Dear Club Members, Sponsors and Friends,
The CVR Board of Directors Annual Planning Meeting is a special occasion for me. After a month of relative inactivity in December, I enjoy interacting with board members and developing goals for the year with them. The goals are a collective vision of activities and events that will engage you and enrich club traditions of camaraderie, safety and enjoyment of Porsches. This year the meeting took place on Saturday, January 15. Twenty-two board members, including elected officers and activity chairs, joined me via Zoom and devoted three and a half hours to discussing seven goals in detail, which involve more than fifty gatherings. A statement of the 2022 goals appears at the end of this article.
Although the Omicron variant is worrisome, the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer hope that a return to normalcy might occur this spring. It would be a welcome respite from the precautions and constraints we have been enduring since February 2020. Although COVID issues complicated the planning of many of the club’s activities in 2021, our moving car events took place as intended. In fact, it was a very good year for driver education, autocross, Club Race and coffee runs. The CVR People’s Choice Concours, publications of Challenge and omnipresence of club photographers were also impressive in 2021. Overall, elected officers and event chairs were creative and perseverant in making adjustments that ensured activities of traditionally high standards.
A goal this year is to repeat the successes of the activities identified in the previous paragraph and, as important, to host a resurgence of in-person special events and Monthly Meetings, as well as summer and fall tours – – all of which were precluded or compromised in 2021 by state mandates and public-health advisories. I am grateful for the work done last year by Caroline and Alan Davis, co-chairs of special events; Jeff Coe, vice president of programs; and Frank Sena, director of programs. Caroline, Alan, Jeff and Frank finalized plans for several events only to have them canceled because of COVID reasons beyond their control. Caroline and Alan are planning a new in-person social event this year at Lyman Orchards, another Porscheplatz at Lime Rock Park and a first-ever, daylight Annual Meeting and Photofest at Saint Clements Castle on the Connecticut River.
Hosts of our Monthly Meetings are reluctant to schedule a large assembly at their facilities in February and March because of the pandemic. Therefore, Jeff and Frank are planning interesting virtual meetings during the first few months of the year. New technology has been purchased to enhance the audio and video quality of virtual meetings. The intention, however, is to begin in-person Monthly Meetings in June, perhaps in April, if conditions permit. The absence of in-person Monthly Meetings has been understandably one of the biggest disappointments among club members during the pandemic. Board members and I also miss them. Getting together again is a significant goal.
The search for a new activity chair of tours and coffee runs is ongoing. I will function as an interim chair. I am delighted that Bob Napoletano has volunteered to host a tour this June, centered at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont. Bob has been the medical director at our Club Races for several years. He is a driver education enthusiast and member of the nominating committee. Several of you have seen him at coffee runs in his beautiful 25th Anniversary 718. In addition, Karen and Tom Russell, back by popular demand, will host a fall tour, occurring in Maine. Their past tours are memorable for their vibrancy and laughter. Eighteen coffee runs will complement the summer and fall tours. James Ball, Rich Adua, Mark Mahoney, John Collins and Steve Tougias will host them again, covering most of the region. The coffee runs are among our most popular events; approximately 350 club members and guests participated in them last year.
Another primary goal is to facilitate transitions in leadership. Tim Beckwith is the new treasurer; his work in organizational finance is an asset to the club. Caroline Abba is the new editor-in-chief of Challenge; she has extensive experience in digital media. Caroline has already published an impressive January 2022 issue. Lynn Keller has succeeded Sue Young as the activity chair for community service; her background in corporate and nonprofit leadership is extensive. Lynn is planning a pet-food drive at the annual CVR People’s Choice Concours to benefit Protectors of Animals and the traditional food drive at the Daniel Jacobs Monthly Meeting to benefit the Spooner House. Lynn is also planning a reprise of the popular Wayne Carini event in October; the proceeds will be donated, once again, to Families Autism CONNECTicut. In addition, she is planning Toys for Tots donations at the Annual Meeting and Photofest in November. As usual, the community service activities will be supplementary to car events.
Another important transition in leadership is Lisa Parker’s succession as vice treasurer and registrar of the Club Race. Lisa is well known among club members; she has served as CVR president for an unprecedented two terms. This year, she will be busy as membership chair, host of the annual Member Sampler, vice treasurer and registrar of the Club Race and national race steward. Transitions in club leadership will be complemented by the ongoing identification and mentoring of members who are interested in becoming more involved in CVR affairs.
Dan Kocse, a new club member and expert videographer, produced an excellent CVR promotional video in 2021. The video can be accessed by clicking here.
A goal this year is to work with Dan in expanding the video to include coverage of the Club Race, concours, special events and community service. In addition to the promotional video, board members will work closely with Linda Goodman, past CVR president and current editor of the column “From the Regions,” which appears in Panorama. The goal is to publish a photograph of a CVR event in the column every month this year.
During its sixty-two years of existence, CVR has amassed many documents, publications, photographs, awards and other memorabilia. The material requires a large storage area. A goal this year is to develop a coherent archive of the material and to store it in a commercial, centrally-located and humidity-controlled facility.
Remember that the 2022 PCA Parade will take place nearby at the Poconos, Pennsylvania, from Sunday, June 12, to Saturday, June 18. Registration opens on Wednesday, February 2, at noon (Eastern Time). Information is available on the PCA website.
CVR board members are working diligently on your behalf. I anticipate that you will enjoy the club activities and events scheduled to take place throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you at the DE Winter Workshop on February 26 or thereafter. Daylight Savings begins on March 13; spring returns on March 20. We will be together soon.
Yours truly,
CVR / PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA
ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING
2022 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOAL 1: RETURN TO NORMALCY
- Continue events successfully implemented in 2021 (driver education, autocross, rallies, concours, coffee runs, club race, publications of Challenge),
- Re-establish events postponed or modified during the pandemic (tours, monthly meetings, special events),
- Host more social activities.
GOAL 2: EXPEDITE TRANSITIONS IN CLUB LEADERSHIP
- Facilitate successful successions: treasurer, Challenge editor-in-chief, chair of community service, club race vice treasurer/registrar, chair of tours, chair of rallies.
GOAL 3: IMPROVE PRODUCTION QUALITY OF VIRTUAL CLUB EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
- Purchase new audio and video equipment,
- Provide inservice training for high quality virtual productions.
GOAL 4: COMPLETE CVR MARKETING VIDEO
- Assist Dan Kocse in completing a club-wide marketing video: club race, concours, special events, community service, Challenge.
GOAL 5: IMPROVE CLUB PROFILE IN PANORAMA
- Submit photos of club activities for every 2022 publication of Panorama’s “From the Regions.”
GOAL 6: ENHANCE CLUB LEADERSHIP
- Develop and implement a plan to identify and to nurture future club leaders,
- Expand succession planning to full-year focus,
- Create slate of nominees for president and executive vice president, whose terms expire in 2022, and for other leadership positions, as necessary.
GOAL 7: Secure Club Documents in Storage
- Cull important documents and memorabilia from boxes of materials collected over a fifty-year period,
- Store important documents and memorabilia in a commercial, heated and humidity-controlled facility.
