NOVEMBER 2017 VOLUME XLIV NUMBER 2

Your Partner in Pension Protection

REPORT CARD Pomona Valley Division 13 div13.calrta.org

calrta.org area8.calrta.org

Core Purpose: To enhance and protect the benefits of retired educators.

Azusa-Bonita-Charter Oak-Claremont-Covina-Glendora-Hacienda/La Puente-Pomona-Walnut-West Covina

Next CalRTA Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Program: Bonita H.S. Chamber Singers

Time: 11:15 a.m. for lunch

Place: Hillcrest Meeting House

CalRTA’s Goal: To be the dominant, authoritative voice for all retired educators.President: TBA

PROGRAMby Susan Hamilton

The festive beauty of the acclaimed Bonita HighSchool Chamber Singers program will once again light upour gathering of CalRTA friends with joyous holiday spiritand perhaps a lively tease of music from “BroadwayClassics at Carnegie Hall.”

This elite choir of 32 exceptionally talented junior andsenior Bonita High School students, under the direction ofMr. Todd Helm, are performing widely at several invitationalfestivals in December. They are participating in theDisneyland Candlelight Ceremony, and in February willtravel to New York to participate in Manhattan ConcertProductions in Carnegie Hall.

Wishing you all the blessings of a wonderful Christmas-time.

LEADERSHIP TEAM MESSAGE

As noted in the last newsletter, SusanHamilton, Sandy Moore, Kathy Concidine andTed McNevin will be sharing the duties ofpresident this year, as no one has steppedforward to volunteer for that position.Regardless, they and the rest of theExecutive Board are committed to carryingout the Annual Goals of Division 13.

1. Increase Membership - There is strength in numbers, and inorder to continue to be a strong voice for active and retiredteachers in California, CalRTA needs to build and maintainas large and as involved a membership as possible.

2. Increase Attendance - We would like to see all of ourmembers at every activity, both for the information that isshared as well as the social and entertainment opportunities.Executive Board meetings are open to anyone wishing toattend, and our luncheons include great food from theHillcrest kitchens, valuable information and outstandingentertainment, as well as a chance to see old friends.

3. Increase Legislative Awareness and Action - There is a lotgoing on in Sacramento that affects teachers, and the moreyou know about the issues, the more you can do to makeyour voice heard and your vote count. Speakers, websites,newsletters, email alerts and even personal visits withlegislators are all available through CalRTA.

4. Educate Members and the Public - Healthcare information,consumer issues, insurance options, travel opportunities,community involvement, scholarship and grant programsand much more are all part of what Division 13 has to offer.Check out our Division website as well as the State CalRTAwebsite for more information.

5. Support California Education - Member dues contribute tothe cost of the CalRTA Legislative Advocate in Sacramento,who works full-time for the organization to educatelegislators about the needs and concerns of publiceducators, both retired and active, and of the public schoolsin California. When they make their voices heard, tens ofthousands of CalRTA members can make a difference, forour colleagues and for the children of the state.

YOU MAY BE RETIRED, BUT YOU’RE NOT “DONE.”GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

CalRTA Division 13 Executive Board 2015-17

PresidentTBA

1 Vice-President (Program)st

Susan Hamilton

2 Vice-President (Membership)nd

Sandy Moore

Recording SecretaryKathy Concidine

Corresponding SecretaryRita Snow

TreasurerTed McNevin

Goverment RelationsLarry Woodruff

ResourcesDorothy Fountain

Health IssuesSharon Goodrich

CommunicationsDena Anderson-Peoples

HospitalityPaula Dacker

PublicityRobbie Cendejas

Historian/Teacher Grantsvacant

Newsletter EditorPat Nixon

WebmasterPete Davis

Scholarship CommitteeRobbie Cendejas - PresidentTom Gerfen - Treasurer

Collette Tours’ Highlights, November, 2017by Carole Lyles

Once more we have satisfiedCollette travelers from Division 13. Ronand Susan Hamilton and Ted andMary McNevin just returned from theirtrip to New England. Susan reportsshe was “surprised” by some of theunique experiences they had, and Tedreported that the tour guide was veryknowledgeable and went to greatlengths to ensure that everyone’sneeds were met and that they had agood time. I so much enjoy gettinggood reports when our friends andmembers return from their tours. Talkto your friends and relatives and joinone of our Collette/CalRTA Tours for awonderful and gratifying travel tourexperience. Not only will you have a

wonderful time, but you also are supporting our fundraiser.

Division 13 has earned $7,515 towards student Scholarships andteacher Grants over the last 3 years. We have six enthusiastic travelersscheduled for the Heritage of America Tour. Yes, my husband and I arelooking forward to that exciting trip in April of 2018. I am saddened to reportthat no one signed up for the Collette tour of New Zealand.

Start marking your calendars now for the Best of Eastern Canada Tour,September 30, 2018 or the Discover New Orleans Tour October 14,2018. Our travel brochures for those tours will arrive at your doorstep in midJanuary, 2018. We have also booked tours to Imperial Cities (Budapest,Prague, and Vienna) April 22, 2019 and Mackinac Island in early May,2019 (dates to be determined.)

If you enjoy good companions, good food, and inspiring travel thatstimulates the mind and satisfies the soul, join in on one of theCollette/CalRTA tours. If you have any questions, please call me at (909)985-4235. It doesn’t take much; just a call that’s all; the world is waiting foryour visit.

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WEBMASTER REPORTby Pete Davis

As of 8/31/17 Division 13 has 711 members. As of 10/19/17 Division 13has email addresses for 285 members. As of 10/19/17 Division 13 has59 members signed up for receiving their newsletter by email and nohard copy. The other 652 members will receive a hard copy newsletter andall 285 email members will be sent the online version. We thank the 59email Only members for saving us postage, printing, and volunteer foldingtime. All emails should be sent out from our new Gmail address.

We hope many more of you will supply us with your email addresseswhich can be sent to: calrta.pomonavalley@gmail.com. The moremembers of the division who sign up to receive their newsletter by emailonly, the more money and time we save. To sign up for this, please let meknow by emailing us: calrta.pomonavalley@gmail.com.

Ron and Susan Hamilton and Ted and MaryMcNevin in front of Rosecliffe, a mansion fromthe Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island.

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CalRTA Advocacy Toolsby Carole Lyles

I encourage each of you to use your email to makeyour voice heard in both Sacramento and WashingtonD.C. and to become a more effective member of CalRTA.The process I am referring to is in an article in the currentissue of Contact magazine. It is found on pages 5 and 6and details what is needed to get the task done.

Basically, what you need to do is to go to the Home orMember page of calrta.org. Scroll down to Get EmailUpdates found on the right hand side and click on thatsite. It will open a location for you to use to submit yourdata. You will receive Legislative Alerts and FairnessFriday information once you confirm your information.

Fairness Friday is communicated on the 4 Friday ofth

the month. It is CalRTA’s new effort to keep the WEP andCPO concerns on the front burners of the minds offederal legislators on a regular basis.

Please take the time and make an effort to join yourfellow CalRTA members in this important updatedtechnique for effectively communicating with ourlegislative representatives. The squeaky wheel doesindeed get the grease and the votes.

TIP TOP FEETby Sharon Goodrich

We all are aware of back and knee pain, but howmany of us think in terms of foot pain as a condition ofaging? Our feet carry us one step at a time through life..... how many steps is that when the currentrecommendation is 10,000 steps per day??!!

Four tips from Loma Linda's Wellbeing to keep feet intop condition are:

1. Buy shoes that fit properly. More arch support, morerounded toes. Comfort over style if need be.

2. Keep well hydrated ...... Not just water intake, butlotions and ointments. Many medications can dryskin and it has more of an impact on thin skin turninginto blisters and scaly patches.

3. Be alert to signs of fungal infections: redness, peeling,itching, blisters. Older persons have slower circu-lation and weaker immune systems that make theseinfections more common in our time of life. Washand dry feet often and change shoes and socksdaily.

4. Talk with your doctor about stiffness, pain or swellingin ankle/foot/toe joints. Most of us have arthritis inour feet by our 60-70s and if untreated, walking canbecome difficult, if not impossible.

RESOURCESby Dorothy Fountain

Here is an important reminder fromDenise Miniskey in Division 42.

SCAM Alert

An early morning phone call last Monday, December 7,jolted me awake for the rest of the day. Here’s what Iheard from a machine:

“The final notice from the Internal Revenue Service.The reason of this call is to inform you that the IRS isfiling a lawsuit against you. To get more information aboutthis case file, please call immediately on our number 803-514-3946.”

This was an obvious scam since I knew that I had paidmy tax. I decided to call that number. A woman with aheavy accent answered. I told her that I wanted to knowwhy I had been called. She asked for my phone number.I told her that she already had it, because I had gotten thecall. I asked her who she was and what her name was.Her answer to that was a “click” as she hung up.

I thought that I would notify the IRS. After searchingthe phone book and the internet, I finally called a numberthat was answered by a person, not a machine. Therewas no option on the machine messages to talk to a liveperson. I had reached a hotline in Washington, D.C. Sheasked if anyone had spoken with an accent. She said itwas a scam and that she was glad that I had called thehotline to report it.

If you get a call similar to the one that I received, callthe IRS hotline at 800-366-4484. Your call is important.

TREASURER’S REPORTby Ted McNevin

Balance 7/1/2017 $5,104.23

Receipts: Dues: $2,953.47 Luncheon: 1,121.00 Collette: 342.13 Miscellaneous 28.46

$4,445.06Total Available: 9,549.29

Disbursements: 3,601.09

Ending Balance 3Q $5,948.20

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Teacher Grant Winners 2017by Kathy Concidine

The Teacher Grant Committee had a formidable job this year – it had to narrow down a field of 171 applicants to the25 final winners. Thankfully, there was a large, willing group consisting of Chairman Kathy Concidine and membersLaurie St. Jacques, Carol Curry, Gail Boekenoogen, Robbie Cendejas, Carolyn Sissel Smith, Harriett Hartshorn, DorothyFountain, Joanne Karr, Ted McNevin, and Marcia Conway.

The finalists had written interesting applications full of creative ideas and persuasive arguments. The Teacher GrantCommittee members delivered the grants to each winner in person. These finalists were:

Azusa UnifiedDenise Poe – Dalton ElementaryAnn Augustyn-Clark – Slauson Middle School

Bonita UnifiedRenee Gregory – Grace Miller ElementaryApril Maidens – Miller ElementaryMaria Brock – Miller ElementaryAlison Reedy – Ramona Middle School

Charter Oak UnifiedLauren Morris – Washington ElementaryCelende Alderete – Washington Elementary

Covina Valley UnifiedTherese Duffy – Ben Lomond ElementaryLucas Galan – Northview HighDavid E. Platt – Covina High

Glendora UnifiedJacoba Vagnozzi – Sandburg Middle SchoolMonique Hart – Glendora High

Hacienda/La Puente UnifiedHeather Murphy – Lassalette SchoolMaurice Limon – Workman High

Pomona UnifiedSarah A. Jack – Armstrong ElementaryRamon Manjarrez – Roosevelt ElementaryTeresa Vera – Kingsley ElementaryCarmen Martinez – Allison ElementaryAngela Nardiello –

Palomares Academy of Health SciencesArturo Chavez – Garey HighRichard Ybarra – Diamond Ranch HighMary Morales – Ganesha High

Walnut Valley UnifiedMelody Fernandez – Evergreen ElementaryAmanda Lindeman – Walnut High

If you recognize the names of any of these teachers, please thank them for participating in our program.

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State Organization Hands Out Grantsby Kathy Concidine

The state CalRTA organization had another drawing in September and chose as oneof its winners another teacher in our area. Erin Perez of Azusa Unified School Districtwon $100. Erin is the assistive technology person for the Visually Impaired program andalso for the regular Special Education classes.

In a funny coincidence, Erin's mother, Alice Perez, was a recipient of one of our localgrants in 2013. Alice is a VI teacher in Azusa.

Pictured is Teacher Grant Chairman Kathy Concidine presenting the check to ErinPerez.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Our Newest Luncheon Attendee

Kathy Nassar has a varied resume, all highlighting her commitment to early childhooddevelopment. She graduated from MSAC, Cal Poly Pomona and received her Master’s Degreefrom Cambridge College.

Kathy worked with a private non-profit for 9 years and then the next 29 years with Pomona USD.She worked at Diamond Point Elementary in the Before/After School Program and with EarlyHead Start. She also directed classes for pregnant women and mothers of children from birth to3 years.

Kathy enjoys reading, music and travelling. She is active in her church. Her husband, Tony,works for the California Air Resources Board. A hearty welcome to Kathy Nassar!

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All meetings this year will be at 11:15 for lunch at Hillcrest Retirement Community

Teacher Grant Committee

DON’T FORGET THE CHRISTMAS BOOK &

TOILETRIES

by Dena Anderson-Peoples

Can’t wait to see all of you at the December

luncheon at Hillcrest. In addition to the wonderful

music, this is the time to bring a NEW, unwrapped

Christmas themed book and those women’s toiletries

for the WINGS Women’s and Children’s Shelter in

Covina as part of our Community Service Project.

Again, keep track of those volunteer hours. We all

accumulate many at this time of year as we help our

neighbors and family members have happy holidays.

Don’t forget to write down those times you volunteer

to drive, work at church, or babysit. We total them at

the March, 2018 meeting.

Membership Update (Jul - Oct)by Sandy Moore

New Members

Theresa K. AlvarezDonna BritianMichael CallahanKathleen DoramusJoanne E. HathawNancy KodamaNancy WaltersSharon E. Wulfensmith

In MemoriamOur retirement community has lost theadvice and counsel of the followingmembers:

Lois CaseRon Cole Pomona DistrictGordon Dyer Glendora DistrictAnita HaugerJan OvertonJoan Stronach Chaffey District

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CalRTA OFFICIAL NEW MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENTPomona Valley Division 13

Name _________________________________ Telephone ( ) ________________

Address _______________________________________________________________

City, State , and full Zip ___________________________________________________

E-mail Address ________________________________________

District Retired From ____________________________________

G Check here if spouse is also joining. Spouse’s name _ ______________________

JOIN NOW

Please check your selected payment method*:

G Dues Deduction Select One: G $4.50 monthly

G $9.00 monthly for self and spouse

DUES DEDUCTION:I authorize the State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to deduct my Associationdues. Should the amount of dues be adjusted, as approved by the CalRTA DelegateAssembly, I authorize that the adjusted deductions shall continue unless I notify the CalRTABusiness Office in writing to the contrary. To terminate dues deductions, I agree to makemy request in writing to the CalRTA Business Office.

Social Security Number ___________________________ (Required for Dues Deduction)

Other Choices:

G Annual Dues - $54 (payable by check or money order made out to CalRTA)

Signature __________________________________________ Date _________________

After completing form, please mail to:

Sandy Moore1249 Vega CircleLa Verne CA 91750

(909) 596-0747

*We strongly recommend the dues deduction option. It is very secure and convenient.

º

LOGGING ON TO THE

CalRTA WEBSITE

Visit www.calrta.org

This takes you to the state associ-ation website. You will need to loginwith the code on the mailing label ofyour Contact magazine first andfollow that with your name in smallletters.

Login... just browse by clicking onthe area that interests you or just goto Division 13.

How CalSTRS RetirementBenefits Help CA

CalSTRS pensions pump billions into the state’s economy!They support private-sector jobs!They provide almost $6B in local and state tax revenue!Retirees spend their income—they’re a built-in stimulus planfor the state’s economy!

CalRTA MembershipRecruitment Campaign

Why Should I Join?

• Retirement Protection — CalRTAis the only statewide organizationworking to protect and enhance theretirement benefits of all CalSTRSretirees and only retirees.

• Community — CalRTA’s member-ship is made up of retired edu-cators, those fellow professionalswho understand your dedicationand share your commitment toeducating California’s youth.

Information on CalRTA members isconfidential and is not used forpolitical or economic advantage.CalRTA does NOT sell informationlists. Membership information is en-crypted at the State CalRTA Officeand a bonded company shredsinformation pages at the end ofeach month.

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NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE PAID

SAN DIMAS CA PERMIT NO 149

California Retired Teachers Association Pomona Valley Division 13 1249 Vega Circle La Verne CA 91750

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

DIRECTIONS: HILLCREST MEETING HOUSE2705 Mountain View Dr, La Verne 91750

• If you enter La Verne on Arrow Hwy, turn north on Wheeler Ave, right onto Bonita Ave, then left on “A” St. At the endof the street is the back of the two-story Meeting House. Enter using side doors or front doors.

• If you enter La Verne on Foothill Blvd (Hwy 66), turn south on Wheeler, left on Bonita, left on “A” to parking lot.Meeting House is the two-story building at the end of the street.

• You can park in any lot/space surrounding the Meeting House except those painted green and designated forresidents.

• Parking is available in front of the clock tower and behind the Tower Building close to the entrance. Curb parking isavailable throughout the Hillcrest complex. Hillcrest is providing a shuttle to the front door. Look for shuttle stops.

Luncheon menu: Lasagna, garden salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, tea/coffee/iced teaIf you have special dietary needs or questions, call Paula Dacker (626) 963-6242.

RESERVATIONS FOR LUNCHEON, 11:15 a.m., December 14, 2017 PRICE $19.00

Here is my check for $__________ for ________ reservations. Make checks payable to Pomona Valley Division CalRTAand mail to PAULA DACKER, 1365 PEBBLE SPRINGS, GLENDORA CA 91741. Hillcrest CalRTA members can contact YVONNE BELCHER at Hillcrest for reservations (909) 392-4273.

Please mail checks so that they arrive by Friday, December 9th. Phone (626) 963-6242 (only as last resort).

Name: ____________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Email: _____________________________________________

Guests: ____________________________________________________________________________________

If this is the first time you have attended your CalRTA meeting, please check here. G