot involving all your members is all that is required, with the majority results being the deciding factor. Please send the results of your vote to me at [email protected] so that we at NorCal have a record of your decision.

The November 1st deadline still gives chapters 3 months to make a decision.

The new NorCal staff will be mostly focused on putting together the annual Round-Up camp out for the chapters as well as anyone who would like to attend, you don't have to be a member of NorCal or Good Sam for that matter, all are welcome.

This event will take place at the Casa de Fruta RV park April 27 thru April 30, 2023. We already have the facility reserved.

We have a lot in store for you. There will be more info on this as we get closer to those dates.

The chapters remaining with NorCal after the first of the year will continue to operate like they have in the past year with no interference from NorCal unless asked to do so by the chapter President or it's representative. There will also be NO $5 state rig fee imposed on the rigs in each chapter. we see no need for this at this time.  Your chapter dues are your business and it's up to you as a chapter on how you utilize your funds.

We only ask that you adhere to the State SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) as a guideline to assist your chapter on how to conduct its business and meetings so that we all are operating with some unity and similarity which will help in avoiding any future problems.

So why stay in NorCal?   Well, it's to provide for the chapters something on a bigger scale that they can be a part of while joining together with other chapters in our area and sharing their camping experiences. Just having the option of being in communication with other chapters is a great asset especially if you are in need of more campers for your chapter outings.

We all share a common bond and its RVing. We share our experiences about the places we go to either as a group or just with a few rigs or even venturing out on our own. We get to meet so many interesting people along the way and to me that's what it's all about.

If you were to ask yourself the question "Why did I join an RV chapter?" I'll bet your answer would be about the same as most folks. It's To meet new people and see and experience new places together. That's why we are keeping NorCal together.

The web page will continue to stay active with only a few minor changes but all the info on the chapters who stay in NorCal will have their info available for future prospective members. If you google RV chapters in Northern CA you will see our web page pops up. So, our web page will continue to be an important tool not only for our members but also for those looking to join with other RV enthusiasts.

I hope that you will like what we are offering and decide to stick around, at least for one more year, after all you can leave NorCal anytime you like without going through all the red tape of de-chartering your chapter as before with Good Sam.

Our goal is to have an organization that listens to what you the members want and what you have to say.

We are here to help your chapters in any way we can.

FYI...SoCal Good Sam organization is also staying together and proceeding without Good Sam just as we are.

Please be safe out there and remember to always practice good RV etiquette, we should do our best to remain polite, kind and courteous to other RVers and RV park employees we may encounter throughout our travels.

Thanks for your time and I hope to see you at the next SCM on Saturday October 22nd, 2022, at 3pm via zoom, I will send the zoom link out to you all as we get closer to the date.

Respectfully Yours:

Mike Ward

State Director

NorCal Good Sam

 

Good morning all. I hope you are staying healthy and cool as we roll into our summer here in the central valley and central coast areas.

I hope everyone has received word by now of what's going on with the Good Sam organization concerning the changes with their involvement with the State Directors and the chapters in each of the states.  Good Sam will be pulling away from the chapters and Directors programs effective 12/31/22 leaving them on their own to continue as chapters under their own individual state programs.  The chapter presidents have been given all the information about this and were asked to forward this info to all their chapter members in May of this year.

Each chapter will be allowed to leave the NorCal organization and continue on their own starting Jan 1,  2023 only if there is a unanimous vote from their membership wanting to do so. This vote must take place by December 1, 2022, and the results reported to Mike Ward, the NorCal State Director at [email protected] by December 15, 2022. 

NorCal will still be staying on as a state representative for all NorCal chapters wishing to stay under the new NorCal RV Group and it will be business as usual with the only difference being Good Sam will not be a part of our future.

I'm hoping the chapters will stay in NorCal and help us at the state level to make NorCal RV Group a success. We are here for the members of all the chapters and will not interfere with any of your chapter business or functions unless asked to do so by your chapter President or a qualified representative.

Our main function will be putting together the yearly Round-Up for the chapters to attend in the last week of April. The State Rally will now be known as the State Round-up as the term Rally pertains to a Good Sam function and on December 31, 2022, we will no longer be under Good Sam's rule. We will be on our own with each chapter proceeding as they have in the past.

Your Good Sam membership will still stay in place so you can access all the same deals and discounts that you have received over the years. Your chapter dues will be governed by the chapters along with the SOPs/By-laws.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me at [email protected].  Email works best as I get a ton of spam phone calls, as do you I'm sure, and I have my phone set up to block unwanted phone calls.

On a different note, Elections for your state Director and State Treasurer will be happening this November so if you would like to submit any nominations for these offices, please send them to Sharon Murray at [email protected] by October 15, 2022, so we can prepare ballots for the membership to vote on by November 15, 2022.

Thank you for your time and please be safe out there.

Respectfully Yours:

Mike Ward

State Director

NorCal Good Sam

 

Hello friends and fellow RVers.        

We have finally started to get some good spring weather but along with it comes the allergy season. The blossoms are beautiful but can reek havoc on your sinuses so please take care of your selves as you venture out traveling here and there.     

We had a fantastic turnout for our first NorCal Round-up April 28 thru May 1st at Casa de Fruta. We had 35 rigs representing 7 chapters with 65 persons in attendance.  

Our first gathering was the Happy Hour event which took place Friday afternoon at 4:30. Everyone brought an appetizer along with their favorite beverage.  There were games to play and lots of socializing with other chapters. Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed the stress free environment.  

Saturday evening brought on the staff hosted BBQ of hamburgers and hotdogs. There were lots of side dishes brought by the members of each chapter and of course lots of yummy desserts. One thing is for sure when you get a group of RVers together there is never a shortage of food. My thanks to all who brought dishes and desserts.      

During each event raffle prizes were handed out and every rig got a prize, no one went home empty handed.  A very special congratulations to our GRAND PRIZE winner Kathy Snyder from the Durham Travel Nuts.  She won a 3 night stay at Casa de Fruta RV park payed in full by NorCal for our next Round-up event April 27-30, 2023.       

I  was very proud of our NorCal staff as they worked their butts off to make this event happen for the members of NorCal. I am blessed to be surrounded by these amazing caring hard working people.  I want to thank all those who attended and helped to make this event a success.   Like I have always said   “It takes a village “  

I ask that as we head out in our rigs to experience and explore this great country of ours  that we do so safely and remember to always practice good RV etiquette, Always be considerate of others, you don't know what kind of day they have been having, so practice a little patience and try to be polite kind and courteous.       

Thanks again to all of you. it’s an honor to be your NorCal Director.       

Respectfully yours: 

Mike Ward.              

The NCGS State Committee meeting was called to order by Director Mike Ward at 3:07 pm on April 23, 2022. 

After the meeting was openned we had the invocation prayer by Dave Tomlinson, NorCal Chaplain and then the Pledge of Allegiance lead by Mike Murray. 

The following NorCal State Staff was present. Mike Ward, NorCal State Director, Wally Luihn, NorCal State Assistant Director, Sharon Murray, NorCal State Editor/Tel-A-Sam, Dave Tomlinson NorCal Chaplain, Shirley Harms, NorCal Charity. 

Roll Call was then carried out with (6) Chapters being represented at the meeting.  Those Chapters present were Gold Nugget Sams, Lazy Daisy Sams, Lucky Ones, San Jose Blackjacks, Tuleburg Sams and the Durham Good Sams. 

Minutes were presented as published.  Motion was made to accept the minutes as presented by Lisa Lewis and Seconded by Shirley Harms, motion was approved and motion was carried. 

Treasurer’s Report was presented as published.  Motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented by Mike Murry and Seconded by Scott Linenbroker, motion was approved and motion was carried. 

Announcements:   

NorCal State Offices Filled 

Mike Murray – NorCal Head of Security (Sheriff) 

Dave Tomlinson – NorCal Chaplain 

Audrey Johnson – NorCal Web Master/Secretary 

      Mike Ward stated that Audrey has done a lot of work on the NorCal Website and has 

      made it more user friendly. He is asking that each Chapter notify Audrey of any changes 

      in officers or other pertinent information. 

Doug Kreitz  - NorCal Photographer/Historian 

NorCal Round-up April 28-May 1st, 2022 

When checking in at Casa De Fruta each rig will receive an envelope with 2 tickets in it to be used for raffle prizes and drawings, so be sure to hang onto those tickets.  Approximately 40 rigs from NorCal will be attending. 

Friday Night there will be a Happy Hour at 4:30 at the Outdoor Pavillion with raffle drawings.  Please bring an appetizer to share.  Also bring your own beverage. 

Saturday Night there will be a BBQ hosted by the State Staff.  Hamburgers and Hot Dogs with all the fixins will be provided along with utensils, plates, etc.  Please bring a side dish or dessert to share and your own beverage. 

The only wood fires allowed at Casa De Fruta are to be in the fire pits at the end of each row.  Propane fires are allowed. 

Unfinished Business:   

The NorCal Travel Trailer that had been stored at Casa De Fruta for almost 2 years needed to be moved.  It was moved to Dave Tomlinson’s Sons’ property in March.   

Chapter of the Year Award is on pause/hold – due to Covid. They hope to start up again next year 

Shirley Harms Reported that the total of $11,098 was reported.  A brief discussion followed regarding the fact that the Chapters are allowed to use members personal monies and volunteer hours not just monies and hours specifically from the club.  They talked about the Good Sam Pledge and it stated that we all are to help others whether that be in donating time or money.  Those that donate their time can use the figure of $15 per hour when calculating a Charity Report to Shirley. 

Sharon Murray requested that she receive all articles for the Spring Issue of Tel-A-Sam be received no later than May 15th.  Please email your article to [email protected] 

A brief discussion was held regarding Prayers at Outings whether before a meal or a meeting.  Mike Ward just asked that they remain generic or non-sectarian.   Chapters are welcome to just ask for a moment of silence.  We have a diverse membership and we do not want to offend anyone. 

New Business: 

NorCal Rally for 2023 – April 27-30 – Casa De Fruta  - SHOULD HAPPEN!! 

We will carry forward the theme “A Salute to America the Beautiful” as well as the Veteran Wall.  Elvis and the Caterer have been rolled over to next year.  The Application to Register should be out by the next State Meeting in October. 

The Next NorCal Staff Meeting will be held Sunday October 29, 3-5 pm on Zoom. 

Drawing: 

Every Chapter that was represented today at the meeting had their chapter name placed in the drawing for a $30 Amazon Gift Card….and the winner was the Lucky Ones.  

Adjournment: 

A motion to adjourn was made by Dave Klasser and seconded by Edith Evans, the motion was approved and carried at approximately 4:30 pm.

Let me know if you need any corrections to these minutes. Respectfully Submitted by Doris Shryne, Durham Good Sams [email protected] or 530-624-4657               

MEMBERS       Greetings everyone hope you are well and staying healthy.       

I'm sending this out to anyone who is planning on attending the NorCal Round-Up on April 28 at Casa de Fruta  

THURSDAY : 

Check in at office to pick up your park info kit and make sure a Raffle ticket is included. (one per rig).              

The rest of the day is on your own.  

FRIDAY :        

Happy hour at 4:30pm at the outdoor tent area behind the main club house.                      

Bring your own beverage.                       

Please bring a light appetizer to share with others.                      

Bring your own chairs as the picnic tables are kind of rough to sit on.                       

There will be games and Raffle drawings throughout the event.  

SATURDAY:

Staff hosted BBQ AT 5:30PM at the main club house.

Tables and chairs will be set up for indoor dining.

We will be serving hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixins.                       

Plates, utensils and napkins will be provided.                       

We are asking every rig to bring a side dish or dessert.                       

There will be games under the tent area and Raffle drawings throughout the event.  

Don't forget to bring your Raffle ticket to both events. Each rig will receive one complementary ticket for the drawing. If you did not receive a ticket please contact me right away before the drawings get started. If you don't win on Fridays drawing keep your ticket for Saturdays drawings.  

We are looking forward to seeing and meeting up with each of you.  

Remember this is a stress free outing. So leave all your worries and cares at home. All that is required of you is to kick-back, relax and have some fun.  

Thanks for your time and be safe out there.  

Best Regards:  

Mike Ward 

State Director 

NorCal Good Sam

Hello everyone and Happy New year,   

I am starting this blog hopefully to keep more people informed on things happening in NorCal. I’m hoping to do this every month.

First and most important I would like to congratulate all the new chapter officers taking on chapter positions for 2022. Thank you for stepping up for your chapter as well as your NorCal involvement. I look forward to working with you all in 2022. 

I, for one, am very glad 2021 is behind us with all the turmoil and heart ache that came with it.  Yes, there were some good times but they didn't last long with the new Covid strain sweeping across our country as well as the world.

I am looking forward to 2022 and very hopeful that we can still have a Rally at the end of April. The way this Covid thing is spreading it's not looking very good but we will be keeping an eye on it and keeping our fingers crossed that it will calm down by Rally time.  

In the meantime I encourage you and your chapters to get out and camp but also do it safely while respecting the RV parks rules when it comes to Covid protocol which is mandated by the counties the RV parks are in. Please take the time to research all information pertaining to the RV park a few days before your camp out.  Also remember to be respectful of your fellow campers as not everyone will follow Covid protocol. 

Our state officers and staff are working hard for you and your chapters. Remember all these positions, including your chapter positions, are all on a volunteer basis so don’t forget to thank the ones who have stepped up to help in these positions. Without our members taking on these positions your chapter and NorCal would cease to exist and there would be nothing but chaos. Remember It takes a village. 

Thanks for your time and if I can be of any assistance to you, please reach out to me via email. 

Please be safe out there and look for my next blog in February. 

Sincerely 

Mike Ward 

State Director 

NorCal Good Sam  

                                                     
                                                                   
                  *****PLEASE SHARE WITH ALL CHAPTER MEMBERS*****
On July 6, 2020, the NorCal staff held a conference call to determine the status of the planned October, 2020, NorCal Good Sam Rally.  The result of this call was made from input by all the staff with concern for the health of all of the attendees due to the CoVid-19 Corona virus, and coupled with the renewed spike in the pandemic, along with recommendations/directives by various governmental agencies.  It was determined that the Rally is cancelled for 2020.  We will continue to prepare plans for the Rally for 2021.  More to come.
______________________________________________
               THE FOLLOWING IS THE LATEST UPDATE FROM GOOD SAM

To Assistant Directors, Chapter Presidents, and Secretaries, and all members:
On July 8, 2020, all 53 State and Province Directors, including representatives of Good Sam, Tamara Ward, and Stephanie Cyphers, were invited to a Zoom conference call hosted by Good Sam CEO Marcus Lemonis.  This call had no particular agenda but was used as a conduit between the Directors and Marcus.  However, the majority of the call was an analysis of Good Sam by Marcus that included clarification with reference to rumors about the status of the Good Sam organization.  It was pointed out that we, as Directors, are no longer ‘paused’.
Most importantly, Marcus declared that Good Sam is in good health and will continue as a viable organization.  There are absolutely no plans whatsoever to bring an end to the Good Sam organization.  There will be many new changes to the organization that will enhance its presence and its ability to continue to grow. There are currently 2.2 million members of Good Sam, but only about 27,000 chapters.  New efforts will be made to attract new members to chapters through advertisement, pass-out information, and changes to the website, among others.

All Camping World managers and staff will be contacted to introduce them to Good Sam, as it appears as though many of these stores are supposedly unaware of the Good Sam Club.  They will be directed to cooperate with Good Sam as related to Rallies, etc.   Marcus will initiate a new program of, ‘secret shoppers’, at Good Sam stores, and will provide a stipend to Directors to visit Camping World stores in their districts to have a meet and greet session with their managers.

The word “Club” was omitted from the Good Sam logo due to research that found that younger members, and non-members, do not like the idea of being affiliated with a “Club”.

As of this writing, you are free to hold meetings on your own with the decision and responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of the attendees.  However, Good Sam cannot support any social gatherings including a Rally, either financially or for liability.  I suggest that if any of my chapters desire to have a chapter meeting, or get-together, that they do so in an open-air setting such as a public park.  Although many RV campgrounds are now open, they still do not allow the use of their clubhouses.  Please use your best discretion concerning having a campground meeting for the time being.

We are free to hold elections for officers for the ensuing year(s).  The structures of the individual States/Provinces are going to be discussed with Good Sam leaning towards allowing the individual States/Provinces to determine how they want to have the guiding principles and procedures to work the best for each of them.  More on this later.
Marcus will be setting up monthly meetings with all Directors to ensure that all Directors receive the same information concerning the new events.

For those of you that remember the ‘Highways’ publication, it will be re-introduced within the next couple of months.  The Good Sam directory, (that huge book), will be pared down to a more reasonable and useful size.   Many of the advertisements will be eliminated.

The Directors had very little time to bring anything to the table during this session.  However, as mentioned above, monthly sessions will be taking place for an exchange of information between the Directors and Good Sam.  It is in hopes that these sessions will be greatly productive and produce new and innovative ideas to enhance the presence of Good Sam.

Remember, that I will be retiring as your Director in December.  Therefore, we need to hold an election for my successor.  Please, if you are considering becoming the new Director and want to be included as a candidate of nominee that I will be advising our State Treasurer, Ken Brown, to distribute the election materials in the coming months.  The election will conducted in October at the next State Committee Meeting.  The date of the meeting will be announced soon.

As any new information concerning the above changes for Good Sam comes to light, I will be sure to share this information in a timely manner.

In the meantime, please cope the best as you can with this terrible pandemic, and I certainly hope that this reaches all of you in a safe and healthy condition, and that we can all get back to enjoying our chapter campouts and next Rally in April, 2021.

NorCal Good Sam Staff