ABATE OF OHIO, INC

REGION 16

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009

7:00 PM

EAST OF CHICAGO PIZZA

WEST OLD LINCOLN WAY

WOOSTER, OH

Hi all!

We turned in the date for the Out of Hibernation Run to the State Board and it is on the calendar for 2010.

“TJ” Tim Johnson is now Deputy Director A (North East Ohio) and will be helping us with any questions we might have.

Linda is back from the Meeting of the Minds.

The winner of the motorcycle is Ginnie Scurlock of Ashland.

At the October meeting we will be taking nominations for officers. I encourage everyone to come and help out with the election process. The officers are the ones who talk for you at the meetings: county, region, state and federal. It is your right to put the person in the office that will do the best job. We have a lot of good people in Region 16. It would be nice to see more of them to know if we are doing a good job.

To the members of Region 16: It is time to take a good look at the state of Ohio and all the bills that are in Congress. Some of the bills are good ones and some are not so good.

I would like it if you look at all the bills and make up your mind on them.

The MRF and NCOM are two important organizations to know to help us keep track of things that are going on in Ohio and other states. So if you see any literature with their headings on it make sure you take the time to read up on what is out there.

Cowboy

ABATE OF OHIO, INC

REGION 16

OCTOBER 14, 2009

CALL TO ORDER

INTRODUCTIONS OF ANY NEW GUESTS

MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

TREASURER WEBMASTER

EVENTS LEGISLATIVE

REGIONAL DIRECTOR

NOMINATION OF OFFICERS

REGIONAL DIRECTOR REGIONAL CO-DIRECTOR

TREASURER PRODUCTS

SAFETY & ED DIRECTOR WEBMASTER

SECRETARY EVENTS COORDINATOR

LEGISLATIVE SARGEANT OF ARMS

OLD BUSINESS

LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR –KRISTY HAWTHORNE

NEW BUSINESS

PAC FUNDRAISER

CHRISTMAS PARTY

BUSINESS SPONSORSHIPS FOR OUTSPOKIN Sept. 28, 2009

Wow, what an awesome weekend! I just returned from the Meeting of the Minds in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was glad that I was given the chance to experience what happens when people come together for a great cause. With me being fairly new to the group this was the perfect opportunity for me to get questions answered. The break out sessions that I attended were Building a Circle, How to be Effective in your SMRO, and the Anatomy of a Motorcycle Fatality Case.

The Building a Circle class gave me the opportunity to hear what other states have been doing: contacting state and local governments, law enforcement officials, and business owners and getting them to join forces with us (bringing more people into our circle). There were also a lot of good ideas for events and runs.

The How to be Effective is your SMRO class asked the questions: Why did you join your SMRO? Are you a Doer or a Talker? Are you a Strategist or Tactician? In your SMRO you need to talk to the people in your Region and see what each person brings to the organization. That way you can see which person is right for each position and try not to put someone into a position that isn’t right for them. Some people can be given a task and left to follow through with the job. Other people when given a job need supervision to make sure that the job is completed. You need people in your organization that play and work well with others. Try not to waste too much time and energy on people that have the “leaving the sandbox” issue where when things don’t go their way they threaten to take all their stuff and go home.

In the Anatomy of a Motorcycle Fatality Case class I learned about how we should follow up on crashes to make sure that the right charges are being filed and that the new punishment changes are being followed. Most court systems aren’t up to date and using the correct punishments. We need to be working in conjunction with our police, news media, and fire department, coroner and law enforcement motorcycle groups to educate the public on these changes. I also learned that when motorcycle riders are present during the hearings it helps to get stiffer sentences because it shows the court system that we as motorcycle riders are working hard to see that the punishments are carried out. During the class Greg Zaffke spoke about how his mom was killed on her motorcycle by a person who was painting her nails while she was driving. He founded the organization The Black Nail Brigade (and paints his nails black in memory of his mom). Greg maintains the website www.blacknailbrigade.com and is working to get stiffer punishments for distracted drivers.

In the coming months, as we are nominating officers and working on our events for 2010 I am hoping that we can use the information that I brought back from the Meeting of the Minds to help our Region have a productive year.

I encourage everyone who can to attend the Meeting of the Minds 2010 in Peoria, Illinois. You will come away with a lot of information to share with the group.

Linda Chaffin

Region 16 Secretary/Webmistress

Region 16

Fall is here and we are getting nominations underway for the 2010 Region and County Board. If you know anyone that you would like to nominate please do so by the November meeting. Elections will be held at the Christmas party in December.

Calendar of Events

November 11, 2009 7pm East of Chicago Pizza, Wooster. Come and join us early for dinner and social hour before the meeting.

December 9, 2009 7pm East of Chicago Pizza, Wooster. Come and join us early for dinner and social hour before the meeting.

Information on the Christmas Party will be in the November newsletter.