by Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
(Editor's Note: Ron Milliman is the chairman of the monthly monetary support, or MMS, committee.)
Are you wondering who won the MMS committee's grand prize drawing this year for the 32-gig Apple iPad? Well, wonder no more.
We were delighted to have Wal-Mart and the South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB) contribute the funds so we could purchase a 32-gig Apple iPad as our grand prize for this year's MMS promotional campaign. To be eligible to win the Apple iPad, you had to either join as a new MMS participant or increase the amount of your monthly contributions any time from the end of our 2012 convention held in Louisville through the conclusion of our 2013 convention held in Columbus, Ohio. All of those participants were placed into a drawing for the Apple iPad.
As soon as we got all of our data entered into a spreadsheet following the convention in Columbus, the winner was selected using a random number program to ensure total fairness and objectivity. Each eligible contributor was numbered, and the computer program selected the magic number 25.
Number 25 turned out to be Janet Dickelman of St. Paul, Minn.! Congratulations to Janet, and we certainly anticipate that she will get lots of good use out of her new iPad.
Once again, the campaign was very successful at bringing lots of new participants into the MMS program. We greatly appreciate everyone who contributes to the program, no matter how small or how large the contribution is. All contributions are important and they all add up to helping ACB and its affiliates.
We want to thank and recognize the following people who either became MMS Program contributors for the first time or increased the amount of their contributions during our 2012-2013 campaign. These people are: Sandra Anderson, Terrie Arnold, Pshon Barrett, Darlene Barton, Viola Bentson, Elaine Boykin, Ann Brash, Marie Brinas, Kathleen Brockman, Dawn Brooks, Lisa Brooks, Donna Brown, Margaret Buchmann-Garcia, Thomas Burgunder, William Burgunder, Pamela Burns, Terry Camardelle, Annette Carter, Lynn Cawley, Linda Clark, Delia Clayton, Nickie Coby, Ed Crespin, J. Vernon Daigle, Bill Deatherage, Debbie Deatherage, Josephine DeFini, Kathy Devin, Janet Dickelman, Jay Doudna, Debbie Downey, Marcia Dresser, Casey Dutmer, Pamela Evans, Gaylen Floy, Richard Gardenhire, Ninetta Garner, Karen Gourgey, Chelle Hart, Jan Hawthorne, Mandi Holley, Marion Howell, Suzanne Howell, Edythe Huffman, Stephanie Hunolt, Linda Hunt, Ken Jessup, Richard Johnson, Marie Keane, Linda Klapak, James Kracht, Martin Kuhn, Jim Kvool, Patricia Land, John McCann, Dornetta McConnell, Carl McCoy, Barbara McDonald, Gary Messman, Kathy Millican, DeAnna Noriega, Ronald Ocken, Lerae Olesen, Tim Paul, Harlow Pease, Lynn Powers, Teddie-Joy Remhild, Max Robinson, Richard Rueda, Adam Ruschival, Rachel Schroeder, Deanna Scoggins, Gerry Slusher, Sandy Smith, Michael Smitherman, Dan Spoone, Pat Spoone, William Spoone, Lucinda Talkington, Dot Taylor, Linda Teixeira, Jeff Thom, Howard Thomas, James Thompson, Filo Tu, Eddie Turner, Mike Ulrich, Cindy Van Winkle, Penny Verity, James Warth, Joseph Wassermann, Judy Weidenborner, Sue Wesley, Sandra Wilbur, Bostwick Wyman, and Sheila Young.
During the 2012-2013 campaign year, we gained a total of 59 new contributors and had 47 increases. This brings our total enrollment in the ACB Monthly Monetary Support Program up to 267 members, which is another significant increase. We are extremely pleased with everyone's participation. We are continuing to make slow but steady progress. I sincerely thank all of you who have made this progress possible.
As chair of the MMS Committee, I also want to recognize the efforts of the members of our outstanding committee: Dan Spoone, Ray Campbell, Kathy Brockman, Mike Godino, Kenny Maddox, and Carla Ruschival.
An important factor that affects the success of our convention campaign is the location and staffing of our MMS table. This year our table was located inside the ACB exhibit area, right next to the ACB Mini Mall, which proved to be an excellent spot. Appreciation goes to the members of our MMS program committee and the people who assisted them staffing our MMS table during the convention. This includes: Kathy Brockman and her husband, Pat; Mike Godino and Lori Scharff; Ray Campbell and his helper Lynn Cawley; Dan and Leslie Spoone and their helper, Stephanie Hunolt, and my wife, Palma, who assisted me and is not only my right hand, but my entire life. We also thank Lane Waters, Nancy Becker and the rest of our wonderful staff in our Minnesota office for their extraordinary assistance throughout the entire year and during the convention.
If you want to become a participant in this excellent, painless way of supporting an affiliate of your choice and ACB national at the same time, or to increase your current contribution, you can contact our Minnesota office, 1-800-866-3242, or contact me at (270) 782-9325, and we'll take care of whatever you need. You can also go online; the form is available at www.acb.org/node/28#main-content.
Again, congratulations to Janet Dickelman for winning the Apple iPad. Now, who will be the winner next year? In order to win, you have to participate. So sign up and be a new contributor, or increase your current contribution. Maybe you'll be the next big winner!