Written by Meredith Fitzgerald, Club Vice President
Note: Meredith has written this blog post in two parts. This is the first of the two parts.
This summer I attended my first National Convention and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I knew it was going to be memorable. Over the years, I’ve heard many stories from Ruthie* about the friends she has made across the country. The excitement and passion she has expressed regarding these conventions have always intrigued me. (You should ask her about some of her anecdotes from previous conventions as they are amazing and hilarious!) In addition to Ruthie, Liz Law, our current club Treasurer and National Secretary, rounded out this MetroWest trio.
Having seen many photographs of the countless years that Ruthie attended the National Conventions, I started to really understand that this was something I wanted to experience for myself. It didn’t hurt that it was in Alexandria, Virginia this year. The last time I was time I was in the DC area, it was a couple decades ago for overnight dance parties (for you young’ins out there, we called them “raves” back in the day) and I didn’t get a chance to look around. Being close to the nation’s capital meant there was going to be plenty of sightseeing opportunities during the day and night. I was hoping there would be time to have fun during the convention and make some epic stories of my own. Taking time away from my family feels like a luxury but I convinced my husband it was necessary. His company trip earlier that year was at Universal Studios and did not include families so it wasn’t hard to agree that I should go this year and started to sock away some money.
Luckily, Convention provided several options for people to go out together as a group or explore the area on your own. We joined an organized tour to visit Mt. Vernon and we enjoyed a nighttime cruise on a water taxi that us PoMs took over and sailed down the Potomac. I was able to see the Washington Monument, Kennedy Center, and the back of the Lincoln Memorial to name a few. (I imagined for a moment that Lincoln just got out of his seat and walked away.) One of the best perks about our hotel was that it was in close proximity to a free trolley that took us from King Street down to the waterfront.
In addition to the historical sites, there were also plenty of cute shops in the DC area to explore, from chocolatiers to tchotchkes, a giant building full of artist studios, and diverse cuisine restaurants. The hotel included a nightly happy hour with light appetizers and free well drinks. (For those unfamiliar, "well" alcohol is a term used for hard liquor like vodka, gin, whiskey, tequila, brandy, etc. that each establishment will have. It's the equivalent to a bar's "house wine"'; if you ask for a "bacardi and coke" you will get the "call" liquor you ask for, but if you ask for a "rum and coke" your drink will probably be made with the lesser known, and less expensive "well" rum).
In the morning, we took advantage of the free breakfast buffet and made- to-order breakfasts, which were included with our stay. There were plenty of yummy restaurants and a Whole Foods nearby that would round out what the hotel couldn’t provide.
Aside from all of the sight-seeing, shopping & eateries, we attended the convention ceremonies, meetings, workshops, raffles, club business, games, dance party, luncheon, and installation dinner. It was truly a jam-packed long weekend. Acknowledging that, I’m going to split my update into parts.
I have to admit I was a little nervous about attending my first convention. I already knew that some of these ladies have been well-acquainted with one another, after attending convention consistently for years and years. Would I have anything in common with parents that were not my age or from across the country? I was also a little self-conscious of my bright blue hair (secretly grateful Liz had also chosen that color for the week, so I had a partner-in-crime) but was pretty sure that the welcome I had received from our club when I joined would be there at some level, given the fact that not only had we all experienced raising multiples, but we were also dedicated to supporting fellow parents of multiples.
I soon discovered my fears were totally unnecessary because before Ruthie and I even got to the check-in desk, I got no fewer than five hugs from ladies from a club in California. Ruthie was our magic ticket to quickly meeting everyone. She introduced Liz and me with a “this is her first time attending convention” and I was greeted with welcomes and hugs aplenty! After we received our convention lanyards with room for our designated ribbons, the warm welcomes continued as people noticed our first time attendee ribbons.
On Wednesday evening at the “first time attendees meeting” I learned that I wasn’t the only newbie there. I met attendees from many different clubs across the country, who introduced themselves and what their roles were in their locals clubs. In addition, I was able to learn how the business meetings and delegate votes were handled. This is also my first time being a delegate, so this was pretty important. Every year prior to convention, as a club, we submit our credentials to the National organization. This consists of reporting how many members we currently have and, based on that number, National will inform us how many votes will be allowed to distribute amongst attending delegates. The VP and President, with help from our bylaws, decide how to distribute the votes to delegates attending conventions as well as their alternates, who can take on their votes if necessary. I was educated about the process of the business meetings, questions, and voting. Although it was formal, I was relieved to discover that I could easily understand the mechanics of this process. The night was capped off with desserts and a unique game of Family Feud (Ruthie, we’ll win next time for sure and I won’t be late to grab a table!).
Thursday morning kept us busy with both local and state club networking meetings to attend. I found them both informative and comforting. I soon discovered that many other clubs had similar issues and challenges, but I also learned there were unique ways other clubs handled things. It was an eye opener for me to see how much we can learn from one another at the national level. For instance, I’m still figuring out how to conduct a “Lego Bingo” or a “Purse Bingo” but the good news is I have contacts now that can help me explore these unique fundraisers. Some clubs even give themselves feedback reports that sound very much like “SMART” goals I used to know from my office days. I was surprised to learn that some groups band together to share insurance. This was followed by a general meeting and polling. A budget and bylaw workshop was the last order of business before we headed to the trolley to get dinner and catch the Water Taxi for our POMs tour of the Potomac. They did a good job of mixing the business with the fun so it wasn’t overwhelmingly business-like but also informative enough that I felt I was definitely walking away with valuable information that I can bring back to help improve our club.
I’ll recap our final days, Friday and Saturday, in my next update, so stay tuned!
*Ruthie August joined our club, previously known as the West Suburban Massachusetts Mothers of Twins Association, when her twins were born in 1962. Since then, Ruthie has held many volunteer positions, among them being Club President, National President, and prior to Meredith Fitzgerald, had been the Club's National Representative for several years. She retired from her position as the National Rep in 2018, but continues to be a shining light in our club.
Commenti