By Jon Walker, F268778
FMCA National President
September 2017
Greetings
I am pleased to offer my greetings for the first time as your new FMCA national president. You do not know how much I appreciate your confidence in me to head up this great organization. I pledge to you that I will work 24/7 on your behalf.
How fitting it was that my first official act as your new president and the last official act of your outgoing president, Charlie Adcock, was to drive to Owosso, Michigan, to present Genny Jennings, L26, the FMCA Kenneth T. Scott Pipe Dreamer’s Award. It is one of three awards that can be bestowed upon a member for outstanding achievement or service to our organization. I cannot think of anyone who is more fitting to receive this particular award.
Genny, along with her late husband, Howard, was one of the original families who helped form FMCA in the early 1960s. Genny has remained an active member for all these years. She began her national service by participating as a member on the national board in 1967. She was our national secretary from 1967 to 1970. Additionally, she served as national vice president, Great Lakes Area, from 1982 to 1986.
I have known Genny for over 20 years, and she is one great lady. It was a pleasure meeting with her and two of her daughters at her home on July 18, 2017.
Key Member Vote
On July 12 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the FMCA Governing Board approved changes to FMCA’s governing documents that (subject to the approval of the entire membership) would allow owners of towable recreation vehicles to join our organization. They also passed a motion that defines recreation vehicles as follows: “a self-contained wheeled vehicle that includes permanently installed cooking, sleeping, and sanitary facilities.”
The actions taken during the Governing Board meeting in Indy resulted in this issue moving forward for a vote of the entire FMCA membership. Opening FMCA membership to owners of all self-contained RVs, as defined above, will require changes to FMCA’s Articles of Incorporation and Constitution. Copies of those two documents with the suggested changes indicated, and a ballot for member voting, appear starting on page 46.
Discussions regarding this concept have appeared in recent issues of the magazine, online at FMCA.com, and have been shared with the membership via email. In case you missed seeing that information or are a newer member, I’d like to bring you up to speed a bit.
Focus On The People
After receiving many questions and requests from members about opening FMCA to owners of other types of recreation vehicles, the FMCA leadership started to study and discuss this idea. We reached the conclusion that the real focus should be on the people who enjoy the RV lifestyle, rather than on the type of equipment RVers have chosen to use to pursue their adventures.
We didn’t make this decision lightly and realize it represents a major change to FMCA’s structure and a departure from FMCA’s original definition. But the RV lifestyle has changed throughout FMCA’s 54-year history, and change seems to have accelerated in recent years.
The young families who formed FMCA in 1963, among them the Jennings family, were pioneers in a sense. They embraced a new mode of transportation — vehicles some referred to as “house cars.” Production motorhomes were just coming into being at the time. Therefore, most of the early members transformed former school buses or transit buses to serve as vacation homes on wheels. Genny and Howard Jennings traveled this way with their nine children!
Today, the vast majority of FMCA members own production motorhomes. The demographics of members has changed as well. The average age of FMCA’s members is now 71, whereas the average RVer is age 48. The fastest-growing segment of first-time RV buyers are those ages 35 to 54. For years, FMCA leaders have talked about how to attract younger members.
Younger RVers
Industry statistics tell us that younger people are indeed becoming involved in RVing, but it seems many of them are opting to purchase towable RVs. This could be because towable RVs are available at a lower price point, and young people already may have a pickup truck or SUV that they can use to tow their RV. What better way for FMCA to welcome younger members than to open the doors to owners of other types of RVs? Recreation Vehicle Industry Association statistics report that there are 8.9 million RVers out there.
Time To Open The Doors
Members of the Governing Board in Indy agreed that it is time for FMCA to open the doors and to welcome owners of other types of self-contained RVs — to focus more on the people and less on the equipment. FMCA will still be the organization we all love. It’s just that we’ll have more friends to enjoy it with! And with more members, we should be able to leverage our numbers to provide even more benefits.
Now it’s up to the FMCA membership as a whole to decide whether this is the direction we should take. A simple majority of the votes cast will determine the outcome. I would like to see as many of our members as possible vote on this important matter. Every effort will be made to inform our entire membership about this process, including insertions in this and the next two issues of our magazine; email blasts to the entire membership; and information and ballots posted at FMCA.com. (FMCA’s Bylaws do not currently allow electronic voting, but you certainly can download and print the ballot and mail it in.)
By the way, information about the thought process we’ve followed in bringing forward this change, and answers to frequently asked questions, appear at FMCA.com.
An explanation of the voting process and the ballot, which must be returned to FMCA’s accounting firm, is on page 46. The accounting firm will verify and tabulate the votes. November 30, 2017 is the deadline for returning your ballot (one vote per member number). Please vote!
Rally And Convention Fun
By the time you read this President’s Message, the Northeast and Midwest area rallies will have been completed. I plan on being at both of these rallies to meet and talk with as many members as I can!
I’m also looking forward to meeting many of you at FMCA’s 97th International Convention and RV Expo in Perry, Georgia, March 15 through 18, 2018. Registration for this popular event will begin on September 13, and the registration form appears beginning on page 52 of this issue. Be sure to make plans to join us!
In closing, Sondra and I want to thank everyone who came to the summer convention in Indianapolis. On Saturday, July 15, we formally celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary immediately following my swearing in as your new president. All of my children and grandchildren were there for a reception that was held for us. We simply were overwhelmed and grateful to the hundreds of people who stayed and celebrated this event with us. You all are truly family to Sondra and me.
Please join me on my journey as your president. We have a bright future ahead of us. Please be part of it!
And remember, it’s still all about having fun!
Please Update Your Records
Please keep the FMCA national office informed when your contact information changes. You can make changes to your membership records anytime at FMCA.com (sign in; click on My Membership), or by sending an email to membership@fmca.com. Changes also may be submitted by calling the Member Services Department at (513) 474-3622 or (800) 543-3622 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Changes to your membership records can include home phone and cell phone numbers, email addresses, and the brand of motorhome you own. We especially urge you to provide your email address if it is not on file with us. This helps us to contact you quickly in case important issues arise and to communicate about FMCA matters. Your private information is used for FMCA business purposes only.
If you are listed in the Stoppin’ Spots directory — Stop Over Spot, Come Visit, Mechanic’s Helper, and Pinch Hit Driver — please check that your contact information is up-to-date. The list begins on page 200 of the January 2017 issue of FMC magazine and is available at FMCA.com (click Members and then Member Directory). If you would like to volunteer to be in the 2018 Stoppin’ Spots listing, please contact the Member Services Department. Lastly, the deadline for making changes to the 2018 directory is October 13, 2017.