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President's Note -- July

The ODS Board met in May to work through an ambition agenda. First business was to fill a director-at-large position vacancy created by the resignation of Biagina Lazeroni. Biagina resigned due to health issues. I want to express my appreciation for her service to the board as the board secretary and vice-president, and give her ODS’s best wishes.

The position was filled with the appointment of Francy Haupt as the director-at-large. Francy is currently coordinating the Instructor’s Certification series of workshops and tests and is going to tackle organizing a “L” judge series next year. Francy also serves as the president of the Chehalem Mountain Chapter. Thank you, Francy for your commitment to the board!

Other business covered at the board meeting included a lengthy discussion of the USDF Capital Campaign to build the Lexington headquarters. USDF has expectations that Group Member Organizations, such as ODS, will make sizeable contributions towards this endeavor. The board is encouraging chapters to hold fundraisers using activities that will also benefit the member/participants. I’m sure this will continue to be a discussion topic!

Membership changes and corresponding dues adjustments were discussed. The regular adult membership will remain unchanged. USDF rule changes permit us to offer a second-tier membership, or “family membership” to residents of same household of a full GMO member. This membership category will be offered for $9 less than the full GMO membership. This membership category provides no USDF benefits for publications, awards or shows, but it does permits the family member to participate in GMO activities such as schooling shows and clinics. Regular Youth memberships will increase $10, however we will be offering a discount for a reduction of ODS publications if not desired. Although this sounds confusing, the ultimate goal is to offer members several choices in choosing the membership category that fits their needs for their activities. Corinne is drafting a membership application that will help outline the benefits associated with each membership category and simplify the options.

The Omnibus Deadline has been moved up to accommodate a review/editing process that USDF has recently instituted. The new deadline is August 15th. Please share this with your chapters.

It’s hard to believe but the ODS championship show at Devonwood is right around the corner. Our dates this year are September 16th –18th. This year, the awards banquet held in conjunction with the show will be off site at the SweetBriar Inn. The Sweetbriar is also serving as the host motel for the championship show.

Thank you to all of you making the clinics, shows, and seminars happen. The event calendar on the oregondressage.com website is full of activities! Take advantage of them.

Best wishes,
John