Navigating Our New World
A Note from MLA Executive Vice President Cody Nuernberg
This month, I felt it important to reach out via our newsletter to touch base with our valued members and share with you what your Association is up to. The past 8 weeks have certainly been trying for everyone – both personally and professionally. Through it all, I have been reminded of the resolve and compassion of our members, our volunteer leaders and our staff. Although our world may be different, everyone noted above continues to navigate the choppy waters that COVID-19 has created, and all have done so with a level of optimism that many in our world could use right now.
So, What Have We Been Doing? Put simply – we are forging forward!
Meetings & Events
As of this newsletter, many of our upcoming events and meetings are up in the air. The crystal ball does not exist – it’s more like a magic 8-ball most days – but we are doing everything possible to look to the future and devise plans for when we are all able to be together again.
The Sunflower Shootout scheduled for June 2020 in Kansas is still on the books. We are working daily with the facility to determine our ability to host this event, as we all could use a little break from business and COVID-19 updates/emails/calls.
By now, you have hopefully seen our communications re: the MLA Swing into Spring Event that was scheduled for this past week in The Ozarks. Although these times did not allow us to gather in The Ozarks, MLA and its Missouri Committee are committed to hosting this annual event and, in turn, have rescheduled it for mid-August.
Regardless of the meeting or event, MLA is committed to ensuring that each event is meaningful, viable and safe for those who attend. Please keep a close eye on your emails for continued updates.
Education
In times like this, education can sometimes be the last thing on our mind(s). Naturally, we move into a mindset of sell everything, make money and survive. And there is nothing wrong with that, but in these ever-changing times, education and continual learning MUST be a part of your business plan. We will continue to expand upon our webinar offerings (some free of charge) and are also planning to expand greatly upon our roundtable programming. Likewise, we are looking into possible options for online learning and hope to have something out to all of you soon. One of our greatest gifts that we can give to you as members is resources and education – and regardless of where we are heading – this will always be at our core.
Connecting
Throughout this experience, the staff has had the pleasure of sitting in on various webinars, roundtable conversations and so much more – all in an effort to learn more about the issues, gather best practices and to expand upon our resources for you. Likewise, we continue to make plans – and are praying - for the day when we can give Zoom and GoToMeeting a rest and get back out in the field with all of you. We miss visiting with you and look forward to doing so again really soon. Whenever the “caution tape” drops – we will be on the road and we want to see you in whatever fashion you feel most comfortable with. Building relationships and making connections might be the single biggest “thing” that we do, and it is our goal to continue doing so in every way possible.
We continue to thank you for your support during these unprecedented times. Likewise, we owe a huge debt of thanks to our staff and volunteer leaders who continue to help us navigate the next steps and are doing so with optimism and a vigor like never before. As always, without you – we don’t exist and with you, we will get through this together and will be better in the end for working together.
Stay Safe, Stay Connected with Us & Be Well!
