Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/192534
Acting National President's Message Dear Members of the National Catholic Society of Foresters, Did you ever climb a step ladder? You were probably trying to reach higher in order to accomplish a certain task or goal like paint a wall, knock down spider webs, put something in a cabinet or maybe clean autumn leaves from a rain gutter. A good ladder needs two strong sides that hold the steps and enables a person reach higher and farther. Likewise, our Society needs two strong sides – business operations and fraternal operation – that will support forward movement and allow NCSF and our members to reach higher and farther. In December 2012 – following the advice of an independent consultant – a unanimous decision of the Board, and a committee search, we hired Jay Schenk to be our executive vice-president in charge of business operations. But our "ladder" still was lop-sided because we had no fraternal coordinator. In September 2013, we searched for and found an experienced fraternal coordinator to strengthen that essential side of our Society. I remember working with Karen Kruger many years ago and feel blessed that she was available and willing to bring back her creativity, energy, and fraternal spirit. Karen is introduced on page 16 of this magazine and has already had opportunities to accompany me on several court visits to personally meet our members. With having these two experienced professional people coordinating the two important sides of NCSF, our Society is making quick progress toward a successful future. NCSF can reach higher as we move up those steps toward achieving our goals of increased membership, a field force of dedicated insurance producers, increased business, qualified elected officers to assure the stability of NCSF, and strengthening our mission of caring for the needs of Catholic families. As members of our Society, our real purpose in "reaching higher and farther" is to serve others, build up the family of God, and advance in our spiritual life as faithful followers of Christ. I invite you all to join us in the prayer we use prior to the start of our Board meetings: Lord, may everything we do begin with Your inspiration, continue with Your help, and reach perfection under Your guidance. Amen. Where fraternalism thrives, everyone thrives. Our Society needs two strong sides —business operations and fraternal operations— that will support forward ACTING NATIONAL PRESIDENT MARGARET (PEGGY) SCHMITT movement ... from your EXECUTIVE VP ... Many things have happened since the last issue of the magazine and it is an exciting time here at the NCSF Home Office. On October 1st we introduced and released to the field force: Serenity Solutions. This is our new marketing approach to our entire portfolio of products. Victor Mensavage has an article on page 34 explaining and illustrating our new approach. We gave our employees a sneak preview on September 12th when we celebrated employee appreciation day. Jon Mocol and I had the honor of representing NCSF at the American Fraternal Alliance Annual Meeting; Jon will share with you on page 23 the highlights of this conference. For me it was like a family reunion – seeing many close friends, great networking, and good ideas. 2 continued on page 4