NWIPHC

State of the Phlock

I know in our busy lives its sometimes hard to commit to
an event and we seem to wait around until the last
minute to respond. As members we are sometimes
oblivious to what this does to the person chairing the
event. Final counts have to be turned in
and that is impossible to do when members don't respond
in a timely fashion. I realize it's not done on purpose but
remember the success of our club is based on volunteers
and when those volunteers are "left out to dry" they
probably won't be so willing to chair a future event.
Remember also that from now on monies for all events will
be collected at the previous meeting to the event. This
gives the chair people a chance to plan as well as holding
your space at the event.

All of this said, we have some pretty exciting things
happening in the future and we need your
participation. We have the pub crawl coming up in March.
We have the club''s 10th Anniversary party coming up in
June or July and of course the concert coming up in
August.

Bob Heffelfinger wrote this exciting recap of 2008. I think
every Parrothead should read it:

In what has become the norm, the "ParrotHead Nation"
continued to grow and prosper as we added a total of
sixteen new chapters to our ranks. What began with the
Atlanta Parrot Head Club 20 years ago has grown
exponentially as we ended 2008 with an all-time high of
237 chapters in the United States, Canada and Australia
... 3 different countries, 47 states, 3 Canadian provinces
and one U.S. Territory. Our total membership showed an
increase with more than 26,000 dedicated, fun-loving
Parrot Heads amongst the ranks. Again, it's apparent that
the "ParrotHead Nation" is not only alive and well, but
continues to thrive.

Now, for the big news ... Even in the face of an economic
downturn, Parrot Head Clubs collectively raised for and/or
donated approximately $3.1 million to charitable
organizations in 2008. Equally significant, Parrot Heads
carried on the tradition of volunteerism as 2008 saw
chapters worldwide donate an estimated 175,000
man-hours to philanthropic and environmental activities.
The upshot … In the period 2002 – 2008, Parrot Head
Clubs have collectively contributed more than $16.4 million
and more than 2.3 million man-hours to aid our
communities, our environment and our fellow man!

The PHiP commitment to education was bolstered on two
fronts as we were recognized by the Jimmy Buffett's alma
mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, for our
continued and generous endowment of the Mary Loraine
"Peets" Buffett Memorial Scholarship awarded annually by
the USM Alumni Association. And, after years on the
drawing board, PHiP announced the establishment of the
Parrot Head Scholarship to be awarded annually,
commencing in the fall of 2009.

In 2008, PHiP retained its National Status with both the
American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life campaign and
the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk program and
Parrot Heads continue to be the single largest supporter
of the Zonta Club of Key West with contributions made
during Meeting of the Minds. For many of our chapters,
Special Olympics is a favored cause while many Clubs
prepare & serve a monthly meal to their local Ronald
McDonald Houses.

And, there's more to the story! These numbers, while
spectacular, do not include those efforts which are not
measured by dollars or man-hours and Parrot Heads never
cease to amaze in their creativity:

Parrot Heads Collect Things ... canned goods, pet
supplies, clothing, pop tops, old cell phones, used ink
cartridges, and, of course, toys; all distributed to the
appropriate agencies that get the goods to where they do
the most good. OH, and let's not forget the trash ...
Virtually every Club works diligently to keep our nation's
beaches, lakes, and highways clean with regular trash
collection sessions.

Parrot Heads Compete ... Many chapters sponsor Bowling
tournaments, Volleyball tournaments, Golf tournaments
and even a Cornhole tournament. Chili cook-offs are also
a favorite fundraiser for a number of Clubs.

Parrot Heads March ... Most all Parrot Head Clubs build
and enter a float in their local community parades, be it
Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, St. Patrick's Day ...
You name it; if there's a local parade, Parrot Heads will be
prancing and no less than two dozen chapters won
awards in 2008 for Best of Show, Best Float, etc.

From Poker Runs & Pub Crawls to the dreaded Polar
Plunge, the picture is clear ... the good deeds that Parrot
Heads perform for the benefit of the community, the
environment and our fellow man often cannot be
measured in quantitative terms, yet are so vital to the
recipients and should be a constant source of satisfaction
to each of us.

So, to each and every one of you, a heartfelt THANK YOU
for a job well done! You truly are "Angels In Tropical
Shirts" and you should be very proud of yourselves and
your accomplishments.

Spring is here, summer is nigh and the concert season is
upon us ... Time to do what we do best: Have fun and
"Party With A Purpose!"

Till next time, may all your dreams be tropical!