Biographical Sketches for 2339 Members
By Mary
Bleecher
Meet Joan Giffin - A long-time NARFE member, Joan served as 1st Vice President of the Colorado
Federation and also President of the Denver area Foothills Chapter before it closed. Joan was among the first Columbine members
in 2003, believing in its visionary structure. Originally from Indiana, her first college degree was in Anthropology.
She later joined the U S Army , which took her from coast to coast. After that, she returned to college on the GI Bill
and got a degree in Architecture. Her Federal career involved working in the Design and Construction Division of the
General Services Administration (GSA) at the Denver Federal Center. She now considers Denver as "home" and
enjoys retirement, but also thinks retirees should not get "old" in the traditional sense.
Medicare
Reform
By Bob Warren
Soon after Christmas, my wife, Martha, and I received letters
from Physician Health Partners advising us that our primary doctors had chosen to participate in a Medicare Accountable Care
Organization. Some of you that live in Colorado and have Medicare probably received a similar letter. We found
the letter to be poorly written and confusing. A call to Medicare provided a few answers to my questions but they advised
that someone "higher" up would call within 72 hours. Four weeks later, I still have not heard from anyone,
but an article in the Denver Post did explain some of the things that should have been in the letter to begin with.
I finally figured out that Physician Health Partners , located in downtown Denver, is part of the Medicare Accountable Care
Organization and their goal is to get participating doctors to cut costs and in return they will be financially rewarded by
Medicare. Medicare patients may decline to participate in the program by calling 1-800-633-4227. It appears that
this program is not yet in affect in all states so those of you living elsewhere may not have received a notice.
Looking Ahead
By Bob Warren
1) The annual "Senior Day @ the Capitol"
is scheduled for Wednesday March 14th, 2012 so if you live in or near Denver you may want to attend. It starts
with a continental breakfast (North 2nd floor mezzanine) from 8-9am followed by the regular meeting from 9-noon
in the Old Supreme Court Chambers on the 2nd floor. Following this, a box lunch, costing approximately $10 will
be available at Central Presbyterian Church (2 blocks north of the Capitol). This event offers seniors the opportunity to
meet and talk with their legislators. A number of them usually go to the luncheon thus further enhancing your chance of meeting
them. If you have questions give the Colorado Senior Lobby a call at 303-832-4535. I have attended several times and found
it to be very interesting but it can be quite crowded so register with the Senior Lobby soon and go early.
2) For those
of you that have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren or stepchildren that are seniors in high school and are planning
on attending college this fall, it's time to start thinking about a NARFE scholarship for them. Each year NARFE awards 60
- $1,000 scholarships to outstanding applicants who have a parent, grandparent or great grandparent that is a member of NARFE.
Check pages 42 and 43 of the February, 2012 issue of the NARFE magazine for all the details and the application form. Applications
are due by April 27, 2012. Keep in mind that the Columbine Chapter has had two winners in the last three years!
3) March
is traditionally "NARFE-PAC Month" so keep your eyes open for either a letter from our National President or a donation
form in an upcoming NARFE magazine. In the last 2 year (2009-2010) cycle the members of Columbine donated $1, 945 to this
important cause. With a larger membership now, we should easily exceed that amount. See page 18 of the February issue of the
NARFE magazine. Remember, when you make a donation, be sure to indicate you are in Chapter 2339.
4) The Colorado Federation,
in consultation with the host, District V, has cancelled this year's Annual State Convention and so the next one will be in
2013 hosted by the Colorado Springs Chapter. This summer there will be a celebration in honor of the 50 year anniversary of
the Colorado Federation. The next issue of this Newsletter will have all the details.
5) This year's National Convention
will be August 26 - 30 at the Nugget Casino Hotel in Reno-Sparks, Nevada. You probably noticed in the January issue of the
NARFE magazine a description of the Convention and registration information starting on page 24. Of particular interest are
the registration form on page 26 and the Convention Deadlines on Page 27. If you are interested in serving on one of the Convention
Committees, your request on Form C/12-22 must be at the National Headquarters by March 1, 2012. Since it must be reviewed
and approved by the Chapter President, Federation President, Regional VP and National President it probably should be completed
and sent to the Chapter President no later than February 15th. Either the Chapter President or Secretary has the
request form so give them a call. If you are planning a vacation to the Western US this fall, why not combine it with a stop
at the Convention? The Chapter has budgeted $2,000 to be shared equally with all those that register and attend the Convention.
Federation Executive Board meeting
By Bob Warren and Hazel Birtle
On
Saturday, January 21, the Federation Executive Board members met to process the necessary business and to hear reports from
the various offices. The following is an overview report of this meeting:
1) Mr. Frank Impinna announced that
Mrs. Ester Russell, Federation Parliamentarian, had resigned from that position due to declining health. Mrs. Russell, a registered
Parliamentarian, had served in that position for many years and was a recipient of the Federation "Hall of Fame"
award. He also advised that Denver Chapter 81 and Capitol City Chapter 1119 had merged and would be known as Denver-Capital
City Chapter 81.
2) Region VII VP, Mrs. Betty Lucero-Turner, spoke at length about her activities and those of the National
Office. She reiterated that this year could be a difficult one for both Federal employees and retirees as the Congress proceeds
with legislation to curtail spending. Federal benefits are sure to be on the chopping block, therefore it is important that
every member of NARFE contact their elected representatives. She reminded the meeting attendees that February 15th
is the day that all members should contact their representatives to remind them of what they have contributed to this country.
Betty also announced that she will not be a candidate for her current position when the elections are held at the National
Convention in August. (Mr. Frank Impinna has announced that he will be a candidate for that position.) Betty said that membership
in NARFE continues to decline and at the end of 2011 there were 288,280 voting members in the Association. Twenty-four percent
of NARFE members have provided their E-mail address to the National Headquarters and 42% of the membership is 80 years or
older, according to Betty.
3) The proposed Federation budget for 2012 was presented by the Treasurer and after some
modification, unanimously approved. The budget contains funds to help reimburse those Federation officers and delegates registered
and attending the National Convention in Reno-Sparks, Nevada. Each delegate will receive up to $250 to assist with their travel,
lodging, meals and registration costs. (Note: these funds are in addition to the funds mentioned earlier that the Chapter
has budgeted for Convention support.)
4) After a lively discussion of this summer's 50th Anniversary celebration,
the Federation President ask for volunteers to form a committee to plan and implement the actions needed to support the event.
Your Chapter President is a member of that 10 person committee.
5) Mrs. Lois Kemerer, Federation Alzheimer's Coordinator
has established goals for the Colorado Chapters for the year 2012. Columbine Chapter members donated $350 in 2011, and our
goal has been set at $360 for 2012. We encourage everyone to donate and you can do so by mailing a check to Mrs. Kemerer at
1534 West 29th St. in Loveland, CO 80538. Be sure to indicate on the check that you are a member of 2339.
NARFE
9491
W. Tenn. Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80226-4104
