Friday, January 31, 2014
President's Message-February 2014
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
 |
| Division One President Kevin Ellis |
February,
2014
Brothers,
This
month will mark the half-way point of the winter season, and I can officially
say that I have had it with cold temperatures and “Polar Vortexes”! You will have to pardon the pun, but things
will start to really heat up within our Division over the next 6-7 weeks as we
enter one of our busiest time periods of the year.
I would first like to report that sadly,
Division One has suffered the loss of several members and loved ones over the
last few weeks. We remember Past Division President Bill Price, and Brother
Martin O’Loughlin, who both were instrumental in keeping Division afloat
during the lean years of the 1980’s. The
success that we enjoy today would not be possible without the commitment and
dedication of these men. Please pray for
Brothers Tom Allison and Bill Regan. Tom’s Brother in-law Tom Colucci passed away earlier
in the month, and Bill Regan lost his mother Jean just recently. Please keep both families in your thoughts
and prayers.
We had
some important events happen this last month. The Westchester County AOH Dinner
Dance was a tremendous success! Aidan O’Kelly Lynch, our Westchester County
President, along with members of the County Board did a tremendous job
putting the whole event together, and the results were terrific! Thanks go out to all of our members who
attended the dinner as well as those who purchased journal ads. Special thanks to Jim Walsh and Ronan O’Brien
who operated our suite after the dinner.
I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from those who were there
and everyone had a wonderful evening!
Thanks also go out to Brother Brian
Hartnett, who this year once again arranged our Superbowl Fundraiser. This will provide important funding for our
Division, great job!
We begin
the month of February with a couple of events scheduled before we begin the St.
Patrick’s Day marching season.
1) The
Division One Annual Golf Sponsor Pub Tour is scheduled for Saturday, February
22nd. We will provide details
at our monthly meeting about where we will start and finish, as well as all
points in between. This is our
opportunity to thank those establishments who sponsor our Golf Outing, who in
turn fund our Charities Program. Please
make every effort to come out and enjoy the day with us!
2) The
Division One Annual Communion Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, March 2nd. The mass will begin at 10:00am at St. Joseph’s
Seminary. We will have registration
forms at our meeting. Pre-registration
is important, so please submit your forms and checks to Brendan Murphy as soon as possible.
3) We
will be marching in 4 parades this season, White Plains on March 8th
at 12 Noon, Eastchester on March 16th at 3:00pm, NYC on March 17th
(of course), and The Yonkers Parade on McLean Ave on March 22nd starting
at 1:00pm. Specific details will be
available at next month’s meeting, however, I ask that you let the Division
know which parades you can attend ASAP.
Finally, I will note that since the St.
Patrick’s Day season is approaching, we must be vigilant and be on the lookout
for stores and vendors who attempt to make a profit off of stereotyping the
Irish in a negative way. The AOH National
Board scored a very important victory this month when it convinced Bed Bath
& Beyond to remove all items of a derogatory nature from it stores. Great
job by our National Anti-Defamation
Chairman Neil Cosgrove, who led the charge in this instance. We must be willing to speak up and confront
those who think it’s acceptable to depict the Irish with tired and predictable caricatures. If not us, who will stand up to these
businesses? There are many ways that we as an organization can gain control of
the narrative surrounding the true meaning and significance of St. Patrick’s
Day. As Hibernians, we bear an extra
special responsibility to promote Irish Culture, and that means protecting the
proud heritage that we have been given.
As we “Press On” towards our busiest season, I am confident that the members of Division One can be counted on to lead
by example.
Yours In Our Motto
Kevin Ellis, President
Division One, Yonkers
