The accolades have been given to the Philippine Nurses Association of Greater Kansas City’s Sixth Anniversary Ball. It is with deep sense of pride and elation that the PNAGKC delivered a joyous celebration in the true sense of the word. The cast of Greaser Lighting and Macho Man were sensational as they performed with gusto. The guests enjoyed so much and yearned for more.

The April 12,l997 dinner-dance was well attended by friends, family, supporters and new members. The difficulty in parking, nor the not so perfect ballroom did not dampen the mood of the evening. The excellent food served by gracious waiters, the good company, great music and program, the energetic DJ, and the relaxed informal atmosphere more than made up for the deficiencies.

I would like to acknowledge everyone involved in the preparation and success of this event. Thank you to the social committee chaired by Jojie Villarante, the performers which include the spouses who are the honorary members of the Association , to the door prize donors, and to our friends and guests who came to celebrate with us.

The PNAGKC has grown significantly since its inception. To date, there are 91 paid members, with sixteen new members this year, and four (non-Filipino) members. "We are doing well," quipped Tess Laoruangroch, membership chair when asked about PNAGKC’s statistics. Tess has been in charge for years of tracking down and persistently pursuing unpaid members.

Renewing one’s membership should not take so much effort (pahirapan) as I have stated in my address during the anniversary ball. The PNAGKC bill is just like your regular bills for cable TV, telephone, water—the difference is that the association’s bill comes only once a year, is tax deductible, and supports not only the PNAGKC but also the community. The $15.00 annual fee,on the average is less than an hourly rate of a registered nurse. So I firmly believe that this is not the reason why nurses don’t renew their membership. It was $10.00 for the past five years and it was already a problem.

Some comments were: "I’m not involved anyway," or "I haven’t heard lately what PNAGKC is doing."

Although there are several reasons to support this association, with its year-round activities, we need to address these valid responses. The association through its officers, committee chairs and active members should make it a personal effort to communicate with non-participating members by inviting them to join our activities. It’s not difficult to ask a longtime friend and member to help in a project, but it is challenging to call somebody whom you have not worked with before to ask the same favor. Is it the anticipation of getting a negative response or feeling rejected that keeps us from reaching out to them? It is this kind of pattern that keeps the same group of people doing all the work, all the time and the same group of people being solicited for donations as well. We need to make a connection with other members so they will feel involved and welcomed. They may say "no" or say "next time" when asked, but at least we tried and it was worth the effort.

In behalf of the Association, I would like to welcome the new members. I value your membership and support. I hope to meet everyone sometime and share your thoughts, talents and fresh ideas.

Congratulations to Reggie for being voted as the most outstanding member of PNAGKC. To all members, keep up the leadership, team work, and voluntarism.