February is the month of Love. Let’s show our Chapter’s love for a needy community. Have a Heart for Sacred Heart. Please bring a heartY protein-rich canned food item (preferably pop tops) to our February meeting.
Newsletter
Membership…Shelly Schwartz
Happy New Year Everybody!
Just a reminder, in case you haven’t already done so, it’s time to pay your 2018 Membership dues which includes our newsletter, the Dispatch. Dues for the year are: $14 if you would like to receive our monthly newsletter by e-mail, or $17 if you would like to receive our monthly newsletter by regular mail. Payments can be made at the January 16th Luncheon BY CHECK ONLY or by mailing your check to me at the address on the Membership Application. Please include the Application with your check.
JANUARY 16 LUNCHEON
JANUARY 16 LUNCHEON 11:30 a.m.
Hometown Buffett Moonlight Center,
2670 El Camino Real at Kiely Blvd.
$12.32 includes drink and tax Or less with no drink
Pay at Hometown
Entertainment and Door Prizes
No trays available—may bring your own.
Call Paddy or Margaret before Jan. 9
President…Ken Schieck
Happy New Year to all Campbell AARP members, and I hope you have put the confusion of the December holidays behind you (not that it wasn’t worth it!).
Not only is January the first month of the year, it is also the first month when each day is longer than the one before (maybe by only 30 minutes). It is a month of pro basketball, playoffs and pro football, and an inkling of spring training in the major leagues in February.
Significant events in January include:
01/01/1863 – Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
01/02/1988 – US and Canada enter into a free trade agreement
01/07/1789 – first US presidential election held
01/11/1973 – major league baseball adapts ‘designated hitter’ rule
01/15/1967 – first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles (Green Bay Packers over Kansas City Chiefs)
01/16/1944 – Eisenhower takes command of the allied invasion force in London
01/19/1955 – first televised presidential news conference
01/20/1981 – Iran releases 52 American hostages held since November, 1979
01/22/1973 – Supreme Court legalizes abortion
01/30/1968 – Vietnam war ‘TET’ offensive begins
I hope to see many of you at our holiday party on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the Hometown Buffet in Santa Clara. If you haven’t signed up, please call Paddy Wray or Margaret Schieck before Jan. 9. Paddy’s number is on the back of the Dispatch; Margaret’s number is same as mine (also on the back).
At our December meeting, we had two special guests from the Bay Area Regional AARP office in San Jose. Of course, they are too young to join, but they were impressed by the services we are involved in and the enthusiasm of many of our members who attended the meeting. Keep up the good work.
Opportunity Tickets…Barbara Robinson
December drawings at three for $1 are:
Blue Sky Restaurant ($25)
2028 Winchester Blvd, Campbell 408-378-0424
(Thanks to Barbara Robinson)
Safeway (Various Locations) $5 Gift Card
(Thanks to Jan Delucchi and the Treasure Chest Fund)
Campbell Express
Two Free Subscriptions 408-374-9700
(Thanks to Stephon Hansen)
Weekend Coffee Roasters
Bag of Fresh Coffee Locally Roasted
(Thanks to Rick Loek)
November winners were:
“Kool Kit”: Joy Walsh
Red Robin Free Dessert: Marilyn Clough
Campbell Express: Myra Gaver and Frank McDaniel
Weekend Coffee Roasters: Jeanne Ulrich
Community Service…Marilyn Clough
Moffett Field gift wrappers, remember! Those well-spent hours are also Volunteer Hours to be claimed with our form on the bottom of the agenda and put in the purple envelope at our general meeting. And let that be an inspiration to the rest of you whose hours are a mystery.
We are looking ahead to February when we will have what has become our annual food drive. The change in our year-end luncheon timing makes conducting this effort at a restaurant more complicated than doing it at our regular meeting. Pop-top cans are especially sought after as many people in need do not have what we take-for-granted as modern cooking facilities. You can run into some good sales on soups, stews, beans, peanut butter, etc., as you do your own shopping, so keep our drive in mind.
Legislative Report…Daniel Nnorth and Claudia Schott
Legislatively, we are on vacation. The California Senate left for the holidays at the end of September and right now, Congress is on vacation; although they are technically between breaks (Thanksgiving and Christmas).
If you remember what we wrote about last month, it is still relevant this month. We still need to call or write our Senators to support the Portman-Brown bill, which will stop the health tax increase. Each year, nearly 10 million taxpayers with high health care costs deduct those expenses from their taxes. This deduction means real savings, especially for seniors who spend large amounts of their money on prescription drugs, hearing aids, home-based care, nursing home care, and other health care costs, but if Congress doesn’t act quickly, seniors who use this deduction will see higher taxes. Reducing the medical expense deduction threshold from 10% to 7.5% will provide real tax relief for seniors.
AARP strongly supports this bill. “Changes to the tax code should not result in a disproportionate, adverse impact on older Americans,’’ said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “Efforts to restructure all or part of the federal tax system should recognize the importance and maintain incentives for health and retirement security.” Please call or write our Senators now. There is also an advocacy page at action.aarp.org. Just type “Seniors Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2017” into the search bar and you will find a link to the action page.
On that note, we wish you happy holidays and a happy and healthy new year! See you in 2018!
Membership…Shelly Schwartz
Don’t forget to pay your Membership dues for 2018! Annual Membership dues, including the Dispatch e-mailed to you, will be $14.00. If sent by regular mail, will be $17.00. You can pay at the next meeting on December 19th, or send your check payable to AARP Campbell Chapter 5151 to me at the address shown on the Membership Application. Please include the application with your payment.
Program…Gene Lennon
What does one do when they get their layoff notice in a Silicon Valley semiconductor company? Become an entertainer, of course! “It’s was a lateral move,” says Phil Ackerly, a Bay Area native making his home in Santa Clara, where “the homes were more affordable.” Since 1992, Phil has been following his passion performing his theatrical magic shows at company events and private parties for all ages from the young to the young at heart. “When I perform it’s really magic. I walk in a room as a stranger and after my performance, I’m part of the family.” Phil’s act has taken him across the country to off- Broadway at Monday Night Magic, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Las Vegas and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. Phil combines his experience from the theater with sleight-of-hand magic, along with good clean humor and a few stories that tug at your heartstrings. And for that special occasion, Phil personalizes his performances for a special event or to celebrate that special someone.
DECEMBER 19 MEETING
DECEMBER 19 MEETING IN Q80 10:00 a.m.
Social Time 9:30 a.m.
Leave clean clothing, bedding and nonperishable food for Sacred Heart on the bench outside. Please do not bring garage sale type items for Sacred Heart. Please bring books to share. Place these items on the first table: donations for the troops; new and used greeting cards in the box; your volunteer hours in purple envelope.
Lunch after meeting:
Furo Sato Japanese Restaurant
1651 W. Campbell Ave, Campbell 408-370-1300
(across from Nob Hill)
Program:
Phil Ackerly, Illlusionist