We hope you have been enjoying cooler weather and all the activities your area offers in autumn. While enjoying these activities, we must pause and reflect on the recent hurricane damage and the devastating effect this violent weather had on many regions of the Tennessee Valley and surrounding states.
While some areas were slowly reopening, others will take many months or years to rebuild. We thank our members who have helped by volunteering and providing donations to those who have been impacted.
Our TVARA annual luncheon hosted by TVA was held in Chattanooga in September and was a huge success once again. More than 800 retirees registered to attend, and we had everything from numerous vendors and exhibitors to first-graders demonstrating robotics, who were quite entertaining!
Anna Clark, a senior at the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, was one of the featured speakers. Her grandfather is a TVA retiree, and her grandparents were in the audience to hear her speak about her experience with robotics and how that influenced her choice of a college major.
TVA speakers included Jeannette Mills, Executive Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer; Mark Meigs, Executive Secretary of the TVA Retirement System; and Amy Edge, Manager, Integrated Resource Plan Engagement. We are very grateful to TVA for hosting this event again this year. You should make plans to attend next year.
It is that time of year to renew TVARA membership dues for 2025. Additional information is on page 11 of this newsletter about payment options. Last year, we began using PayPal as a payment option in addition to checks and online bill pay. Many retirees utilized PayPal, and it was definitely a success. It saves you from mailing us a check and your bank from sending us a check for the online-bill-pay option. We encourage you to try PayPal this year. If you choose to pay by PayPal, dues are $15, plus a $1 processing fee for a total of $16 ($32 for two years, $48 for three years, etc.).
We have 18 chapters across the Tennessee Valley. Most of our chapters need retirees to serve as an officer (Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Volunteer Coordinator). If you would be interested in serving in one of these capacities, please get in touch with your chapter president (see contact information on page 15). Thank you for considering helping your chapter.
Lastly, I would like to encourage you to check out our newly updated TVARA website at mytvara.org. It has been totally redesigned and contains current information on chapter meetings and upcoming events, as well as articles of interest on happenings around the Valley. Have a great holiday season. Be safe and be well.