Florida State Report
Ruth Strum, FASFAA President

GREETINGS FROM THE SUNNY STATE OF FLORIDA!!! Yes, winter is past and we’re experiencing our Spring with 80+ degree weather.

FASFAA has just concluded a very busy month of workshops. The month began with a Vo-Tech workshop organized by FASFAA Vo-Tech chair, Dr. John L. Ward, and his committee. The workshop was held at the Lakeside Inn, Mt. Dora, Florida. There were over sixty participants at the workshop. Ms. Linda Burkhardt and Yolanda Adams, D.O.E. trainers, led the federal training. An I.R.S. specialist presented a wonderful session on federal 1040 forms.

The New Aid Workshop organized by Anh Do, FASFAA Vice President for Training, was held at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor, Florida. Ninety members attended the workshop. It was great to look at the audience and not recognize most of the participants. This was a most enthusiastic group! It was exciting to be with this group!

The Experienced Aid Workshop organized by Marcia McConnell, FASFAA Leadership/Professional Chair, held a workshop on Leadership at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. FASFAA is in a year-long pursuit of new members who will commit to becoming leaders in our association. Fifty members attended the sessions, which included two days of training on the Dimensions of Leadership presented by John E. Smith, along with sessions on Ethics, Servant Leadership and developing cross-cultural skills.

The Graduate/Professional sector chaired by Emily Attridge concluded FASFAA’s specialized training by holding a symposium in conjunction with the Leadership workshop. Dino Koff, NASFAA GPIC Chair, led this day-long session. Thirty-five members participated. This was a FIRST for FASFAA. I appreciate all the work that Emily and her committee did to make this a very successful symposium.

Florida held its first College Goal Sunday. We’re still evaluating the results of that program. Our Fiscal Concerns committee has been working on a new five-year plan which they plan to introduce shortly. Concluding our training, FASFAA begins our six regional workshops on March 14 . These will be concluded on April 13. This has been a great year for training, and by the number of participants attending each venue, it is evident that this is something our membership is interested in.

The Spring Conference committee chaired by Sharon Miller and John Snow is well on its way to planning another educational and enjoyable conference. The conference will be held June 7-9, 2006 at the Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa. This resort is a favorite by FASFAA members. We are encouraging our members to arrive early to participate in the pre-conference activities which will begin on Monday, June 5. The theme of the conference is "Dropping Anchor with FASFAA". Sanibel Resort has been hit twice in the last two years by hurricanes. We are all getting excited to return to see the changes the hurricanes have brought to the resort and nearby area.

FASFAA wishes everyone a blessed holiday season!

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