A Letter From Chapter Co-Presidents
Barbara and Ken Tye

To begin with, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of our Board of Directors for their hard work on behalf of the Chapter and its membership. They give of their time, intelligence, and strong commitment to the goals of the UNA-USA.

Member participation

So far this year, in response to a number of requests for more activities of interest, the Board has managed to provide a number of outstanding programs for the membership. (See “Critical issues series off to a strong start,” p. 1).  As the word has gotten out, attendance has been growing: at the July 30 coffee talk there were over 50 people, with more than half of those being non-members. It is good to have non-members at our programs because one of our major functions is to provide education to the public on issues relevant to the United Nations. Therefore we strongly urge all members, family, friends, and colleagues to take advantage of these informative events.

Tech help needed

The Chapter is in need of one or more volunteers who can help update our technical abilities. This means we need to have a knowledgeable assessment of what we need and recommendations for upgrading as well as assistance in improving our technical skills. Volunteers please contact Susan Eaton at info@una-oc.org  The chapter is also in need of a relatively new laptop computer. Anyone who has recently upgraded and who is willing to donate their older machine, please contact Susan at the above e-address.

Consider giving a bit more

As you all know, the gift shop had to be closed in 2007 because of rising costs, inability to carry Unicef cards and gifts, and the ”retirement” of some of our most active volunteers. We appreciate all the work these people put in over the years.  Ruth Leger, Jean Gill, and Mel Thackery were outstanding coordinators . The shop also had a room for meetings and served local teachers with instructional materials from the United Nations.  Before rent increases, etc.,  the store was the major source of income for the Chapter. Depending upon membership dues reimbursements now as our only source of income limits what we can do. Thus, to support the many planned activities of the Chapter, we are asking you, if you can, to make an additional contribution directly to the Chapter by sending a check made out to the Orange County UNA and mailing it to Orange County UNA at PO Box 16067, Irvine, CA  92623-6076. Donations are tax deductible. Donors will be acknowledged in a later newsletter.

Our mission

These are difficult times for our citizens and those of many other countries of the world. War, poverty and hunger, environmental degradation, and human rights are among the many problems throughout the world that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, many Americans are unaware of or misinformed about these issues.

Over the next few years, we hope to increase our membership, bring good educational programs to our members, family members and friends; approach our representatives in government advocating for the United Nations; reach out to MUN chapters; and increase the efficiency of the Chapter. Your presence at our events, volunteering to assist the Chapter in any number of ways, and your contributions will all go a long way toward helping the Chapter reach these goals.