Message from President Doerschuk
Happy February!
After what felt like the longest January known to man, even with snow days and days off, I know February will go by in a blink. It always seems like in these cold, snow-filled months that energy is low, students are restless and everyone needs a bit of sunshine in their lives. As the days get warmer and the sun begins to shine a little more consistently, I want to remind locals of the grants and scholarships offered by ECOEA and OEA. Please take advantage of these funds offered and have a community outreach event promoting your local, a social gathering with members to increase engagement or a wellness opportunity for members to relax and feel appreciated.
In the upcoming months, there are opportunities for you to get involved. The political scene is often hard to navigate, unfair, and can be tough on education. Due to this, I would like to take this opportunity to promote our two upcoming events. Our first event has become one of my favorite events we host as a district. ECOEA’s Legislative dinner is on Friday, February 28th, at LaPizzaria beginning at 6pm, and I would encourage all locals to send at least one member to this event. As educators, we have personal accounts to share and this is a perfect opportunity to speak with the movers and shakers of legislation. The night will include dinner with the legislators as well as a panel discussion featuring key topics that are affecting educators today. Public education is being attacked and this is one event that can make an impact, but it takes our voices, so please join us.
The second event is our second annual OEA FUNdraiser at Park Centre Lanes hosted by ECOEA. Do you love to bowl? Do you enjoy a fun time? Then come join us as we raise money to fund the political initiatives and candidates that support education. Bowling is one of my personal favorites, and I hope we have a packed house. Last year we were one of the top fundraisers in Ohio and I would love to even out perform that this year! Additional details are further down in this newsletter as well as on our website. I hope you will join us for a striking good time!
I know it can feel like days are long and the next day off is far off, but I hope you can lean on your colleagues, take a moment for yourself and find the joy in the days ahead to finish off this school year on a positive note, all while taking advantage of what your union can offer you!
In Solidarity,
Juliann Doerschuk
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