President's Letter

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July 2010

Dear Concordia Turner friends and family,

The weather has been a friend and foe to the start of the pool season. The heat has made the pool temperatures very comfortable but, the storms have caused us to close many days. Please keep in mind the life guards are there for a specific duty...to guard your life! Pool rules state that if thunder is heard or lightning is spotted everyone is ordered out of the pool. Everyone must remain out of the pool until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder or spotting of lightning. If the storm goes on for a period of time sometimes it is necessary to close the pool.

It seems that we are having some "unpaid" visitors to the pool this summer. We certainly welcome visitors but, we must collect the guest fee. It helps Concordia keep the pool running. Members, please make sure ALL of your guests are paid for and signed in. Our shack revenues are also very low this summer. If we don’t see an increase in revenues, we will be forced to cut hours. Please help support your society. Remember we also serve turkey and ham sandwiches.

Please note there are some changes in time and dates to our schedule. I would like to point out the change in the 10th Annual Concordia Golf Tournament. We are moving the tournament to the Forest Park Probstein Golf Course on August 21. More details featured below.

We are also looking to fill a member-at-large position on the Board of Directors. It would require one meeting a month. If you value the benefits of Concordia, it’s a great way to give back to the Society and make your voice heard.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

P.S. Suggestions, comments email me at: mojillio@hotmail.com

Previous Letters

Dear Concordia Turner friends and family,

Second quarter always marks the start of pool preparations. While operating without a business manager (hopefully for not much longer), we will rely on more volunteers this spring to help open the pool. In April we will issue pool cards (2 volunteer each night) and clean the pool. Sign up sheets will be available in the lobby.

You will start seeing some improvement projects around Concordia; the Ladies room in the foyer received a new backsplash board to replace the old moldy one, the drinking fountain in the foyer has been fixed and soon we will be installing a large divider curtain in the large recreation hall. A big HUGE thank you to our anonymous donor for their generosity in making this project happen!

A reminder to all members, your membership in Concordia requires 8 hours of volunteer time per year. There are plenty of opportunities this Spring to fulfill those hours. In the Wednesday What’s Up we requested volunteers to help assist in grass mowing for this season. We suggest that a family (or 2) pick a month and share the duties. We have had a donation of a push mower and trimmer. Please let me know if you can assist with saving us almost $500 per month!

We have implemented a weekly email newsletter - the Wednesday What’s Up. Its purpose is to keep you up to date on events and happenings at Concordia. If you would like to receive the newsletter please email office@concordiaturners.org to subscribe.

We are also looking to fill a member-at-large position on the Board of Directors. It would require one meeting a month. If you value the benefits of Concordia, it’s a great way to give back to the Society and make your voice heard.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

P.S. Suggestions, comments email me at: mojillio@hotmail.com

Dear Concordia Turner friends and family,

This fall brings some very exciting things to the Turner hall. There are new FUNdraisers, Capital Improvements Campaign, martial arts for kids, and cardio martial arts for adults. As always, we welcome all members to any of our events or classes.

You may have heard the old saying, “Concordia is the best kept secret in South St. Louis.” Why? Why do we want to keep it a secret? One way for us to get noticed is to improve our “curb appeal”. So, our first phase of the Capital Improvement Campaign will be the Gravois side exterior. But, we need help. Any members willing to help with gutter repair/replacement, roof repair, painting, plastering or tuck pointing, we could sure use you. Please email me at mojillio@hotmail.com or call the office.

We have some new FUNdraisers coming this fall. On October 17, we are holding a Book Fair. This event will include a preview night. We will be featuring books, magazines, CD’s and DVD’s. So clean out those attics and closets because all donations are needed! Drop them off in the office (or the box outside the office) any time. We will also need helpers to sort the books and man the event. Please give Meaghan a call to volunteer: 314-352-9388.

The other new FUNdraiser is a vendor blender/craft fair. We are inviting any vendor (Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Creative Memories, crafters, etc.) to exhibit at Concordia on Saturday, November 14. This is open to the public and all are welcome. Please check inside this newsletter for more information on these and additional FUNdraisers and events.

This edition of the Concordian is packed with more events and activities. These events will also be posted on our web-site, www.concordiaturners.org. We look forward to seeing you...

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

Dear Concordians,

As you can see from the schedule, we have a very busy summer planned. In our current economic state, the fundraisers are obviously very important. However, the family events are a great way for our families to maintain friendships and make new friends. You can’t beat the price of our Family Movie Nights – they’re free! The golf tournament is always a great time. So gather your foursome and make your reservations now! The book fair is a new venture for us this year. We are looking for donations of books (all kinds including children’s), magazines, CD’s and DVD’s. You can drop them off in the office anytime.

We will be launching a “Capital Improvement Campaign” in the very near future. A walk through was recently completed with all areas of Concordia scrutinized. Anyone with grant writing experience PLEASE contact the office or me. Your help is greatly needed.

You will notice in this newsletter we are starting a new program. The “wish list”…please check it out. There is more information on the last page of this newsletter.

Have a safe and happy summer. Please feel free to contact me at any time at mojillio@hotmail.com.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

Dear Concordia Friends,

A Happy New Year to Concordia Turner friends and family. I hope that 2009 is a prosperous year for all. With all the “doom and gloom” talk of the economy, it’s easy to overlook the blessings we already have. One of those is Concordia. Our organization has many wonderful people, of whom I’m proud to say are like family.

To start off the New Year many people make resolutions. Of the 14 most popular resolutions listed on www.usa.gov, 6 of those can be accomplished at Concordia. Here they are:

• Lose weight
• Save money
• Get fit
• Eat healthy
• Reduce stress overall
• Volunteer to help others

You can lose weight, get fit and reduce stress by using our fitness center. It’s complete with cardio, free weight, nautilus equipment, sauna and locker facilities. With the new keyless entry system you have access from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (out by midnight). Just ask the office for your card today ($24 yearly additional fee). Plus, we have a new “biggest losers” club forming. Please join us on Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. and get fit with your Concordia friends (more info in newsletter).

Saving money is easy with our inclusive class system. Did you know that a Concordia family membership is HALF the price of the YMCA, and we INCLUDE classes!

Finally, volunteer opportunities are always available. We have events and committees active throughout the year. Check the bulletin board or the web-site for opportunities.

Please join us for the many activities planned for the new year; scrap-a-thon, the “big” football game party/chili cook-off, western bar-b-que, general membership meeting, Red Cross blood drive, trivia night, honorary member banquet/Stiftungsfest (check the Events page for all upcoming activities) and believe-it-or-not…pool preparations. Volunteer sign-ups will be posted in the lobby and on the web-site.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

Greetings Turner Friends,

This fall at the Turner hall is a very busy one. We have a packed schedule and some great events planned. You will find the schedule and events list enclosed in this newsletter. We have also added two new classes; Kung Fu and Kickboxing. To all members, I would encourage you to participate and get to know your fellow Turners.

Many of you have already noticed the expansion of the gymnastic program into a portion of the big gym. This is an incredible opportunity for us to expand our membership. We have a very competitive program ranging from beginner to high-level gymnastics. However, this has not come without a price. Several of our groups have been inconvenienced by this expansion. I apologize for the sacrifices they have had to make and for the lack of notification of the situation.

With the end of summer, we now have time to evaluate the pool and shack’s operations. You will see some changes next summer. There were several things that we feel were not handled properly. This will change. If you have any suggestions for next summer please let me know. You can email me at board@concordiaturners.org or phone 314-352-9388.

To end on a very exciting note…we have added Meaghan Effan as our new Office Manager and Amanda Gabbert as our Advertising Coordinator. Meaghan is doing a wonderful job. Her new office hours are posted on the door. Amanda is busy getting mailings, advertisements and marketing materials together. Don’t forget, word-of-mouth is still the strongest means of marketing the Turners plus, you get a referral credit (details inside newsletter).

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

P.S. Check out our web site Concordia Turners. New information is being added regularly.

Dear Turner Friends,

Well Summer is off. We have many new faces around Concordia:

• Gina McCullough, Pool Manager
• Lucky Bielicke, Shack Manager
• and many new Life Guards and Shack workers

Since they are all new, we’ve had a few “bumps in the road”. Thank you for your suggestions and patience. If you have comments or issues, don’t forget we have comment forms in the lobby on the bulletin board. Your comments are appreciated.

Many of you have expressed a concern over the new Recreational Facility going into Carondelet Park. We have discussed this situation and feel that the best ways to combat a decline in membership is:

• Word-of-Mouth – sell Concordia to your friends and family. Our family memberships are $437 per year (which includes classes)! In order to use the Carondelet facility you would pay fees similar to the YMCA of approximately $800 per year for a family, plus the cost of classes.
• Increase marketing exposure in our targeted zip codes to ramp up membership before the facility opens.

We will have many activities going on throughout the summer; family movie nights, summer camp and swim lessons. Please see this newsletter for more details. As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions. You can email me at mojillio@hotmail.com.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President

Dear Turner Friends,

The 2nd quarter is off to an exciting start. We have a new Business Manager in the office. His name is Nathan Turner (no really, his last name is Turner). Stop by some day and introduce yourself. Do not be surprised if you get a call from him. Our plans are to get records updated and obtain email addresses. Eventually, we would like to send statements and the newsletter via email. It’s more convenient for many families and cuts our costs tremendously.

Summer and the pool season are just around the corner. You should have received a Pool Improvement Campaign letter. Thank you to those contributors who have pushed us to the $500 donation mark. You may still drop off or mail your donation to the office.

The Future of Concordia Committee is gaining momentum. One of the pieces that we have taken from our marketing survey is “how connected you feel” to Concordia. We want Concordia to be a welcoming atmosphere. Therefore, we have reinstated Member Socials. For now, they will be quarterly and usually in conjunction with a social event. All members are welcome. We especially want our newer members to see everything Concordia has to offer. Please contact the office 314-352-9388 or info@concordiaturners.org if you need more information.

With Turner Greetings,

Jill Pfeuffer

President