Gratitude
     Let me start with a few words of gratitude to those laboring on behalf of this Association. Many of you know them, but you don't know the same ones I do, and I, likewise, do not know all of them. Still, a few statements of thanks go out to all the worker bees.

     The local chorus level is the best place to start. With all the officers, the Board members, the committee chairs and all those that make sure the chorus runs well, the thanks for all that is done often gets little attention.
     Then, many of those same folks go up to the District level and perform good deeds for all the choruses in the region - once again, the officers and committees, etc.
     Then there is the Association where many of the leaders come together for the good of all. Many thanks to all of you for this year of progress, compliments to you on your efforts and diligence to this Association. We all look forward to more of the same from you for our good fellowship. Much kind efforts have been started by others in recent times, and these will be our leaders of tomorrow, thankfully, for we need new help to assist with all that needs doing ... we thank you for uniting in the responsibility, and our Association endures by your keeping.

What Is Happening
     French actor and dramatist, Sacha Guitry (1885-1957), said, "The little I know I owe to my ignorance." Mindful of keeping members informed of current status, where we (the Executive Council and various committees) are in the business of running the Association, we should turn to a more detailed reporting of the "what" is happening. So I take some space in this article to shed light on what little I shared in the report from the meeting in Marshall:

• Most recent activity is the reporting from Scholarship Chair, Bob Torborg, of the 2006 AMCA Scholarship winners. Bob has much to do yet, so we cannot think of his having a break during the summer. His committee is incomplete for all districts to append, and he continues seeking evaluators. Bob also is considering some writing for the website in his spare time.

• Don Crouch has feedback from the meeting about his ideas for the Music Committee and is brain-storming that project now that his chorus activities are at the summer hiatus. Look for his reporting on music review, common repertoire, music contest (reinstated) and even possible archive filings in the near future.

• Ron Stenzel is always helpful as our Vice-chair, and has taken the duties of oversight reporting for the Eau Claire 2008 AMCA Int'l Big Sing. The Big Sing Committee is forming, with members from the Eau Claire chorus as well as Don Crouch. I feel safe in saying the concerns for keeping the next AMCA Big Sing on a steady progress to satisfactory success has been voiced at our meeting and Ron will keep us informed of the pains and progress. I am unsure at this writing if Ron intends to publish any report this summer or wait for the fall.

• Ed Armbruster is gearing up his CHORISTER actions to get out another edition, covering the WUM District Big Sing, prior to the summer break. However, Ed states that if any contributions are sufficient to compile an edition at anytime, he will publish as the articles provide him material. Ed writes for us in each issue, but he also has committed to do something for the website.

• Bill Rowe studies the way we do things for purpose to inform members how to get something done and educate them how we accomplish actions within the Association. As have other District Representatives, he has promised to attempt writing for the website, but I believe he has a larger work ahead for the time being. We wish him well in putting to words the way we work.

• Doug Farley (Recruitment, Publicity and Promotions) is in the midst of his busy tour season at the Erie Canal Discovery Center, so we cannot expect his reporting much until fall or later.

Goals
     Our biggest goal thus far is to return the International AMCA Big Sing in the year 2008. Eau Claire has made the bid and been accepted by the Executive Council to host this event. Our thanks to the men of Eau Claire for the bid and presentation of plans for the Big Sing. Everyone should keep their calendars open for the spring of 2008 and watch for information as it comes from Eau Claire. The plans include Friday evening as well as Saturday thus far, with considerations to make it a larger version of the UMW District Big Sing to accommodate the visiting choruses, keeping it more easily manageable. "Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get." - we will make every effort to have the "proof in the pudding" for a happy Association.

     A much closer scheduled goal is to have two members of each chorus listed as contacts by this fall, for the purpose of retrieving information from the website and getting it to their chorus. In this electronic age, and with communication being one of the most important maladies to address in our Association, we need dedicated members to spread the word quickly. Please volunteer to aid your chorus in this matter - advance from being a browser, and become a responder.

     I would have liked to accomplish personal goals of filling all the committees this fiscal year. If you recall, I stated a goal is measurable in definition and time - the latter being my problem. Not all is difficult, but as the Council acts toward current priorities we shift attention. We have found leaders for many needs, they will get assistance where they can and seek our help in finding others. The committees are being filled, but not as fast as I had hoped. I must now set my goal to next fall for completion (November of 2006).

     I am pleased to have kept up with my goal to write each month for the website. Now I have asked the assistance of the rest of the Executive Council, and the committee chairs also. We set no goals other than to have all of them try at least once this calendar year. Remember, Ed (newsletter) and Dave Thomas (website) need contributions to their publications. Please respond with anything you have on chorus activity, district news, new music found or anything of interest for publication.

Best regards Ric Addenbrooke