This Summer in Transition

August 2003

The annual summer conference is like the end of the year for the CHEACT Board. It is at this point that we begin to develop next year's plan. Already, there are exciting initiatives taking form, and willing volunteers stepping up to take on new responsibility as we lock arms together to safeguard, promote and encourage home schooling that glorifies God in central Texas in the coming year.

This month, please join me in welcoming Karen Austin as the newsletter editor. I am always grateful when someone comes forward with a burden and passion for this vital communication tool that supports us all. We look forward to working together to bring you valuable information and encouragement as you embark upon or continue on in your home school journey.

In related news, it is time for the CHEACT Board to say "good bye" to Gary and Annette Anderson. Annette has been the very visible newsletter editor for the past two years. But many of you do not know that Annette she been an outspoken source of valuable wisdom at our Board meetings. She has also rolled up her sleeves in other areas, such as the used curriculum sale last year.

Gary has been our Treasurer for the past two years. This is a behind-the scenes role in CHEACT that needs to be done day-in and day-out. Gary has been as dependable as he has been creative in helping us to live within our means. And the servant hearts of both Gary and Annette as a team has blessed everyone involved with CHEACT. At our conferences, they are always the first to show up in the early hours of the morning, and the last to go, after the last floor is swept, the last exhibitor loaded up and the last chair put back in place. We will miss you both.

Some of you already know that this past conference was the last one for our conference coordinator of the past two years. Annette Haralson has done an outstanding job through some turbulent years of venue problems to maintain the quality of our conferences. Annette has single-handedly planned and coordinated four conferences that have met the needs of home schoolers in our region. Thank you, Annette!

As some of you know, the CHEACT Board has decided to move renewal membership dues to a voluntary donation during these days of a troubled economy. For the time being, we are asking members to give what they can when their membership is up for renewal. Our hope is that those who can give more will do so. And those who simply cannot will be able to maintain their membership.

We very much want members for life. We are working on ways to ensure that a donation to CHEACT is the very best way to safeguard, promote and encourage home schooling that glorifies God in central Texas - outside of developing your own home school, of course! And that is precisely why we have made this change. We have heard too many stories of home school families where the Dad is out of work, and hard decisions are made between buying schoolbooks and renewing a CHEACT membership. Although we need dues, we do not want to lose members during these times.

To accommodate this, we are committed to finding more efficient ways to run CHEACT. This requires a look at our income sources and our expenses. In the coming months, we will be looking at how to take advantage of the Internet to be better stewards of our resources.

Conferences, which fund most of CHEACT throughout the year, will be an area of increased focus. Right now, we are gathering a committee to help run our conferences. It is simply too much for any one person to do for any length of time. We, including our volunteer Board, are all busy home school parents. If five or six families would volunteer to take on part of this work, it would not be overly burdensome for anyone. In fact, it would make a great school activity and service project for families with high-school students. Please consider this opportunity and email info@cheact.org.

Well, that's all the news for now. Until next month…

Yours truly,
Brett Adams

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