VMCCA News Update

Announcement Regarding the 2021 Annual Membership Meeting

- posted August 31, 2020

Dear VMCCA members

Earlier in the year I wrote in my Bulb Horn message that cancelling or postponing a tour or event was a difficult decision. Little was known about how the Coronavirus would affect The VMCCA tour schedule, let alone the world health. This pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of everyday activities. The 2020 tour schedule was completely altered and only one National tour was held. You have been supportive and encouraging in your response to the decisions made.

Now, we have been faced with another major decision. On Thursday August 27, 2020 The VMCCA Executive Committee met to discuss suspending the National Awards Nomination process for the 2020 award season. It was quickly understood that the bigger question to discuss was the postponement of the Annual Meeting. While many subjects were discussed the following themes emerged as compelling reasons to recommend to the BOG that the annual meeting scheduled for January 2021 be postponed until 2022.

Our country is still in the midst of a pandemic. Even with many businesses closed, infection, hospitalization and death rates have not fallen enough to significantly reduce restrictions. These same parameters are still rising in different parts of the country.

Because most our members will be travelling to the meeting from areas throughout the U.S, the committee feels it is too early to know what restrictions Arizona will have in place in January 2021. Current restriction in other states may be in place requiring quarantine when travelers return to those states. In Arizona, and other states, when the numbers began to fall (meaning the measurement parameters the states are monitoring) and businesses began to open, the infection, hospitalization and death rate soon surged to new highs.

The age demographic of our membership places our members in the higher incidence of serious infection, hospitalization and death from Covid 19. It is our responsibility, as officers, to not put our membership at undue risk.

Because no vaccine currently exists and is not anticipated to be completely tested and approved until early in 2021. Wide spread distribution of the vaccine is estimated to take an unknown number of months after it is made available. While there are many unknowns, it does not seem advisable to gather our membership before a vaccination could be available for the protection of each of our members

The Executive Committee Recommendation to the Board of Governors for action were:

It is recommended, for the health and safety of our membership, the in-person January 14-17, 2021, - 4th Quarter Meeting, 1st Quarter Meeting, and 83rd Annual Meeting in Tempe, AZ be revised as follows:

• Both 4th Quarter and 1st Quarter meetings move to the Zoom format with the possibility of full membership receiving an invitation to attend with RSVP
• The 84th Annual membership is scheduled in Tempe, Arizona for the same or nearly same dates in 2020.
• It is further recommended that the Annual Awards for 2021 be suspended until the 2022 meeting.
• The 83rd Annual Membership meeting May be held in conjunction with an in-person tour held later in 2021.

The Board Of Governors met via a phone conference this evening, August 31, 2020 and approved motions for three of those recommendations with slight amendments to the wording. The motion fourth recommendation, to hold a membership meeting in conjunction with an in-person tour later in 2021 was withdrawn.

Through swift and efficient work by Steve Partman, the Annual Membership Meeting planner and host, the 83rd Annual Membership Meeting will be held in Tempe, Arizona January 13 - 16, 2022.

The Board Of Governors thank you in advance for your understanding and continued support. Please stay involved in your region and chapter activities as much as possible. Stay healthy and encouraged for the 2021 VMCCA touring season.

Ray Maxfield
VMCCA, President