May, 2009

A Message from our President, 

Dear PSC Members,

            I am extremely honored to have been the President of the Pittsburgh Ski Club for the past year. The 12 months have gone by in a flash. For that matter, so have my 37 years as a PSC member. The benefits of being a PSC member are twofold. The access to incredible trips and great activities makes our club an outstanding value. More importantly, the immeasurable value we get from forming wonderful lifelong friendships make the PSC priceless. If you have friends who are not yet PSC members, you should let them know about our wide range of activities. They will thank you over and over. 

            This newsletter is the last of the PSC’s legacy newsletters in printed format. We are placing the vast majority of our club’s information on our revamped website. Starting June 1, 2009, we will begin publishing our abbreviated electronic newsletters. Our new Webmaster, John Schaukowitch, and our newsletter editor (and VP elect of Publicity), Chris Lakomy, have worked tirelessly to make this transition a smooth one. As we continue to grow, we are looking for even more skilled volunteers to expand the staff of our website committee.

            It is now more important than ever that you include your e-mail address on your application. It is the only way we can easily communicate with our members electronically. If you don’t have one, you can get one free. Both Yahoo and Google will give you a free e-mail address; you just need to ask for it. By having your own e-mail address, we will be able to send you our new abbreviated electronic newsletter. Comprehensive club information will be available on our expansive website, as we shift totally to electronic channels of information dissemination. By the time you read this, we will have a volunteer who will print and mail the abbreviated electronic newsletter to those who can’t possibly receive it electronically. The recipients will need to reimburse the volunteer for both printing and postage. Hopefully, few will need this.

            Kim Falk has withdrawn her name as Secretary elect. Judy Schlaegle Mills has agreed to stay on for another year as Secretary. Kim will very likely be appointed as the chairperson of the Ski Instruction Committee.

            We have a great administration ready to hit the ground running at the start of our fiscal year on June 1. The masterful skills and incredible experience of our Board members never ceases to amazes me. Nevertheless, we need to constantly remind our membership that we are an all–volunteer organization. Everyone needs to pitch in to keep our club functioning at top efficiency. Please volunteer for a position or lead an event. We need to have all of our members donate a little of their time.

            Our President’s Party this year will be at the Churchill Valley Country Club on Saturday, May 30, 2009. LeMont will cater it, so you know the food will be great. Those who have volunteered their many hours of guidance and assistance will be invited at no cost. The party will be open, however, to their guests and to the PSC membership and their guests for $65 per person. We will have dancing to a DJ until 11 p.m. Please mark your calendars and send in your newsletter or website coupon early, as the evening is by reservation only.

            Please renew your PSC membership very early this year. It’s important because we need to have everyone’s up–to–date e–mail address to keep or start your electronic newsletter coming without interruption.