Amity has had a very successful recruitment campaign so far for 2017. We have  37 new members in Amity's class of 2017 and four returning members after a break in service. I want to give special kudos to Marty Butin, the VP for Membership and de facto "pledge master," for this great new class of Amity members and to Steve Feldman for his unbelievable tenacity in overseeing Amity's recruitment efforts and for the guidance he provided to Marty these past couple of months! 

Our first event in February was a New Member Breakfast for all members and potential members of Amity's Class of 2017. Special thanks to Geoff Azeroff and his wife Gail for opening their house to well over 30 guys for this event.  Also, thanks to Rand Gelber, our entertainment chairman, for helping to coordinate.

We had a great start to our 2017 dinner events on February 21st. at Parthenon where a crowd, and I have to proudly say a maximum crowd, of 86 first enjoyed the delectable spread of appetizers, open bar, and the comaraderie of fellow Amity members for an hour before we enjoyed our top notch sit down dinner.   I'm sorry that some of you were unable to attend because of the registration being full so make sure you sign up early for future dinners. 

The evening was capped off by our excellent speaker,  Brigadier General David Papak (U.S.M.C. Ret.) who spoke about his experiences during 33-year career with the Marines and the state of the military today.   He also discussed his work with the Travis Manion  Foundation's  "Character does Matter" program, which is catered towards youths from 12 to 19 about character and moral courage.   It was truly a rewarding evening for Amity!

Thanks to all who assisted in making this a fantastic event, including  Michael Eisenberg ( V.P. of Hospitality), who planned this event but was not able to attend while wintering in Florida as well as Steve Strickman (our immediate past president),  Cary Feldman for doing the Motzi, and Mitchell Morris (Sgt. at Arms) and his assistants at the registration table: Bryan Aaron, Tom Temin, Mark Ezrin, and Jerry Newman.

Special thanks again to Tony Marill for  volunteering his time at our meetings by taking such great photos of our events. I recognized him with an Amity Lifetime Achievement Award and gave him, on behalf of Amity, a ten hour power bank and charging station for his devices. This way Tony will never run out of power taking pictures for us!

Also, congrats to Gary Flax and Howard Smiga who were the two big winners in our 50-50 raffle.  Over $250 will be contributed to the Amity charity fund. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Additionally, for those of you who have not joined the Amity Couples Club, it is a great way to broaden your social circles with the wives.  You've should receive an invite shortly from  Mike Sadagursky  to join.  Mik e hopes to schedule the first event of 2017 during the Spring .

2017 AMITY CALENDAR

Please note that all dinner events start at 6:30 and all golf events at 11:30 unless you are otherwise notified.

 

Our March event, on Tuesday the 21st, will be at La Ferme Restaurant. As always, we will be enjoying a great assortment of appetizers and top-shelf cocktails, followed by the sumptuous main course of either crabcakes, filet mignon or Chilean sea bass. Our guest speaker will be Don Markus, a former Amity member, who is an author and a sportswriter for the Baltimore Sun.  He will discuss March Madness and, hopefully, the chances of the Terps in seeking the title.  

Please register as soon as possible when you receive the invite. W e again have a seat limit and you don't want to find out a few days before the event that the registration is already closed.   Also, remember, if you know that you can't attend, please select the "I can't make it" prompt in the invite in order to avoid receiving the follow-up reminders.  

If you know anyone that still may be genuinely interested in joining Amity, don't forget to tell him.  Remember, this will be the last event before our annual New Member Induction night on April 19 at Manor Country Club.   Remember, new members... get ready to dust off your tuxedo for that special night!  

Finally, be on the lookout for info on our annual trip to Nats Park on Tuesday June 13  for a game against the Braves. Thanks to Steve Wollins for again organizing this event. Details will follow concerning riding to the game in style on the Amity Party Bus. Should be a great night.

As it is has been said, however, "it takes a village" to make an organization thrive.  It is not  only  the leadership team that makes a contribution. Each and every Amity member is a vital cog, and it is very important that you assist in any way you can to achieve that goal.  From volunteering on a membership or entertainment committee to suggesting new venues for restaurants, golf courses and guest speakers, your input is crucial.  Please contact me or any of the other officers if you are interested in volunteering or providing input.