Thoughts from Family RV Association’s top elected leader about the business of the organization, as well as the fun.
National President
Paul Mitchell, F165576
pmitchell@frva.com
March-April 2025
As I write this, I have been the president of Family RV Association for almost five months. It is an honor to serve in this position, and it is also a very humbling experience. In this short time, I have come to realize just how valuable our dedicated staff in Cincinnati is to our continued success. We are operating, I believe, below the threshold of staff needed to provide the level of support our members have come to expect and deserve. Please, when you call the national office in Cincinnati or send an email, have a little patience and be sure to thank our staff for the incredible job they do.
We are working on controlling expenses and Rightsizing our association. A significant expense relates to the taxes and maintenance costs associated with our two office facilities in Cincinnati. Last year, that cost was roughly $185,000. It may be time to consider reducing some of our annual overhead expense, and we are working to recommend solutions.
Rally Fun!
I just returned from the Western Area Rally in Indio, California, and would like to commend the excellent staff and super volunteers that area president James McDaniel and his wife, Janie, have put together. It was a great rally and gave me a chance to talk with a lot of Western Area members. The camel rides offered at the rally were a great addition, and the parade is always one of the best events of the year. I was privileged to present four seminars at the rally, and I think I learned more information from the attendees than I provided to them. That always seems to be the case, since FRVA members are engaged and ask really great questions. I just wish I had all the answers.
Future View
During the Western Area Rally, I was asked some questions about the future of Family RV Association and some rumors that we are in trouble financially. My answer was and is that we have a bright future ahead of us, and the decisions made by the Governing Board in Redmond, Oregon, last year have provided us with a map to the future. The decision to raise our dues to $99 per year resulted in more of an increase than most of us expected, but in retrospect, I think the Governing Board made a great decision.
Prior to this, dues were raised to $50 in July 2015, and except for the 16 months in the middle when dues were increased to $75 and then dropped back to $50, they have stayed the same. We should have been raising dues incrementally during that time to keep up with inflation. I firmly believe Family RV Association dues are a bargain given the exceptional benefits provided to members.
The increase in dues will provide us the funds needed to operate effectively and to increase the benefits we provide our members, but because of prepaid dues, it will take two to three years for FRVA to realize that annual increase.
Since two-thirds of members have already paid their dues for 2025 and 2026, you can understand that we are facing a shortfall in the amount of money we receive each year without withdrawing from our investments. I am committed to keeping as much of our money as possible in our investments.
I have been asked many times, “What can we do to help?” If you are one of our members who has paid your dues in advance, thank you. If you are financially able, on a strictly voluntary basis, we would ask you to send FRVA the difference between what you paid and the current pricing of $99 per year. Personally, I was paid ahead for 2025, 2026, and 2027, and I have sent the additional $49 per year ($147) to the FRVA Zelle account at accountingdept@fmca.com or (513) 289-3373. Checks are also accepted; they should be made out to FRVA and mailed to FRVA, 8291 Clough Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45244; Attn: Accounting.
I would like to recognize our generous members and areas who donated funds related to our 2024 basement flood. For those not familiar with this situation, the association’s Clough Pike facility received over 4 inches of rain in two hours back in May, and the sump pump we have to keep the basement dry could not keep up. Insurance covered part of it, but we still had to pay over $31,000 out of pocket. At our Governing Board meeting in Redmond, after this was discussed, we received donations from the International Area, Randy and Shirley Johnson, Charlie and Gloria Adcock, Rett and Claire Porter, and John and Alice Jacobs, plus several anonymous cash donations, to help defray some of this unexpected expense.
Our members are the best, and we appreciate what everyone does for our association.
Pirates And Planks
It’s not too late to join us for the 110th International Convention & RV Expo in Perry, Georgia, March 12 through 15. We’re docking our land yachts at the Georgia National Fairgrounds for “Return To Perry: Lafitte’s Lost Treasure.” Attendees are in for a real treat! An exciting event has been planned with lots of pirates and planks, plus fireworks over the lake thrown into the mix. We have plenty of room, and you can register at the gate.
For many members, returning to Perry is like coming home. Those experiencing a convention in Perry for the first time soon figure out why FRVA members love gathering there. The facilities at the fairgrounds are incredible!
Quaint, historic downtown Perry is another reason members love this location. Attendees will be invited to take part in a gathering downtown on Tuesday night of the event. The Macon Sound will treat us to their repertoire of rock, pop, and jazz music outside the old city building for everyone’s listening and dancing pleasure. Transportation will be available along with parking in the downtown area for those who prefer to drive.
And if you’ve ever “wanted to be in pictures,” you may have your chance in Perry, as Kevin and Patrice McCabe will be on site recording an upcoming episode of “RV There Yet?” TV, which airs on Discovery Channel. They’ll also be greeting attendees in the RV There Yet? Discovery Zone in the Georgia Grown Building. This interactive exhibit space will feature hands-on product demonstrations, manufacturer seminars, an inspiration theater, Winnebago RV tours, dog adoptions, and much more. Their crew will be recording throughout the grounds during the convention.
Oh, Happy Days!
If you can’t make it to Perry, then you’ll definitely want to make plans to join us in Gillette, Wyoming, July 16 through 19, for the 111th Family RV Association International Convention & RV Expo. The theme for this event will be “Rock & Roll High School.” We’ll be reimagining all the fun of the 1950s. Registration is now open, and the form appears on page 57 of this issue of the magazine. Don’t miss out!
Share Your Questions, Ideas
If you have questions or ideas to share about Family RV Association, please reach out to me via email (pmitchell@fmca.com) or phone (209-815-1837).
Annual Membership Meeting Notice
The annual membership meeting of the Family RV Association will take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, during the 111th International Convention & RV Expo in Gillette, Wyoming.
Our Medical & Travel Assist Story
A Heart-Wrenching Loss
Cythnia Sogomonian and her husband, Jack, were living their RV travel dreams when the unimaginable happened. Cynthia shares her story with readers in an article beginning on page 50 of this issue, as well as in this video: vimeo.com/1048044633.
Crisis on a Cruise Ship
My wife and I were on a 26-day Princess Cruise around Australia with two other couples in March 2024. On the 12th day of the cruise, I fell going down the stairs. I broke my femur in three places and crushed my 40-year-old knee implant.
After a cast was put on my leg, I was taken to a small hospital in Exmouth, Australia, where I spent the night. I was flown to a hospital in Perth, Australia, where I had surgery four days later and then was sent to a different facility for physical therapy. After 25 days of hospitalization, I received permission to fly home if I flew business class; I was not healed enough to spend 19 hours of flight with my new knee bent.
My wife exchanged our existing plane tickets for business-class one-way tickets from Perth to Sydney, and from Sydney to LAX in California, for a cost of $12,500. My daughter, who had flown to Australia a week before to assist us, also flew with us business class. At every turn, we were asked for payment, which we paid by credit card. We had various types of insurance to help with these costs, but nothing to help pay for the flight home.
About two months after returning home, I received a renewal notice from FMCA and wondered about the FMCAssist program. I figured I wasn’t likely to receive any assistance from the program, since there was no RV involved.
I submitted a claim. Soon after, I received a phone call asking for copies of the airline tickets, and about two weeks later, I received a check for $12,400! I was blown away with surprise, and since then I’ve told everyone I can that FMCA is the best deal in the RV industry. We’ve been members for 20 years, we’ve read the magazine, and we attended three rallies over the years, but the travel assistance program has just completely impressed us. Where there was no hope of reimbursement, FMCAssist amazed us!
– Larry Sharp, F327198
Upland, California
Note: This program — now called “Medical & Travel Assist” and underwritten by Arch Insurance — covers members all around the world, whether traveling by RV or other means, as long as they are 75 miles from home (full-timers are always covered). However, to help ensure that coverage is extended, members should have all arrangements made by the Medical & Travel Assist provider, rather than requesting reimbursement after the fact.
Have a Medical & Travel Assist story to share? Send it to us at magazine@fmca.com.
Since October 1, 2020, the Medical & Travel Assist benefit has helped at least
500 Family RV Association members, with claims totaling more than $2 million.
To learn more about the coverages provided by this plan, visit FMCA.com/medical-and-travel-assist.