4.2. SR 02-17-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXTRA ACTIVITIES One of the most involved activities I have been involved with was being part of the St. Stephen's Church Annual Summerfest. This three day all volunteer event is held on the last full weekend in June of each year. My wife and I started as Chairpersons of the Security detail in 1 986. Our assignment involved security for the entire festival including planning meetings starting in January. We completed our mission each year by coordinating security for the grounds during the event. We were asked to step up to the General Chairperson roles and did so as couple in 1994. In this capacity we were in charge of the entire festival. Summerfest uses 2,100 volunteers, has a budget of $275,000 and raises, on average, $90,000 during it's three days. We were responsible for the entire budget, coordination of all areas and answered to the Parish Administrator and Pastor. During our three year commitment as General Chairs, we conducted hundreds of large and small group meetings, set schedules, established contracts with vendors and entertainment acts and developed policy for general operation. We also recruited volunteers for chair positions and spoke at Sunday masses about the upcoming festival. It was a very rewarding experience and it created a number of lasting friendships. It was also a great deal of work and demanded a large amount of our time. I learned a tremendous amount concerning the volunteer work force, budgeting and accounting principles as well as Contractual issues. I have also been active as a youth basketball coach and a youth hockey coach. I currently coach the Anoka Stars, a peewee level Northwest House League team. The past several years I have taught Youth Firearms Safety on a volunteer basis. Last year I conducted one fall class with 120 students. This year I cut the class size down to 50 which made it a more manageable task, In March of 1997, I was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association. I was voted in as the board treasurer based on my Summerfest experience, in this position I am responsible for the three accounts LEMA has. We operate with a business checking account, have a money market account and also have an account which is for the memorial construction at the State Capitol. Our current assets are $44,000 although we are in the process of conducting three large fund drives. We are also having a golf tournament in honor of slain Trooper Tim Bowe which will be held on June 8th of this year. We expect this tournament to raise $18,000. I am one of three planners for this event and I am currently working on large corporation sponsorship. The LEMA board meets every month and I prepare a treasurer's report for review. All accounts are sent by myself to an independent auditor for annual review. Additionally I am part of a response team which responds to line of duty deaths. When an officer is killed LEMA is notified and our services are offered to the family and department. In Trooper Bowe's funeral, we met with his wife, State Patrol staff, the family priest and funeral home to assist in planning the event. Police funerals have become very complex and large and LEMA has a number of services to offer to help ease the burden.