Membership - Hari Arora

 Hari introduced Susan Gryzbowski who has joined as a member of the Steering Council

Treasurer's Report - Norm Prenzel

Norm reported the current account balance to be $1,542.79 after providing the $400 deposit for the Golf Outing.

Website Report - Hari Arora

Efforts to find a webmaster replacement for Paul Goodrich have been unsuccessful so far. Paul continues to provide minimal support in the meantime and will be able to post information on the  web site for upcoming events. Paul had indicated that the web site needs to be replaced using a new application as FrontPage is no longer a supported product. Cost is a major concern and paying for services to develop a new web site does not appear to be affordable. Paul had estimated licensing cost for  a basic application to be $200 to $300 and ongoing hosting and maintenance cost could be about $100 a year. Donna will look into the possibility of getting support from IBM and integrating basic web site functions into the  IBM Club web site. A Microsoft web  site development service for not-for-profit organizations will also be investigated. Harry is open to learning a new application and taking over the webmaster responsibility if necessary. We will continue to pursue a skilled resource to join the Steering Council as well as other options and consult with Paul as our resident subject matter expert.             

Retiree Data Base Report - Hari for Dick Soucy

The data base contains 729 entries with 6 new entries since the last meeting.

Picnic Report - Judy Manowitz

The flyer, directions, and registration form are completed for the mailing and web site posting. The picnic will be on Saturday, October 25 at Upper Tampa Bay Park. The caterer costs are $12.50 per person for food/beverages, $.50 per person for cookies,  and $200 for the grill. The fee for 2 pavilions is $160. Communications to active employees will be much improved from the last picnic and we are expecting a better turnout this year. The event will be included in the monthly community newsletters for September and October with presentation to encourage employing viewing. Donna will also post the event on the IBM Club web site. The price will be $16 a person, the same as 2 years ago, with children 10 and under free.

Seminars Report - Harry Schauffhauser

The Annual Medical Benefits/Medicare Seminar is scheduled for November 12.

3 sessions will be held:

• non-Medicare eligible employee/retiree,

• Medicare eligible retiree and spouse,

• Medicare eligible retiree with non-Medicare eligible spouse.

The Medicare eligible retiree/non-Medicare eligible spouse session will follow the Medicare eligible retiree/spouse session. Hari stated that we will not request a presenter from IBM this year. He asked Linda to look into our participation in IBM's benefits counselor training in Raleigh including paying transportation costs. Trained individuals would be available to provide support to IBM in locations other than Tampa.

Harry is working on a panel seminar in October with an estate planner, a CPA, and a financial advisor. The seminar should be arranged and materials completed for the mailing the end of this month.

Volunteer Council Report - Mary Ann McCoy

The mentoring program was completed and was very successful. IBM employees participated in the Take Your Child to Work Day the end of July. The children had a lot of fun taking part in team projects during the day. Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools kicked off the end of July. They are looking for volunteers to collect school supplies at the Bucs game on September 28. Volunteers will be able to go into the game afterwards - standing room only. Volunteers are also needed to sell programs to benefit charities at the Super Bowl from 9AM to 10:30PM. Volunteers will be able to get into the Super Bowl game - standing room only.  On Friday, August 1, a brunch was held to recognize volunteers who have reported significant hours on IBM Demand Community in the past year. 23 retirees were eligible for President's awards with between 100 and 500 hours reported.

Golf Event Report - Donna Fryza and Dianne Hartt

The Golf Outing will be on Monday, October 6 at the Bloomingdale Golfer's Club. Start time will be 1PM with a shotgun format. The cost is $46 per person which includes golf, free range balls, lunch, dinner, and gratuity. The contract, flyer, registration form, and directions are complete. Donna has compiled a list of emails which will be used to communicate directly with those who have participated in the past. The event will also be communicated in the mailing this month, September and October community newsletters, IBM Club web site, and 3 IBM bulletin boards.

The May event at Plantation Palms was very successful. 44 people participated, 13 active employees, 13 retirees, and 18 family and friends. The survey results were all excellent or very good. The course and clubhouse were nice and the event ran smoothly.  

Mailing

A mailing will go out by the end of August to include materials for the Golf Outing, Picnic, and Seminars.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 13 from 11 A.M. - 1 P.M. at IBM Harborview  room 103.

 Our club goal is to provide services to IBM retirees.