COMMITTEES

It is with extreme sadness that I let everyone know that our colleague (and Recording Secretary), Rosemary McHugh passed away in June after battling cancer for a very long time. She will be sorely missed by all who ever knew her and her activism for MCCEA as well as MCREA over the years. Phyllis Casey, the MCREAP-F Trustee, was elected by the executive board to complete Rosemary’s term until the elections next spring.

I am also sorry to inform you that MCREA will NOT have in-person Membership Meetings in September and October at the Birchwood Manor as originally planned. HOWEVER, we are going to attempt to have a ZOOM meeting in September on our usual date, September 9th at 10:30 am. We will have our usual business meeting and then Kevin Kelleher from NJEA (or a designee) will talk to us about the Aetna health plan, new for pre-Medicare members, and recap many of the reasons we switched to Aetna in the first place. If you care to join us, you will have to fill out the form included in this newsletter, mail it to John Beekman (as usual). We will send you the link to the ZOOM meeting the week of the meeting. We ask that you include any questions you may have about the health plan with your reservation so we can get them to NJEA in advance. During the ZOOM meeting, you will be able to write any further questions under “chat” and we will ask those questions as well, time permitting.

We are asking members who are able and participate in the Zoom meeting to make a donation to one of the three charities listed on the reservation form. Beyond the luncheon cost, many members buy raffle tickets, make food pantry donations and donate to PAC during the meetings. We urge you to continue to support these fundraising efforts by including a small donation with your reservation, if possible. You may include it with your reservation (and we will mail one envelope to each charity) or mail it to the charity directly.

I am certainly tired of being at home, reading a lot, taking walks, playing backgammon and dreaming up meals to cook! Can’t wait to be able to go back to the theater, entertain friends, and enjoy some traveling. In the meantime, I have enjoyed getting mail from many members and hope you are all managing the best you can.

Stay well and healthy!
Susan Beekman

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