Dear Fellow Retired Sergeant,
Fall is here. I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful summer that just passed. The June General Meeting, which was held at the American Italian Hall in Elmsford, NY, was attended by 113 members- we were at standing room only. I think we will be looking for a bigger location for the future. We enjoyed terrific guest speakers, food, and drink, and we supplied cigars to all who attended. I would like to thank our speakers. As always, we were joined by the SBA board: SBA Fund Administrator Errol Ogman, Health & Welfare Secretary Donald Kipp and Edward Geary Treasurer, who addressed the membership questions and concerns. George Poniros from Hudson Valley Shooting Sports informed the membership regarding HR 218 and the new updates for renewing pistol permits. Also in attendance was Elizabeth Horton from Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan, which is not being implemented on September 1, 2023. All current health plans will remain in effect until further notice. And remember this is not over, yet. The Harold Kamien Scholarship was drawn, and three (3) lucky winners received $4600.00 each to aid in their college education.
The RSA board members attended the SBA Picnic on June 30th in Staten Island. The RSA was well-represented. I was pleased to see numerous RSA shirts in the crowded Pavilion. On July 19th, the RSA along with the SBA board and Canteen, FOP Lodge 69, and the NYPD Policewomen’s Endowment Association, participated in “Christmas in July” at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. We were able to deliver toys for the children and families who are battling cancer.
As I’m writing this, we are planning our RSA Golf Outing which will be held on September 25th at Peninsula Golf Club in Massapequa. The Golf is SOLD OUT but lunch with open bar is still available. On September 27th we will hold our September General Membership Meeting in Mineola at the Irish American Hall at 6:30PM. There will be many very informative guest speakers.
As we start to collect our 2024 membership dues, we have seen many members take advantage of the convenience of paying via PayPal. The Executive Board, along with myself, refuses to raise the annual dues; we will be implementing things to reduce the expense of everyday operations. This will save the organization money as the cost of postage and printing rise.
I would like to thank our membership. Because of you, we are able to keep all retired sergeants informed. I would also like to thank the board, who works hard to make this all possible, and guest speakers, volunteers, advertisers, vendors, our graphics designer, and everyone else who makes this organization a great success. Once again, there are many fraternal organizations, we send our sincere thanks for joining ours! This is your organization, and I thank you for the pleasure of serving you and to serve with you.
Fraternally,
Robert Cotumaccio
President
