Invitations, Ideas, And Information
News about upcoming FMCA conventions, disaster preparedness tips, and notice of a temporary closure of the FMCA campground in Cincinnati.
By Rett Porter, F369084
National President
rporter@fmca.com
The time is NOW! FMCA’s 104th International Convention and RV Expo is set to take place in Tucson, Arizona, March 23 through 26, 2022. I hope you have made your reservation for this event at the Pima County Fairgrounds. If not, it’s not too late to join us. We’ll be accepting registrations online, by phone, and by mail until March 15. After that date, you can still participate, as we have plenty of room and will be accepting registrations on-site.
Great entertainment, educational seminars, fun block parties, beautiful display RVs, vendors, and much more will keep you busy deciding what to do next. We want you to experience this wonderful convention, but with COVID-19 still front-page news, if you are sick, then please think of your RV family and do not attend. FMCA has been diligent in trying to keep our members safe. Help us continue to do so by following FMCA guidelines.
The “Go Bag” seminar. In 2010, FMCA member Joanne Fadale made a presentation about “go bags” at a rally my wife, Claire, and I were attending. A “go bag” is a collection of items that you put together to have at the ready should a disaster or emergency strike and you need to leave your RV or stationary home. Claire and I adopted this idea after Joanne’s seminar and created our own “go bags,” which we now carry with us. Five years ago, Claire was asked to make a presentation at a chapter rally about our “go bags.” Glenda Milner, Claire, and I have been giving presentations and spreading the word about them at area rallies and chapter rallies ever since. Joanne Fadale continues to do this presentation at our international conventions.
So, the question is, do you have a “go bag”? A disaster can happen at any moment. This will usually be an occurrence that is not within your control, such as a tornado, hurricane, flood, wildfire, ice storm, or just damage to your RV in the middle of nowhere. If you are forced to leave your RV or home, or to shelter in place, you will need to have many essential items to survive. Being prepared in advance of the disaster will save you some stress.
For instance, some of the families impacted by the fires in Colorado in late December 2021 had nothing to return to except a vacant lot. Several years ago, one FMCA member couple who are good friends of ours received the scary reverse 911 call to evacuate their home immediately because of an approaching fire. They got out with their RV and one car. When they returned home weeks later, all that was left was a vacant lot with piles of ashes. We know of another member couple whose RV caught fire while traveling down the highway. They stopped the RV and got out with very few items, and the RV completely burned in less than five minutes.
On page 92 you will find a government ad that states, “Disaster could show up at your doorstep.” It includes the website Ready.gov/plan, which provides lists of items for different events and situations. Look over this website carefully and see what might apply to you. For instance, a suggested list of items for a “go bag” is included at Ready.gov/kit.
Check to see whether someone might be presenting a seminar about “go bags” at your next chapter or area rally. You will also want to look for vendors and other seminars to help you be better prepared for possible emergencies in your life.
The FMCA Campground will be closed March 28 through May 24, 2022. Although we don’t like to keep members from using the FMCA campground — located at 3590 Round Bottom Road in Newtown, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati — the roof on the building there needs to be replaced. This will require us to bring in heavy cranes to remove, and later reinstall, the HVAC units on top of the roof. The heavy equipment and the supplies required to be on the property for the roof replacement will pose a safety hazard to visitors. The campground sites are all affected by this project. We even will have to move employees out of the building for the weeks required to replace the roof. Please be patient with us during this time. Our plans are for the campground to be back open to the membership on May 24, following the Executive Board meetings in Cincinnati.
Next up: Lincoln, Nebraska, August 24 through 27. The Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln will be the site of FMCA’s 105th International Convention and RV Expo. This will be a new venue for FMCA, and we are looking forward to a wonderful time. During this convention, our Governing Board meeting will take place on August 24, and everyone is encouraged to attend. This is your organization, and watching the Governing Board at work is an educational experience. In addition, the annual membership meeting will take place on August 27.
Registration for Lincoln opens on February 24, 2022. We hope you will make plans to join us there. The registration form appears online at FMCA.com and also in this issue of the magazine.
Spreading the word about FMCA by telling others about our benefits and discounts will continue to expand our family.
Safe travels, and we hope to see you down the road.
Recruiting Has Its Rewards
FMCA members who tell other RV owners about what some have called “the best-kept secret in the RV industry” introduce their friends to great benefits and tons of fun; help to keep their association strong; and receive free stuff in the process.
By Chris Smith
Chief Executive Officer
csmith@fmca.com
Did you know that in addition to helping FMCA grow and continue to thrive, recommending membership to other RV owners can earn you rewards? For each new member you recruit, you will receive a $10 voucher that can be used toward paying your FMCA dues or convention or area rally registration fees. The vouchers also can be redeemed for FMCA Store merchandise at an event or for items found at www.shopfmca.com. However, you will need to call to place your order if you want to redeem a voucher.
In addition, family members receive recognition in the form of lapel pins for reaching certain recruitment levels — 10, 50, 100, and 200 members. Once you reach 100 members, you will receive a $100 voucher that can be redeemed for FMCA Store merchandise or to pay membership dues or convention registration fees.
Members who recruit 10 or more RV owners become part of what we call the Membership Club. We recognize these recruiters by publishing the Membership Club listing in the January issue of the magazine. After the January 2022 issue was printed, we discovered that a glitch had occurred with the listing. Once programming to resolve this is completed, a revised version will appear in the magazine.
We appreciate all FMCA recruiters and thank them for letting other RV owners know about the association and the many benefits of belonging.
I hope to see you in Tucson, Arizona, for FMCA’s 104th International Convention and RV Expo. Until then, enjoy the journey.