I am sitting at my campsite writing you a quick note to close out the 2020-2021 year. We are camping at Chicahominy Riverfront Park for a week. The campground is located along the Virginia Capital Trail so we have been able to bike between 10 and 18 miles each day, along with walking along the trail other times. There are geocaches located along the trail for over 17 miles, every 0.1 miles apart so we have had plenty to do this week. We also participated in the annual Cap2Cap Ride which fell on Mother’s Day, which was also my birthday! Nothing like a party to celebrate, right? The ride was different this year than in the past but improved from last year when it was cancelled. Our next trip will be to Block Island in Rhode Island to stay at a B&B for a few days, again bicycling each day to explore the nine square miles of the island.
While this past school year has been challenging in some regards it has also been a blessing. My schedule isn’t as booked as it typically is and I really quite like that. I do not believe that my husband and I will return to substitute teaching and I have been decreasing my involvement in some organizations. NYSUT’s RC #45 is still doing well and flourishing in spite of the pandemic so I am quite proud of that. We are looking to establish some Zoom membership meetings for 2021-2022 and ideally an actual in person meeting as well!
As officers and board members, we are always thinking of ways to encourage more retirees to remain active within our organization. It was, as always, a topic of discussion at our meetings, our contiguous meetings and our statewide Zoom meetings. I would like to encourage you to sign up on our website ( NYSUT-rc45.org ) or on Facebook because NYSUT is continually offering online opportunities for personal growth and topics of interest. One such Zoom meeting will involve Richard Wolff, a professor of economics at New School University. He will be talking about the historic role of unions and the future role in creating healthy and safe work environments. Wolff has devoted his career in both academics and public speaking to understanding the economic system as it involves the workforce and the impact of unions on the workplace and this should be an interesting discussion. All retired members were invited to to join the conference but we were only able to invite the members who have created a log in on our website or the retirees who have joined our Facebook group.
Take care, stay safe and enjoy your summer!
Vicki President, NYSUT RC #45