HHCRTA NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 3 * November 12, 2015

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1 HHCRTA NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 3 * November 12, 2015 Happy Thanksgiving Faye Moseley, President - On Friday, October 23, 2015, the TRTA District 4 Fall Convention was held at the Bethany United Methodist Church. The following HHCRTA members attended: Betty Brown, Willie Burgs, Shirley Connally, Doris Delaney, Ruth Ferguson, Dorothy Gabriel, Dottie Gardner, Lillian McGee, Faye Moseley, Helena Pierson and Louise Williams. Representatives from each unit in District 4 (22 units) attended. Speakers included Senator Joan Huffman Chairman Senate State Affairs, Todd Barth Former TRS Trustee, Marita Zoga Assistant Director TRS Government Relations, Zach Sanches Regional VP Association Member Benefits Advisors and Bob Herndon Director Development and Operations of Stillwell Retirement Residence. A slate of prospective officers for the calendar years was presented by Brenda Ritter Chairman of the District 4 Nominating Committee and voted on by the body. A Memorial Service was held for deceased members. Updates for the TRTA 2016 Convention in Houston, TX. were brought to the body by President Marcy Cann. A delicious lunch was served and the group was serenaded by the Sugar Sisters.

2 HHCRTA Newsletter 2 November 12, 2015 Foundation Month is Here! The Texas Retired Teachers Foundation (TRTF) is changing lives every day! November has been designated as Foundation Month, a time to honor and support the Texas Retired Teachers Association s (TRTA) charitable giving partner. TRTF was founded in 1988 to raise funds to build the permanent home of TRTA in downtown Austin, Texas. The organization began offering grants to classroom teachers and scholarships to future educators in Since that time, TRTF has given out more than $200,000 to educators of the past, present and future! HHCRTA voted to donate $100 to the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation. Dottie Gardner, Program Committee Chairman - Shondra Wygal, the October guest speaker and Manager of AARP s Educational Campaigns and outreach

3 HHCRTA Newsletter 3 November 12, 2015 efforts in Houston and surrounding areas, presented an interesting and informative overview of the benefits of AARP membership. As a service to persons desiring to protect themselves from fraud and identity theft, the speaker mentioned that free shredding is available periodically at specific locations throughout the city. HHCRTA members who desire to donate time serving others were made aware of websites that provide information on volunteer opportunities. The speaker concluded her comments by encouraging attendees to take advantage of the promotional items and brochures available as handouts. Patricia Whiting, Financial Secretary - We are happy to welcome the following retired educators into the HHCRTA unit! Fannie Alexander Gail Bradley Ida Hall Melisande Holmes Joan Bolden-Hubert Eddie LaScola Patricia Russo Jessie Smith Gwendolyn Taylor, 2 nd Vice President - We are still collecting nice hardback books for the Children s Book Project. We will deliver the books to students in kindergarten through 2 nd grade at Foster Elementary School in the month of January The books donated should be in English, easy to read, colorful, with alphabets, numbers, pictures and no chapters. All interested members are invited to go with us to deliver the books. Thank you to all persons who donated books for the project. National health care observances for the month of November include dementia

4 HHCRTA Newsletter 4 November 12, 2015 and diabetes. Signs of Dementia Dementia isn t a disease; it s a group of symptoms. See a doctor if these symptoms are interfering with everyday life. Repeating the same story or question over and over. Getting lost in familiar places. Delusions or agitated behavior. Problems with language, movements, or recognizing objects. Memory or concentration problems. Difficulty following directions. Getting disoriented about time, people, and places. Neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. Diabetes Recent studies have proven that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can often prevent or delay the onset of diabetes with physical activity and by losing 5 to 7% of their body weight. In other words, you don t have to knock yourself out to prevent diabetes. The key is small steps lead to big rewards. Helena Pierson can be contacted to purchase a t-shirt for the April 10-12, 2016 TRTA Convention in Houston, TX at the Westin Galleria 5060 W. Alabama. Doris Delaney, Social Committee Chairman - All members are asked to support our 64 th Annual Scholarship and Awards Luncheon. The luncheon will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at the Power Center. Tickets are $45.00 each and will be sold before and after the HHCRTA November 12, 2015 meeting. If you have questions, you may contact Doris Delaney at

5 HHCRTA Newsletter 5 November 12, 2015 Willie Burgs, Souvenir Booklet Chairman - The deadline for turning in ads and patrons for the souvenir book is Thursday, November 12, 2015 (full page - $130, ½ page - $65, ¼ page - $35, business card - $30, patron - $10, inside cover - $300, inside back cover - $250, outside back cover - $400/sold). Contact Willie Burgs for additional information. Have you checked out the TRTA and HHCRTA websites lately? The two websites are updated often with new information. How do I get to the websites? type in trta.org read information on the home page click local units click Houston-Harris County RTA browse through entries contact Shirley Connally (SJConnally60@yahoo.com) for additional information or assistance HHCRTA Newsletter Editor Shirley J. Connally SJConnally60@yahoo.com Articles to be included in the monthly newsletter should be submitted by the 15 th of the month. Thank You, God Thank you, God, for everything the big things and the small, For every good gift comes from God the giver of them all And all too often we accept without any thanks or praise The gifts God sends as blessings each day in many ways First, thank you for the little things that often come our way, The things we take for granted but don t mention when we pray. Then, thank you for the miracles we are much too blind to see, And give us new awareness of our many gifts from you. And help us to remember that the key to life and living Is to make each prayer a prayer of thanks and every day Thanksgiving. Amen. Don t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve. Mary Kay Ash

6 HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION The members of the HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION would like to take this opportunity to extend to you an invitation to join or renew your membership in the TEXAS RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION and the HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION. TRTA IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS EXCLUSIVELY FOR BETTER BENEFITS FOR RETIRED TEACHERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RTA IS THE LOCAL UNIT. You should send your membership dues and join these two organizations as soon as possible for the following reasons Up-to-date communications and legislative information concerning pension fund; Important information about issues related to public school retirees; TRTA newsletters, Quarterly State Magazine (The Voice), The Inside Line and s; HHCRTA Newsletters, Yearbook (Membership Directory) and web page (trta.org click local units Houston-Harris County RTA); Monthly HHCRTA meetings with good food, fellowship with colleagues, interesting and informative programs/speakers Meetings are held at the Bayland Community Center 6400 Bissonnet Blvd, Houston, Texas on the last Thursday at 1:00 pm; ( Meeting dates 9/24, 10/29, 11/12, 1/28, 2/25, 3/31, 4/28, 5/26) Opportunities to attend the Scholarship/Honor Christmas Luncheon, and Much, much more Please remember that anyone who is receiving a TRS annuity check (teachers, counselors, administrators, nurses, clerks, custodians, librarians, coaches, maintenance workers, secretaries, cafeteria workers, school bus drivers ) is eligible to join HHCRTA and TRTA. JOIN US TODAY!!! MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO HHCRTA AND MAIL TO PATRICIA WHITING HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RTA P. O. BOX HOUSTON, TEXAS JULY 1, 2015 IS THE BEGINNING OF THE CALENDAR YEAR AND THE YEAR ENDS JUNE 30, SEND YOUR CHECK TODAY TO ENJOY YOUR FULL BENEFITS FOR THIS CALENDAR YEAR! PLEASE DETACH AND RETURN HOUSTON-HARRIS COUNTY RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Membership Application Name (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev.) Last First M.I. Address Street City Zip Telephone Address Dues: HHCRTA $10 + TRTA $35 = $45.00 (If you have TRTA dues on Payroll Deduction or are a Life Member, make your check out for $10.00 for HHCRTA dues)