COOKE COUNTY RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL
2013-2014
CCRSP Officers, 2013-2014
Peggy Voth, Treasurer; Patsy Wilson,
Second Vice President; Patrick Hermes,
President; Ruthie Chalmers, First Vice President;
Patty Bowden, Secretary
Even though the weather in North Texas has been a challenge this winter, Cooke County Retired School Personnel members proved they were capable of adjusting meeting times and programs on short notice. As a result, we enjoyed a wide variety of programs this past yearincluding member benefits, health awareness, local history, local social agencies, and local history.
Jayleane Smith, Executive Director of Morton Museum of Cooke County, began our year with an interesting, informative, and entertaining look at Education in Early Cooke County. Equally interesting was the program presented this spring on Bonnie and Clyde by Robin Jett of the North Central Texas College history department.
We were disappointed that a member of the Dietary Services Department at North Texas Medical Center in Gainesville was not available to provide the program“Diet: It’s Not Necessarily a Four-Letter Word.” However, a representative from the hospital did education us about the warning signs of a stroke, and we learned that NTMC is certified as a stroke care facility.
Our traditionalChristmas program by the Jayne Austin Musical Group (composed of retired Gainesville ISD teachers and fellow TRTA members)would have delighted us all, but the ice storm that gripped the area for days resulted in a delay of one week. Unfortunately, members of the musical group had prior commitments that week. However, Susan and Kevin Beall, retired music educators, led us in singing Christmas carols.
One of our fellow retirees, Gail Knight, presented our program to begin 2014 entitled“Yoga: Health from the Inside Out.” She led us in simple exercises and stressed the positive impact of yoga on our brains. Known as the gentle exercise, yoga both relaxes and strengthens the mind and the body. Several of us purchased her video of yoga exercises for seniors. In February, we learned about metabolic disorders from members of the North Central Texas College Health Science faculty and were treated to free blood pressure checks.
CCRPmembers continue to participate in the Community VolunteersProjectand the Library BooksProject. We were able to provide books whichincluded some from the Blue Bonnet Reading list to seven of the school libraries in Cooke County. We also established a CCRSP competitive annual scholarship at North Central Texas College.
Our social time continues to be a very important part of our meetings. Most of our members stay after the meeting ends to visit with one another while enjoying a lovely lunch provided by one of the assisted living centers in Gainesville.
We were saddened this year to lose several wonderful teachers and administrators who were members of CCRSP. However, our annual member education and recruitment campaign brought us several newly-retired members. We accomplished an increase in membership again this year as a result ofcurrent members contacting new retirees and former members who were not able to join the previous year.
The Membership Committeecontinues its outreach effort to find existing and future retirees earlier in the year. We are also continuing our efforts to includeand inform faculty and staff who participate in TRS atthe local community college. Upon employment, faculty members at community colleges in Texas have the option of choosing either TRS or ORP (Optional Retirement Plan). The number of faculty choosing TRS at our local college hasincreased.