A Message from the new CoHT President, Mark “Rooster” Roster

Greetings to all COHT members!

While at my folks place in Arkansas over the holiday season, I borrowed some time on my Moms computer to do some checking up on the emails.  Wagh!  Had 465 emails in being away for just 5 days! (Many of them jokes and offers to get millions from some foreign person of course!) Overwhelmed I scanned quickly, skipping all for a later read until I then seen some from the COHT - Wart to be exact, then Scott Carlson from Nebraska and then the list grew for several messages.  The official count was in and 49 members had elected me your new President for the next 4 years. I  TRULY appreciate those members who took the time to vote and even those who took time to write in their personal choice.  Right now, on a National average of many clubs and organizations, 10% of memberships being active is considered the norm -- I guess this election beat that!

Over the course of the next 4 years, I hope that my leadership will be such that it will inspire folks to be more active and others out there to want to join the COHT.  WE  have pockets of memberships that are very strong and active, and I know this is coming from group efforts within those regions to be just that. Yet we have pockets within those same regions where we struggle to get even 1 member. Together from the E board, the Territorial Govs, the State Reps and the general membership, I want to see us all work together - Nationwide - to communicate our needs and desires to continue to move in the right direction of making this a very strong and viable organization.

I know that our membership is spread out and in some states members are even 4 to 8 hours away from each other, but still this does not mean we cannot get together -- even if it means  just sharing some time at a common gathering, trade fair or rendezvous that you are attending.  How do we find out where members are going to be?  Communicate!  Use personal emails, letters, phone calls, ask your State rep to publish events in their newsletter or better yet , ask your State rep to publish in their newsletter contact info so you can get in touch with each other. 

State Reps, contact your Territorial Govs and ask them to share with the other State reps of your region all the information of what is going on in your particular region. And the Territorial Govs can contact each other and share their info with each other so they can pass it on to the State reps and then to the membership! If we get everyone talking about what is going on, within the COHT, all over the nation, and folks know that while they may be traveling to different areas that they are welcome to any COHT event that may be going on, I believe these shared experiences will help us become stronger!  With the general membership becoming more active and stronger and their needs and desires becoming more vocal, so to speak it will then give the E Board better direction as to take these needs and desires under advisement and help them make proper decisions on how to meet those requests.

During my tenure as your President, my "door" will always be open.  Feel free to contact me about any of your concerns.  Do not be offended if, during our communication, I ask you to bring that particular thought forward to your State Rep or Territorial Gov - after all they are there to serve you first.  I TRULY believe in leadership as opposed to dictatorship or control.  It is really about empowering all members in their various capacities.

I want to also thank Swanny for his past 4 years as President.  I know he had some rocky decisions and situations to address and with any luck at all, many of those issues are behind us.  I know, as Swanny knew, that not all decisions will be positive for everyone and that we will not always agree on everything or every method to address a given situation, but as long as we can take time to step back, clear our thoughts and communicate, we will continue to move forward in growth and passion for the COHT!

Towards the end of January, I will be sending a "State of the Organization" message. I will be proposing some ideas I have and goals that I would like to see us reach, beginning this year!

I am honored to be of service to all of you!

YMH&OS,
Rooster (Mark Roster)
Pres. of the COHT

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