State Fraternal Director’s Report

October—District Youth Counselors’ strategic planning meeting at Camp Kubena; Czech Heritage Festival in La Grange.

Commentary

The world is very different now, but we have made a lot of progress toward the challenges of maintaining over 124 years of the ideals, missions, and goals of SPJST. This has been a good meeting, and we are making a difference each and every time we meet. Congratulations and thank you to the Home Office Staff on their many years of service. Your passion for what you do is evident in all that you do for the members of SPJST. You are appreciated! Fraternally, Annie Vahalik District Six Director

District Seven Director Regina House

Activity Report

July—Supreme Lodge meeting in Temple; District Seven meeting in Jourdanton; District Seven delegates’ meeting in Jourdanton; State Youth Achievement Day (tabulator) in Temple.

August—Virtual AQS Insurance Symposium; Lodge 107, Floresville meeting; virtual orientation meeting with convention secretaries; assisted with convention registration in Killeen; SPJST Convention in Killeen; virtual meeting with President/CEO Vanicek and Board of Directors.

September—Rockport Volunteer Fire Department check presentation from SPJST Foundation; special called Board of Directors’ virtual meeting on annuities; Lodge 202, Jourdanton meeting; Lodge 79, Corpus Christi meeting; Lodge 258, Seguin meeting.

October—Lodge 107, Floresville meeting; District Youth Counselors’ meeting at Camp Kubena.

Commentary

I want to thank my fellow board members for such a smooth transition into the new format of the first meeting of the Executive Committee. We had a lot of important decisions to make and we were able to make them in a very productive manner. I am extremely proud of the staff members that received their service awards at the meeting. What an honor it is to be among so many years of experience and so many dedicated individuals. I am also grateful to Rob Clift and his staff at Camp Kubena for the amazing job they are doing to make our camp the best it can be! I am also looking forward to serving with some of my fellow board members and the DYC’s on the Youth Program Charter Committee. Great things are headed our way! Fraternally, Regina House District Seven Director —SPJST—

From the SPJST State Fraternal Director State Fraternal Director shares December updates

SPJST Scholarship Applications Available Online

Great news! You can find the new SPJST Scholarship Application by clicking on this link https://spjst.org/scholarships/. The application will be completed and submitted on-line. Here is a list of items to have available prior to starting the application: expected date of high school graduation; names of three personal references and their email addresses and phone numbers; a copy of your high school transcript that has been signed and/or stamped by a school official; a copy of your SAT or ACT scores; and a headshot photograph. Please look on-line for the scholarship application guidelines to help you complete all sections of the application.

If you have a 2022 graduating high school senior in your lodge, please let them know they are eligible to apply for an SPJST scholarship. Also, full–time undergraduates who have not received an SPJST Scholarship may apply for the scholarship.

Completed scholarship applications must be submitted on-line no later than February 1, 2022. Again, all applications will be submitted on-line. A receipt of application will be emailed to you upon successful submission. For any additional scholarship questions, please contact Sandra Dubcak at 254-773-1575, ext. 127 or by email sandrad@spjst.com.

100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive

Everyone spread the word! October 1 started the SPJST 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive to benefit the scholarship fund. Through your generous donations, SPJST has been able to continue to provide scholarships to members who wish to further their education. Donations of any amount will be accepted and added to the general scholarship fund that is maintained by the Home Office. No amount is too small or too large. The 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive will run through March 31, 2022.

SPJST Meetings: Play It Safe

Even though the Corona virus continues to be a part of our lives, we are asking lodges to have more faceto-face adult lodge meetings and youth club meetings. Please review the tips below and incorporate them in your face-to-face adult lodge meetings and youth club meetings. Precautions to consider include actions to prevent transmission between people, where to hold the meeting, and how it can be modified to make a safer environment. Meeting organizers are requested to provide all necessary supplies – masks, hand hygiene stations, hand sanitizer or soap and water, tissues, and distance markers. Meeting on-line or teleconferencing remains an option that should be considered or when precautions cannot be effectively implemented or adequately communicated. If you have any specific questions relating to setting up an on-line meeting, please know that you may contact Vice President of Communications Melanie Zavodny at melaniez@spjst.com for additional information.

2022 Lodge Refund Requires Timely Response

SPJST’s longstanding Premium Refund Program compensates lodges on the basis of the premium income generated by the lodge and a demonstrated commitment to achieving basic fraternal engagement and reporting requirements. The formula that is used for calculating your lodge’s premium refund for 2022 will be $1 for each paid-up certificate; and 1.25 percent of your lodge’s annual earned premium. As such, there is no maximum amount that any lodge can receive.

This premium refund will be automatically deposited in February in the account that your lodge has on file with the SPJST Controller. In the event that the lodge has changed banking institutions, please notify the office of the Controller with the correct account information.

In order for the lodge to receive its premium refund for the current year, the following guidelines will apply:

1. Updated list of lodge officers for 2022. Your lodge president and lodge secretary will be receiving the current roster of lodge officer names, addresses, and contact information that we have for the lodge. The roster is being sent by regular mail from Home Office staff member Tamara Gettys during the fourth week of November. Please update this list as necessary and provide the Home Office with the updated listing on or before January 18. If there have been no changes in your officer listing, then state “No Changes” on the roster and return by email to tamarag@spjst.com or by regular mail to the Home Office; Attention: Tamara Gettys.

2. Service to each other and service to the community represents an important part of the SPJST mission. 2020 and 2021 were extraordinary years due to COVID-19. Recognizing this, consideration has been extended to this year’s reporting process. Lodges that qualified to send delegates to the 33rd SPJST Convention will be considered to have met their meeting/activity obligation for the year 2021. This excludes those lodges where premium refunds are being withheld for various reasons. Lodges which did not qualify to send delegates to the 33rd SPJST Convention will be considered on a case by case basis.

If your lodge has been recording its meeting and event activities on the fraternalsgive.org website, please continue to do so. This information is important in that it is used to help in constructing the SPJST’s year-end report to the American Fraternal Alliance.

Please know that the process for recording and submitting your fraternal hours for 2022 is being simplified for next year. You will be receiving more information on this in the January State Fraternal Director’s letter.

990 and 990-T Forms Due May 15, 2022

Please know that your lodge’s 990 and 990-T IRS forms are due to the SPJST Home Office on May 15, 2022. These forms are to be directed to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. It will be necessary to submit this documentation in order to ensure that your lodge remains in good standing.

Outgoing Officers

With the election of new officers, do not forget to honor your officers who have given their time and dedication to your lodge. Honor your outgoing leaders by giving them an outgoing officer plaque. Any officer who is not elected to serve in 2022 and does not seek re-election in the future is eligible. The recipient must be a current SPJST member and must be active at the time of selection. The plaques should be awarded at your local lodge meeting. This is the link https://spjst.org/outgoing-officer-forms/ to complete the form on-line at our website.

Something to Consider: Strategic Planning for Your Lodge

SPJST recognizes the importance of fielding a fraternal program that is relevant and in touch with the lives of its members. Whereas some lodges are experiencing a resurgence in member participation, others have been less fortunate. There are reasons for this: While it is certainly possible for a lodge to experience a level of success without a plan, those lodges whose members have invested the time and resources into a mission and goals can look forward to achieving success at a much quicker pace.

A great place to start is by conducting a simple — and fun — strategic planning session that helps to answer, “What is my lodge doing to make a positive difference for its members and for the community?” And with a little bit of advance notice, President/CEO Vanicek and I would love to lend a hand with the process. With just a little preparation, it is possible to conduct this three-step exercise in 60 to 90 minutes. In the end, the information that is collected can be useful in constructing a strategic plan for your lodge. It makes for a fast-paced and enjoyable program. Topics that don’t typically come up in your regular lodge meetings will be the positives as well as the negatives then we talk about how to build on the positives and what we can do to eliminate the negatives. When we’re done, your lodge will be on its way to move forward with a clearly defined mission statement. If you’d like to have us come in and work with your lodge, please give myself or Brian a call, and we’ll set it up.

2022 State Tournaments Scheduled

All SPJST State Tournaments are now scheduled for 2022. Please know that our Regular 42 Domino tournament will be played in another location other than the Temple Home Office. The tournament will take place in Ledbetter, Texas at our Camp Kubena. I will have more information about the location and the special event that will be taking place that day.

The 2022 tournaments are: Progressive “42” Dominoes on Saturday, January 8 at SPJST Home Office in Temple; Tarok Tournament on Saturday, February 5 at SPJST Home Office in Temple; Straight Dominoes on Saturday, March 5 at SPJST Home Office in Temple; and Regular “42” Dominoes on Saturday, April 2 at Camp Kubena in Ledbetter.

FAC Assistance

We are here to help if you need assistance. Please feel free to call me or Tammy. Your District FAC is also available to assist you.

State Fraternal Director Frank Horak 254-773-1575, ext. 177 254-534-0681 frankh@spjst.com Fraternal Services Specialist Tammy Martinez 254-773-1575, ext. 164 tammym@spjst.com District One FAC Kyle Skrabanek 979-820-0531 District Two FAC Ruth Hanusch 254-771-0193 District Three FAC Vicki Sims 214-763-0341 District Four FAC Janeece Williams 806-632-5239 District Five FAC Linda Bratina 832-647-9971 District Six FAC Helen Zabransky 361-798-3347 District Seven FAC Kathleen Polasek 830-570-5800

Fraternally, Frank Horak State Fraternal Director —SPJST—

From the Desk of Delisle L. Doherty SPJST Vice President of Sales and Marketing It’s Your Life

I Hate Brussel Sprouts . . . I’m Not Too Crazy About Fruitcake Either

As many know, I own the Christian Business Fellowship Association in Houston, Texas. This is a business network for Christian business, much like a chamber. Once a month, we take a Bible verse and adapt it to today’s world. A great friend of mine writes these for the businesses. This is so appropriate for everyone I thought I would share it. I would like to give a special thanks to Patrick Howard for allowing me to share it.

‘Tis the Season

You know what I mean. The Halloween candy has all been eaten. (How did that happen so quickly?) That first little bit of cold air descends on Houston. (And it didn’t come from your air conditioner.) Pumpkin spice is in the air. (Do we have to pumpkin spice our coffee?) The person you voted for in the last election lost, and your weird brother’s guy won. You wonder how your favorite college team will win enough games to become bowl eligible. All these events can mean only one thing. It’s time for Thanksgiving!

That’s right. Thanksgiving is that day when it’s okay to stuff yourself senseless, so you can take a two-hour nap in front of the TV while the Cowboys lose. That day when you get to listen to your crazy brother tell you why the country is going to be so much better because his guy won the election. That day when you rediscover why you despise pumpkin spice anything.

Thanksgiving and its associated traditions are uniquely American. We have so much to be thankful for, yet we take so much for granted. Before we dive headfirst into our Thanksgiving routine, let’s take a moment to focus on the words of King David. 1 Chronicles 16:34 – Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.

We serve an amazing God. Not only has He given us the gift of eternal salvation, but he provides for all our mortal needs as well. When we say the Lord’s prayer, we ask Him to provide for our needs (our daily bread); and He is always faithful in providing for us.

If you don’t believe me, let me ask. Did you wake up this morning? Did you sleep in a bed under a roof last night? When was the last time you went hungry? Do you have clothes in your closet? Do you have people in your life that love you?

We are truly rich with God’s blessings, but it’s never enough. Think about the answers to your questions above. (If you’re like me, your answers may be something like this.)

Did you wake up this morning? Yes, but it was too early.

Did you sleep in a bed under a roof last night? Yes, but my mattress isn’t very comfortable.

When was the last time you went hungry? Never, but I would like to eat at Steamboat House instead of McDonald’s.

Do you have clothes in your closet? Yes, but they are old, and I need new things.

Do you have people in your life that love you? Yes, but my brother never votes for the right guy.

God has given us everything we need, and most of what we want, but it still isn’t enough. Why do we complain? Why can’t we just be thankful for the blessings that God gives us? Why can’t we accept that God has a plan for us and be thankful that He will faithfully provide for all our needs? Why do we complain that we hate brussel sprouts, when there are many who will be hungry tonight?