Thank you, Retired Members, for honoring me to be your President. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say in this first message to you, and I kept coming back to two BIG Questions!
- Why belong to NDU-Retired?
- Why should I vote in November?
Let’s start with Question 1: WHY BELONG?
To say the least your expertise and years of experience are crucial during this critical turning point in our nation .
Your NDU-R membership allows us to lead the way in public education and on critical issues.
*Protect and improve retirement pension, health benefits-including state pensions, Social Security and Medicare.
*Improve public education through mentoring, literacy and intergenerational programs and activities.
*Achieve legislative and political action goals for education, education employees , and public employees.
As I see it whether you’re retired or just thinking about retirement down the road, there are many advantages for being a NDU-Retired Member that I want to share with you and I have some ideas that your NDU-Retired Advisory Board and myself are going to involve you at a later date:
- Staying connected with fellow retirees.
- Opportunities to share your expertise by volunteering and mentoring our Aspiring Educators.
- Be active in political and legislative efforts to protect your retirement resources
- Continue association with NDU active members and NDU Board.
- Opportunities to volunteer in community-based programs that help make America strong.
Stay tuned for updates on how YOU can be a part of NDU-Retired for you know the U in NDU is all of YOU my friends, so fasten your seatbelts for some great things we will make available for you statewide.
Question 2: WHY VOTE?
I recently just read a great article in AARP posing the question: “Will Older Voters Decide the 2020 Election?” I thought I would share a few high notes of that article with you to answer this question.
November remains unpredictable with concerns how Coronavirus will affect how we vote. As you know, North Dakota held their primary by mail-in voting only. If you did not know it, for decades, older adults have been the backbone of American elections. And according to the article it looks like older Americans are on track to be the top influencers in November. No doubt the way we vote may change but we MUST continue to be strong and vote for as we know how our elected officials affect our lives. It is so important to know who our leaders are. NDU does a wonderful job of “taking the bull by the horns” by watching and being active with our legislative issues and interviewing our political candidates. Please watch on our NDU-Retired Facebook Page for enlightening information. So, stay connected….AND VOTE. Vote for your Retirement, for your children, grandchildren, and yes great-grandchildren. It is imperative that we use our voices with our vote!
I am looking forward to visiting with you ALL across the state (Ok, I am a Miss Mary Sunshine) as I believe we will put the Pandemic behind us and move forward to make NDU-Retired a vital part of North Dakota.
And as always remember this quote from our NEA-Retired President Sarah Borgman: “Our experiences and activities help give us authority to help answer the tough questions…so we keep trying.” AND last but not least: “The old saying is we retire from the classroom but never from education.”
Stay Safe!