LPA Today

[Guest guest]

Yes- It went in the mail 2 days ago and it is in fact focused on

Advocacy.

You should *start* receiving it in a week or so... Remember we send

these out by non-profit status (to save several thousand dollars each

year) so it may take 3 weeks to receive. According to the last survey

we did on who had/hadn't received their newsletter -- the spread seemed

to be from 1 to 4 weeks. At the 3 week mark many folks became concerned

only to receive it the next day or so. Please be patient with the

beloved US post.

Matt

LPA Today

Has the next edition of " LPA Today " been drafted, and if not, who is

editing it? Is the theme still " advocacy? "

Thank you, Crystal

Crystal Beelner

President

LPA Peach Chapter 21

===

[Guest guest]

That's right, the Dwarfism List is not officially a part of LPA. However,

Bill Bradford and I encourage LPA issues to be addressed here, since there

*is* no official forum. IMHO, it's better to address issues such as this

openly.

Barbara makes a good point in noting that LPA officers are not necessarily

subscribed to this list, so you shouldn't necessarily expect an answer. The

list of LPA national officers and their e-mail addresses is online here:

<http://www.lpaonline.org/lpa_officers.html>

District directors and chapter presidents:

<http://www.lpaonline.org/lpa_districts.html>

Warning: the information is slightly out of date. I just received a list of

updates that need to be made, and I'm not quite sure when I'll have a chance

to do it.

=====

Dan Kennedy

Editor, LPA Online

Little People of America, Inc.

<http://www.lpaonline.org>

On 11/29/04 9:40 AM, " Barbara Spiegel " <bspiegel@...> wrote:

> All I have to say, is anything I post here is of my own merit. I do not

> speak for anyone but myself. I do not appreciate the implication that I am

> speaking for " President Rick " .

> From what I recall, this list is not an official venue for LPA business, so

> if there are questions you'd like answered, it might be best to send a

> direct email to the officer you would like to answer it.

>

> Barbara

[Guest guest]

Happy Holiday's Listserv: Just a quick note that I have yet to receive a

LPA TODAY...Has it been mailed if not when is it to be expected to

arrive in my mailbox = Snail mail box?

A response from this post would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Michele

[Guest guest]

LPA may have information for a potential 9000 members (and I suspect

that is a much higher figure than it is, not to mention many of the

entries are probably no longer viable. Without paid personnel that

dedicates inself to just database/memberhsip management it is

impossible to keep it updated) in it's database, it does not have

9000 paid members. Try doing your figures based on 2500 to 3000 paid

members.

IMHO due to existing in a new world of electronic communication,

running an organization on dues it no longer feasible. Basic

information on dwarfism is now at the fingertips of anyone who can

access the net, as it should be. Items such as printed newsletters

need to be distributed electronically and other 'benefits' of

membership need to be devised. As an organization we have a tendency

to reinvent the wheel, we are a small pond and are not looking into

what is being done in larger ponds. We are not even tapping into the

potential number of individuals with dwarfism existing within our 50

states for new members. Perhaps the 20something thousand is best

spent in that area: Recruitment. New blood is the life of an any

organization, and this one is in severe need of a transfusion.

Set a tier type dues structure, those who want print pay a higher fee

than those who are satisfied with a PDF on the net.

One of our 'claims to fame' is no longer true. The need for personal

interaction by those new to the world of dwarfism or those just

acknowledging a need to touch base with others who share this in

common is now handled at a local level. We (and I say 'we' because I

have paid a lifetime membership, not because I am a voice for this

administration) now staff the office with an individual who is

basically new to the world of dwarfism, thus as capable as she may

be, it isn't the same as being a person with dwarfism or having a

personal connection to a person with dwarfism is not accomplished

without a transfer or follow-up calls.

Many aspects of infrastructure of this Organization needs to be re-

thought and restructured. Alternative plans have to be made, the

Organization is as in need of updating as it's database. An approach

without any selfish agendas needs to be taken.

M............

In dwarfism , " johnjohnshort " <johnjohnshort@y...>

wrote:

>

>

> If LPA has approx 9,000 members (counting all those in a household

> that have access to it) and the $28,000 budget is based on 4 issues

> per year. Then that means each issue is only $.79 cents per member

> per issue. Can that be right? I pay much more for my other mags.

>

> Not to mention the advertising dollars each issue is likely

> generating. It would seem to be the ads might cover much of the

cost.

>

> I for one like to have my issue in hand to read in my cozy comfort

> chair. Not in front of the computer that i already spend too much

> time with.

>

> Now if it cost more than $5.00 of my membership fee then that would

> be a different story to think about. I do agree it should be an

> option and a discount off your membership if you choose.

>

[Guest guest]

Sorry I am having trouble with your post below. Please clarify.

Per Dave statement - He was asked to leave the national office, by both you and

Matt because the two of you discovered that he intended to run for office.

Per Statement or Correction - He was not asked to leave the office for

that reason, but for another that I can not seem to be able to understand.

Was he asked to leave because he stated he was running for office, but could not

because he had not paid his dues as required for candicey; or

Was he asked to leave because he had not paid his dues as he should have; or

Was he asked to leave because he <http://www.cshco.com/> was not considered a

member because he had not paid his dues?

Was it a majority decision of the Board of Directors to ask Dave to leave the

national office for one of the above stated reasons?

Are only dues paying officers/canidates for office of LPA allowed to enter the

national office of LPA?

If admittance is not limited to officers/canidates, must all who enter the

national office of LPA be paid members for three years prior to entering?

If the answer to either of these questions in the positive, please advise as to

when the decision was made, who made it, and how LPA believes it is in

compliance with the IRS rules and regulations, and the sun shine laws?

I am having a hard time understanding how Dave's inability to run for office

would perclude him working on behalf of LPA.

________________________________

From: Margulies [mailto:lpamail@...]

Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 10:34 PM

medavis@...; dwarfism

Cc: dbradfor@...

Subject: Re: LPA Today

Marty and group,

Even though I have a number of problems with Dave¹s latest email, I am only

going to comment on one part where he has chosen to mention me by name, when

he says, ³I was asked to leave was because and Matt discovered that I

intended to run for VP of Membership.²

The truth is, the Board of Directors in accordance with the Bylaws of LPA,

disallowed Dave from even being a candidate for national office because Dave

did not pay his dues as he should have, and therefore was not a paid member

for the three previous years as required by the Bylaws of LPA.

This will also explain Dave¹s other comment where he says, ³this cancer

remains within LPA's National leadership (the Board of Directors).²

I will let the Board of Directors respond to that comment.

===============================

From: dbradfor@...

Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 12:10:13 -0800 (PST)

" Martha -Merritts " <medavis@...>

Cc: dwarfism

Subject: Re: LPA Today

Marty and group,

You're right, it's not rocket science. Last year about this time, I was

developing this very project, and it would have been a reality by the time

the San Francisco Conference rolled around, had destructive, petty

politics at the national level of LPA not brought it to a halt.

Part of the fear the Board had of simply putting LPA Today online was that

it is considered a " Membership Benefit " . Putting it online without

password-protection would mean that anyone could download it, and then

what would be the point of getting a membership?

Theirs is a good and legitimate question. I knew the answer, and I was

working on this when I was asked to leave the Hillsboro office. The reason

I was asked to leave was because and Matt discovered that I

intended to run for VP of Membership.

If you looked closely at the Winter 2004 issue of LPA Today, you would

have noticed that there was a new feature on your mailing label -- above

your name and address, there was a numeric code followed by a 4 character

alphabetic code. I assume many of you still have a copy -- I urge you to

take a look at it.

The intent behind this numeric/alphabetic code combination was to serve as

an LPA " Household " username/password combination. The numeric code was a

" Household ID " , and the alphabetic code was the password.

The next step, which I was never allowed to work on for LPA, was to add a

password-protected area of the LPAonline.org web site where we could put

" Members Only " information (such as an electronic copy of LPA Today).

Each LPA household that had internet access could then simply take a look

at the label of their (potentially last paper-mailed) issue of LPA Today

and log into the web site using their own unique, personal LPA

username/password.

Once logged in, they would have the option to request all future LPA

Todays online, saving LPA mailing costs.

As I said, this would have been a reality by last summer. Unfortunately,

cancerous thinking and personal agendas forced yet another skilled,

hardworking volunteer out of service to LPA -- simply for wanting to run

for office against an incumbent.

Rick's resignation is yet another sign that this cancer remains within

LPA's National leadership (the Board of Directors). I have a feeling that

the entire membership will have to get involved to correct this dangerous

problem.

-Dave

> I agree with this concept. It certainly wouldn't be rocket science to

have a box on the yearly membership renewal that says " would you like to

receive a hardcopy of LPA Today or save LPA money and view it online? "

Then hardcopies could be sent to those who don't have internet and if

people can/want to view it online that would save on printing costs.

>

> -marty (the lady one)

>

>>>> " kimberlyd1021 " <harrykimd@...> 12/12/04 11:54PM >>>

>

>

> I completely agree with Dan. The $28,000 could go to parts of our

organization that so desperately need it, such as, the adoption

> program of L.P.A* They are in need of money. Or divide equally among

the different programs.

> If we posted L.P.A. Today online in some form it could then be

> archived easily for later generations to see how different

> (hopefully!!) things were for us and the past. It could be helpful to

parents coming to L.P.A. for the first time. It could be easy for us as

members to search through different topics when we need help. Again,

just my two cents. Kim

>

>

===================================

Margulies

15080 Downing Oak Court #3

Los Gatos, CA 95032-3930

Voice/fax: 408-626-9148

Mobile: 408-646-0395

lpamail@...

===================================

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004, Margulies wrote:

> Even though I have a number of problems with Dave¹s latest email, I am

> only going to comment on one part where he has chosen to mention me by

> name, when he says, ³I was asked to leave was because and Matt

> discovered that I intended to run for VP of Membership.²

>

> The truth is, the Board of Directors in accordance with the Bylaws of

> LPA, disallowed Dave from even being a candidate for national office

> because Dave did not pay his dues as he should have, and therefore was

> not a paid member for the three previous years as required by the Bylaws

of LPA.

The smart reader will ask " why did his ineligibility for National office

mean he should be barred from working in the Hillsboro office? " The answer

is, " it shouldn't. "

And the question remains why such a valuable, skilled, hardworking

volunteer was asked to leave.

The sequence of events surrounding my dismissal is revealing. The setting

is 's weekend visit in early March to the Hillsboro office.

3/5/04: I mentioned to and Matt that I was considering running for

VP of Membership, since I knew didn't want to continue in the

position. Matt became upset. He seemed to very much dislike the idea. It

was bizarre, and I didn't understand it at the time.

3/7/04: Matt formed a " Temporary Employment Committee " , appointed

to chair it, and sent an email to the Executive Committee

indicating that he was going to direct me to leave the Hillsboro office.

He cited the excuse " personality problems between Matt and Dave. "

3/7/04: The Executive Committee overruled 's appointment to the TEC.

then shot a 2nd email out, to the entire Board this time,

proclaiming a " serious problem in the Hillsboro office " . He then

immediately resigned as VP of Membership.

3/8/04: The Senior VP ( ) called me to discuss what was going

on, and asked if I would temporarily leave the office until they could

sort things out. She and possibly the VP of Public Relations (Dan

Okenfuss) were going to visit Portland in 2 weeks, and would try to help

resolve the problems. I agreed to leave temporarily, even though my work

on the new database was unfinished and required my continued attention.

3/9/04: I announced my candidacy for VP of Membership on the dwarfism list

and on the lpa-officers list.

3/10/04: My District Director, Ted Spencer, called to tell me I was not

eligible to run for National office according to Article VI, Section 2B of

the Bylaws. I responded that according to Article V, Section 6, I was, in

fact, eligible.

3/26/04: The Board voted on the issue of my eligibility and ruled that I

was not eligible. I honored their decision and withdrew from the race.

In case you are wondering what happened when and Dan came to

Portland to investigate... it never happened. My understanding is that

before could come, Matt and company attempted to have her removed as

a National officer (and failed). At that point I think she decided it was

a waste of time and money to come.

I was later told that the IT committee had been dissolved, and I was going

to be notified in writing that I was dismissed. I never received this

notice.

The sad thing is, this is just a 3 week slice of the destructive behavior

that has pretty much continued uninterrupted since then. You should hear

the incredible story of what Ted Spencer and others did to thwart my

re-appointment to the I.T. committee. I'm itching to tell that one.

-Dave

[Guest guest]

> Per Statement or Correction - He was not asked to leave the office

> for that reason, but for another that I can not seem to be able to

> understand.

Nor I.

Regarding the dues and eligibility questions: I became a Lifetime Member

of LPA in May of 2002. I was not a paid member in 2001. If memory serves

me correctly, I joined LPA in 1968 and have been a paid member a majority

of my years since then.

-Dave

[Guest guest]

Jody & Dan,

Congratulations on a job well done! The summer issue of LPA Today was

not only spectacular, but also timely delivered. The photos,

articles, and graphic design were all very professional in quality

and easy to read. I look forward to reading interesting new articles

in the upcoming Fall issue featuring entreprneurs within LPA.

I appreciate your efforts and thank you for your hard work!

lou

>

> Greetings all,

>

> Well it seems the post-conference/Summer issue of LPA Today is

> arriving

> in member's mailboxes. If you haven't received yours yet, please be

> patient. Third-class non-profit postage is very unpredictable.

>

> With that said, we are already working on the Fall issue which will

> feature the " entrepreneurs " within LPA. For example, Hatch

> wrote

> a great article in the Summer issue about participating in the Expo

> at

> Orlando and the experience of co-owning and operating his own

> candy/chocolate confections business.

>

> We know there are many more success stories out there. So please

> share

> with us your own story, advice, how-tos... it's all welcome. We

> welcome all business owners - not just those who have attended

Expos

> but also

> those owners who have started businesses that are not necessarily

> exclusive to serving LP customers.

>

> Please contact Dan Okenfuss at DanOLPA@c... and share your

> idea

> or contribution. Contributions must include a photo of yourself

and

> should not exceed 500 words. Deadline for contributions is Oct. 24.

>

> Advertising opportunities are also available. Please inquire about

> rates and space availability.

>

> We look forward to hearing from you!

>

> Dan Okenfuss, VP of Public Relations

> Jody Lindstrom, Editor of LPA Today, Fall issue

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone,

I just received my LPA Today and it was wonderful. Great job to Dan

and Jody. I really enjoyed reading about Eileen's adventure in Africa

and how the LP Cruise went. I was shocked because a week before I get

mine I see people comment about it on here. I haven't seen any

comments about it, so I'll be the first to say great job!

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

Ditto ditto ditto and more ditto...

Sincerely, Lee Gogin

A Live Time Member of LPA

LPA Today

>

>Hello Everyone,

>

>I just received my LPA Today and it was wonderful. Great job to Dan

>and Jody. I really enjoyed reading about Eileen's adventure in Africa

>and how the LP Cruise went. I was shocked because a week before I get

>mine I see people comment about it on here. I haven't seen any

>comments about it, so I'll be the first to say great job!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>===

>

[Guest guest]

(moderator's note -- I think lou meant this for the entire list & not

just me.)

I totally agree! I just got my copy yesterday and read the

entire " magazine " (as Dan would like to call it now...) in one

sitting. Very interesting articles...Loved Ireeni's story on Africa

and I was really happy to see an article about Apnea, since I was

just talking about it with a LP friend of mine who should probably

be tested ASAP. Perfect timing!

Thank you Jody and Dan, very well done! Look forward to reading the

next issue...

lou

[Guest guest]

Rose,

Thank you for posting my email. Yes it was meant for the list, I sent

it to the wrong email addy...

lou

>

> (moderator's note -- I think lou meant this for the entire list

& not

> just me.)

>

> I totally agree! I just got my copy yesterday and read the

> entire " magazine " (as Dan would like to call it now...) in one

> sitting. Very interesting articles...Loved Ireeni's story on Africa

> and I was really happy to see an article about Apnea, since I was

> just talking about it with a LP friend of mine who should probably

> be tested ASAP. Perfect timing!

>

> Thank you Jody and Dan, very well done! Look forward to reading the

> next issue...

>

> lou

>

>

>