Ripley County Retired Teachers Association

Aug. 6—OSGOOD — Members of the Ripley County Retired Teachers Association met April 25 at the Osgood Town Hall.

President Gene Pitts welcomed the large group of attendees. After Dennis Bourquein led the group in singing the Luncheon Blessing, lunch was served by Rolling Pin Catering.

On behalf of Andrea Westerfeld, Lois Luken announced there were cards for many members and friends circulating for signatures. Other member concerns were shared.

President Pitts called the meeting to order. John Ward led the Pledge of Allegiance. Gene noted the secretary's minutes of the October meeting were published in the most recent Clipboard. Secretary Nancy Durham read a thank you note from the South Ripley Junior High Administration and 8th grade team for the help provided by a group of Ripley County Retired Teachers at their "Real World" event in March. This project was made possible by an Active Teachers Grant awarded by the Indiana Retired Teachers Foundation.

Shirley Bocock addressed the group and recapped the vision screening the past year. Retired Teachers and Lions Club Members manned 28 different locations and screened 4,661 students. Shirley shared that scheduling for this year has begun, and volunteers are needed.

The treasurer's report also appeared in the Clipboard; $3,031.58 is the current balance. Marsha will be presenting checks to the county elementary school nurses.

Dennis Bourquein presented a Jubilee Clipboard that he had created, noting the project had been a work in progress over the past year. Dennis shared the historical highlights of the Ripley County Retired Teachers Association. A committee was organized in 1972. The IRTA accepted the application of the group later in 1972. On Jan. 10, 1973, an organizational meeting was held, officers were elected and a constitution was created. The first meeting was held April 12, 2023 at the Colonial Cottage. In 2004, the group disbanded when the president, William Moorhead, developed serious health problems and no one stepped forward to lead the group. In 2006, Dennis Bourquein, Area 8 Director, helped to reorganize the group, and the first meeting was Oct. 19, 2006. There is a complete list of presidents of the organization, but listing of other officers over the 50 year history is incomplete. Dennis and others have also been unable to locate minutes of the early meetings.

RCRTA has played an important part in the state organization for a number of years. RCRTA members have held state officers and served on various state committees. Members have also been honored with the Anthem/AMBA Clock Award, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award, public relations awards, CASA of the year, and the School Bell Award.

President Pitts also extended congratulations to Mark Guard who has recently appointed as the IRTA secretary-treasurer. His term begins in July and will most likely lead to higher positions of leadership at the state level. Mark extended further congratulations to Cheryl Corning, who will fill the remainder of Mark's term as Area 10 director. Mark made a plea for state membership, advising the group that numbers mean a lot. He noted that out of the approximately 1,000 retired teachers in this area, only 300 to 400 are state members. the worst statistic is at the state level: there are approximately 60,000 retired teachers in the state but only 19,000 are members of the IRTA. In other state news Ellen Mulford has been reappointed to a position on the IRTFoundation.

Vice-President Cheryl Corning introduced our guest speaker. Jocelyn Xenophontos spoke extensively about her journey as a CASA volunteer and now program coordinator. She also noted her strong connections to Ripley County and the field of education. Jocelyn shared the many facets of the Voices for Children and the strong support of Judge Ryan King. She stated that the CASA is the constant in a child's life, the keeper of that child. In particular, there were 175 children served last year by CASA volunteers; this year there is a waiting list of children waiting for a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

Community Service Chair Sue Bunselmeier explained the community service project for the year: Wreaths Across Ripley County. She gave a short history of the Wreaths Across America organization and showed the 2005 photo of wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery that had gone viral. Baylor Trucking was an early leader in the wreath construction in Ripley County. Owen Menchhofer and the Ripley County Historical Society organized the project this year. In Indiana, there were 39,000 wreaths placed—almost 4,000 in Ripley County, the highest association to place wreaths last year in the state. The RCRTA will be collecting donations at all three of our meetings and will turn in our contributions on the Day of Giving, sponsored by the Ripley County Community Foundation, in November—getting a 50% match.

Legislative Chair Ted Ahaus presented an update on the 23rd legislative session coming to a close this month. He first noted that the core of the history of the IRTA and the RCRTA is to protect the pensions of retired teachers and that $35 for state membership each year is worth the price. He also stated that the IRTA lobbies not just for its members but for all retired teachers. Ted reported that $2 and half billion had been put back in the pension fund, but that is far less than the $10 billion which was originally taken out. Betty Bourquein reported that Senator Jean Leising shared that there is a feeling among many business leaders that they don't have pensions, so why should teachers? Ted concurred that there is a resentment against teachers, even in our local communities, and it's not just about pensions, but also taking books off the shelf and telling teachers what they can and can't teach. Ted encouraged members to check the website (www.irta.org) where you can click on advocacy and check the legislative update.

Door prizes were awarded to Donna Perry, Jerry Pryor, Dennis Bourquein, Nancy Durham and Carol Weberding.