WV
Connecting Communities
Membership
Drive and more, Fall 2013
Membership
Drive: Last week I met with Dr. Rahul Gupta, Membership Chair. Dr. Gupta and I mostly brainstormed on
potential targets here in Charleston. I am hoping that each of you can review
this list and pick 5-10 entities in your community that are likely WVCC
members. The plan is for each board member (or anyone interested in helping us grow) to make the initial contact and
arrange a meeting. I will travel to you and we will attend the meetings
together.
Here
are some potential “targets”: bike shops, hospitals, banks, law firms
(especially ones that are known to represent cyclists), hotels and bed and
breakfasts, and restaurants (on rails-trails, etc.).
We
also would like to meet with statewide health advocacy groups, county
commissions, the state board of education, medical schools, Center for Rural Health,
public health associations, extension services, and municipalities (either
Mayor or City Manager). Please let me know if you have good contacts and are
willing to arrange a meeting with any of these entities. Or, maybe you
have other ideas – send them my way!
Our
goal is to have 115 paying WVCC members by April 2014.
I
have received two membership checks. Greg Garrett and Gail Pitchford are
official!! Thanks Greg and Gail for your donations.
Dennis
Strawn has written a great “Call for Membership” letter. I will be sending the
letter out tomorrow as soon as I get our PO Box #. Please distribute this
letter to anyone you think will join WVCC.
In
other WVCC news:
I
also met with Gail Pitchford, Vice President, last week. We mostly discussed
soliciting national businesses that have something to do with cycling, such as
Canondale, Huffy, etc. and grant opportunities with local and regional
foundations, like Benedum and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. I will be
doing the follow up work from our meeting during my regularly scheduled office
hours at WV Citizen Action Group every Tuesday from 10-2.
The
Legislative Bike Ride on Sunday, Oct. 20th is a go! Our local bike
shops here in Charleston have agreed to let us use some of their bikes.
Delegate Tim Manchin, Finance Chair, and Senator Plymale are IN! The Charleston
Police are happy to help. I will be developing the invite shortly and hope that
each of you can personally send to your representatives.
Our
next Board Meeting is October 24th at 4:00 p.m. in Richwood. We are
meeting during the Create WV conference in hopes that some of the attendees
will join our effort. Dennis and I really hope you all can join us! Please let
me know if you are able to or not. Also, WVCC is leading a bike ride and a walk
on Friday at 3:30, also in Richwood.
Patrick Donovan and Andrea Salina have been researching the WV Cycling License Plate. As of right now, we are waiting for a response on whether or not money collected from the plate can go to a special "Cycling/Ped fund" inside the Road Fund. We will keep you posted.
I
hope you all are enjoying your Labor Day. I’m working J.
Kasey