A Message from your President - Jim Dwyer
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For the first time in seventeen months, the SKÅL USA Executive Committee got to meet in person in Orlando on May 20th to hold our Annual General Meeting and National Committee Meeting. The committee had not met in person since our Winter Meeting in New Orleans back in January 2020. It was nice to see each other faces other than in a square on a screen. We were all so happy to see each other, and there was a ton of smiles and hugs going around!
Our host, SKÅL Orlando, planned an excellent program for our group, including an evening at Ole Red, a country bar owned by Blake Shelton on Wednesday night, cocktails and dinner at SeaWorld on Thursday night, and a golf outing on Friday.
Thursday morning, we met with the Membership Committee to discuss how we can best help struggling clubs and where there are opportunities to open new clubs. We identified three metropolitan areas: San Diego, San Antonio, and Santa Monica. We ask all of our members to participate in this process by providing the names of possible members in the target areas.
Despite technical obstacles, we were able to present the AGM/NCM as a hybrid meeting attended virtually by over forty of our clubs. Our SKÅL International President, Bill Rheaume, addressed the group, as did our own Burcin Turkkan, Senior VP SKÅL International. In addition, members from SKÅL Orlando, SKÅL Miami, and SKÅL Washington were present in the meeting room. Voting was done electronically instead of with our legendary colored cards. All of the proposed amendments to our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws were approved and sent to SKÅL International for final approval.
A special thank you to SKÅL Orlando President Ross Burke and his amazing team for hosting us. We look forward to returning next May for the 2022 NASC. I also thank our hardworking Executive Committee: Holly Powers ISC, Richard Scinta, VP Administration; Art Allis, VP Finance; Tom Moulton, VP Membership; Pam Davis, VP Communications and PR; Morgan Maravich, Director of Membership and Robert Lowell, Junior Auditor, who made the trip to Orlando. Special thanks to Mark Irgang, Director of Membership, and JoAnne Ford, Senior Auditor, who attended virtually.
I sincerely hope that most of our Clubs are holding or planning on holding in-person meetings again soon. But don’t forget the power of Zoom. I strongly suggest that all clubs look into holding hybrid meetings and include other clubs to build our networks and support each other. There is so much to learn from our fellow Skålleagues. We are one global SKÅL family. Whether you think locally, nationally, or globally, SKÅL is the place to be.
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The Bill Sweet Member of Distinction Award is awarded to a woman for the first time. Congratulations to Valerie Davis, Skål Hawaii!
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The "Bill Sweet Member of Distinction Award" dedicated to Bill Sweet, a long-time Skål member of over 50 years, is a distinguished honor bestowed on only a handful of Skål USA members since the global organization's founding in 1934. Given to a member of Skål International USA, recognizing an individual who is proudly recognized as reflective of their time and dedication to the Skål movement. This is the first time a woman has received the award.
The “Bill Sweet Member of Distinction Award” dedicated to Bill Sweet, a long-time Skål member of over 50 years, is a distinguished honor bestowed on only a handful of Skål USA members since the global organization’s founding in 1934. The award is given to a member of Skål International USA, an individual who is proudly recognized as reflective of their time and dedication to the Skål movement. Additionally, this is the first time a woman has received the award.
This year, that award was given to long-time Skålleague Valerie Davis, who has been involved with Skål Hawaii for 41 years -- even before women were allowed into the Club. Valerie first became involved with Skål Hawaii in early 1980, when her husband Rick Davis became a member, supporting all the functions and attending whenever invited. Rick was on the Board for many years holding all positions, becoming President in 1996 and was on the Board when he passed away in 2002. Valerie was a Regional Sales Manager in Hawaii in the late ’80s & ’90s for Holland America Line Cruises, and when Skål Hawaii opened up to female members she was invited to join.
International Skål Councilor, Holly Powers, who nominated Davis for the award, says. “Valerie completely epitomizes the Skål spirit. She has always been a great representative of the Skål movement and especially Skål Hawaii. Her dedication to the organization has been extraordinary. She is truly a worthy recipient of this leadership award. Congratulations to Valerie Davis for being the first woman ever to receive the Bill Sweet Award.”
Valerie served on the Board for several years, becoming President in 2009. During this time, the National Board had their winter meeting in Hawaii and arranged presentations at several colleges and universities – and Young Skål was created in Hawaii. After that, Valerie was asked to chair a committee to set up a blueprint for the organization of Young Skål. With the aid of her committee, with members hailing from Philadelphia, LA, Little Rock, and Atlanta, this was completed in time to present at the NAASC Congress AGM in Quebec City in May 2010. She has continued to work tirelessly on all things Skål for many, many years, helping Hawaii create one of the largest Young Skål programs in the country and win Club of the Year in 2017. She is incredibly proud of the work she has done for Skål over the years and thankful for working with such outstanding Skål members in Hawaii. Many of you may recognize her, as she has attended multiple congresses over the years, including the past 12 World Congresses starting in Budapest in 2009. 2020 was course virtual, but she’s hoping to see everyone in Quebec City in December.
Valerie would like to thank the current and past Board members who have assisted and supported her over the years. Hawaii is a small island but a big club and gets two votes at each Congress. She says it’s been her privilege to represent Hawaii to cast those votes for all those years and was extremely surprised, grateful, and overwhelmed to receive such a prestigious honor.
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Skål Philadelphia Named 2020 Skål USA Club of the Year!
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SKÅL International USA is pleased to announce that the winner of our prestigious 2020 Club of the Year is SKÅL Philadelphia!
Led by President Greg DeShields with the assistance of Amy Bendekovits Franks, Mariska Bogle, Frank Klare, and Betsy Barber they exemplified diversity, friendship, and the need for great communication. They took monthly Zoom sessions to another level. Not just chat sessions theirs were well-planned, focused, educational events meant to engage and educate SKÅL members. They are very active both on social media and their website is well organized and engaging. The Club has been a longtime supporter of Temple University and has sponsored a scholarship for many years. Amy Bendekovits is a product of this venture and was a Young SKÅL member while attending Temple.
SKÅL Philadelphia not only met our basic criteria but went well beyond it as you can see in the presentation they’ve submitted. Well done, SKÅL Philadelphia! Check out their presentation, and those of some of our former winners on our YouTube page here.
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Skål International USA Dues Relief Program Comes to an End
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COVID-19 had a devastating effect on our industry and last year's SKÅL USA Executive Committee jumped into action to create a relief fund to help maintain our membership during such a devasting time. Skål USA's VP of Finance, Art Allis reports that the Dues Relief program has been immensely successful; 165 active members roughly 11% were granted Dues Relief at a total value of $23,100. Our original request was for $25,000.
Skålleagues who received the assistance were quite grateful. Here are a few of the many thank you's sent.
"Thank you for the assistance. It wasn’t easy to ask, but I am glad I did. I can’t wait to get together with my Skålleagues in person. Being in California, it is impossible for us to meet now, but looking forward to brighter days ahead."
"Thank you so much. I also pray that these times will come to be behind us very soon."
"Thank you for your email. 2020 was a nightmare, hope 2021 is a better year for all."
"Thank you for approval regarding financial assistance regarding renewing my 2021 membership dues during this difficult time period. I sincerely appreciate the consideration."
Many clubs took care of their members without using the program, but Skålleagues from twenty clubs received the benefit. Clubs taking advantage of the program were as follows:
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Are you Twinning? Get out and meet your Twin!
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Twinning is a concept within Skål that was unofficial until 2007. Before that date, a few clubs wanted to create a bond with other clubs for professional and social reasons.
On May 5th, Skål New Jersey and Skål Mexico City entered into a Twinning agreement. In late March, Skål USA President, Jim Dwyer, a member of Skål New Jersey, was invited to attended a Zoom session to commemorate the anniversary of the Twinning between Skål Mexico City and Skål Los Angeles. While on the Zoom, Jim suggested to the President of Skål Mexico City, Gustavo Bolio, that they consider 'twinning' with Skål New Jersey. Gustavo loved the idea, and they began to put everything in motion. Skål NJ President, Kendall Blythe, contacted Skål International, and the formal agreement document was emailed to both presidents. Invitations were sent to members of both clubs and members of other clubs and Skål dignitaries. Since both clubs were already "twinned" with Skål Roma, they were eager to participate.
At the official Twinning, a total of 63 members from various clubs were in attendance. Club banners had been sent beforehand, so a virtual exchange was affected at the Zoom. The camaraderie and amicale were abundant! And, most importantly, many new friendships were formed. The three clubs agreed to visit each other going forward. A contingent from Skål NJ will visit Mexico City in the Fall of 2021. Next year the clubs will meet in Rome and in 2023 in New Jersey.
If you have Clubs you twin with, there has never been a better time to 'meet'!
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Is your Club trying to raise money? Let us know so we can share the news!
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Is your Club trying to raise money for charity or support a scholarship program? Let us know! There are a lot of great fundraisers taking place out there and we want to share them with the entire membership. Let's help each other reach our goals. Please send your fundraiser information including all the details and what it's raising money for no later than June 10th. Info should be sent to info@skalusa.org.
Also, please help us cast a wider net to get the word out. Is everyone in your Club following us on social media? We need everyone to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. The more people we get following - the more people that will see your fundraisers. Log on and get social with us!
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Get Ready for Skål USA's Membership Drive starting July 1st
Tourism is coming back strongly. Let's get our membership numbers back up as well. Details coming soon
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Don't Miss our next Webinar with ARC
June 22nd at 2 p.m. EST
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Join Chuck Thackston, Managing Director, Data Science and Research of the Airlines Reporting Corporation
Chuck Thackston spends time doing in-depth research on industry trends and market moves to track the progress of the air travel industry as it continues to evolve. He is principal on the Innovation and Analytics team at ARC, championing the creation, incubation, and development of new ideas. After leading the company's program to consolidate global ticketing data into ARC's core data asset, Chuck spends his time creating and researching new ways to leverage ARC's vast air ticketing data and travel intelligence to increase analytics opportunities for ARC customers. Chuck brings over 30 years of technology experience to ARC.
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Don't miss our upcoming Facebook Live Sessions!
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On the first Monday of every month, the Skål USA Executive Committee will host a Facebook Live to let you have a fully interactive session with our speaker -- and answer any of your questions. This month catch VP of Administration, Richard Scinta from Skål Orlando on June 7th at 3 pm EST. Next month, chat with this year's Skål USA Club of the Year winner Skål Philadelphia on July 5th. Log onto FB to participate.
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News from Skål International
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The 2021 Quebec World Congress has been postponed to Dec. 9 – 13, 2021
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Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award Deadline Approaching
The deadline for entries is 30 June 2021 at 23:59 CET
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The Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards are geared towards enhancing visibility and grant recognition to entities from the Travel and Tourism industry. The Awards are open to all public and private sector companies, educational institutions, NGOs, and government agencies related to tourism worldwide. Deadline for submission is June 30th.
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In Memorium
We bid adieu to Skålleagues we have lost recently
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Skål USA Journeys is the bi-monthly official publication of Skål International USA. A special edition will be sent to the membership when there is breaking lightning news to share. We want to share your news with SKÅL members across the country. If you have breaking news or Club news for the newsletter, please send them along to info@SkalUSA.org.
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Follow Us on Social Media!!
Please click the links below
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Skål USA Journeys & Lightning News Editor
Pam Davis, Vice President PR and Communications, (808) 225-8299
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