ABATE of Michigan President ~ Gary Kopta

Hello everyone, 

 I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and now Christmas is only couple weeks away than after that is our annual seminar which is January 23-25.

 This year marks ABATE of Michigans 50th year and at the seminar I will be bring poster boards with pictures from the past. They were given to me by VP Butch Brown. I also have some original newsletters from as far back as September 1975 which is before we were incorporated. The newsletters were donated by Karen Forsberg. If you have any memorabilia please bring it along to share with the rest of us.

 I know Merry and her committee have worked hard on this event and it has a 1970's theme. So you know its gonna be a good time. 

  We will have some great breakout sessions and we have some guest speakers lined up. Dondi is going to put on a presentation about the insurance issue which you don't want to miss. This topic is our biggest fight at the moment. We aren't giving up. There will be a breakout session about the history of ABATE of Michigan. 

 We are also looking for a State Secretary. Eric Eads has been the Secretary for over 15 years and would like to step down and enjoy his retirement. I don't blame him. If you think you may be interested in the Secretary job please come to the seminar and there will be a breakout session to talk about the position. 

The Secretary has a very important role in the organization. They are basically the hub. They have to make sure everyone from the Treasurer to President gets the materials they need plus send out membership renewals and many other jobs. If you have some computer knowledge you could streamline a few things that he does now. We could really use your help. 

 The Secretarys position is one of the most important jobs and if you want the job you will be trained and everyone will assist where they can. We all want the Secretary to succeed so please consider the job. ABATE of Michigan needs you.

   In Lansing we do have a bill for lane splitting in the Senate. Not much movement yet but I am sure Bear will update everyone at the seminar. That is another reason you should come. 

 We are still active in Lansing doing things behind the scenes so we can do a good push next year. I will keep everyone updated and let you know when we need a call to action. 

   If your still riding make sure to ride safe.