Volume XXVII, Issue I October 2009 Letter from your President I hope you all have had a terrific summer! It is now time to get excited for another incredible year for Pennsylvania FBLA. This year is sure to be packed full of countless opportunities that we can all take advantage of! This year’s national slogan is “Simply the Best” and PA FBLA showed just with its great success at the National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, CA this summer! Pennsylvania brought home a record “smashing” 66 individual, team, chapter and state awards, eclipsing our previous record of 54! With over 300 members, advisers and guests attending we definitely made a huge impression. Congratulations to all our winners, and thank you for making PA FBLA proud! In the upcoming year, there are multiple ways that you can get involved and learn how to become “Simply the Best!” I encourage each of you to participate in a competitive event this year. Once again, there will be some changes with the competitive event program, and I hope each of you will step up to the challenge! In addition, there are many goals and plans of work that your state officer team has set to help continue the PA FBLA tradition of excellence! Our state project this year, Habitat for Humanity, has many opportunities for monetary and community service donations, and I implore each one of you to check into the many activities and events available to you! In addition to the opportunities available through Habitat for Humanity, it is my goal to be able to keep in touch with each and every member of PA FBLA through the use of a member email list. I hope you will assist me in this venture by registering your email address with PA FBLA. This can either be done by emailing me directly or by keeping an eye out for the information on how you can get your email address registered online. Finally, to further enhance your 2009-10 PA FBLA year, I hope you will attend the conferences and workshops available to you! Get your other chapter members involved as well at your respective RLW and RLC. Also, don’t forget about the SLW in State College in October, and the NFLC in Baltimore in November! Make the most of this upcoming year! I can assure you, your time spent participating in FBLA activities, with other members from across your region, the state, and the nation will not disappoint you! Best of luck in the year ahead! I know you will demonstrate how you are “Simply the Best!” Sincerely, Zach Gosling State President Penn Pal Habitat for Humanity: 2009-2010 State Project Written By: Bryan Irving, State Secretary Based on all five presentations that In addition to a down payment and the officers saw during an monthly mortgage payments, Executive Committee meeting, the homeowners invest hundreds of presentation that stood out as an hours of their own labor (sweat organization that has a mission of equity) into building their Habitat helping any and everyone was house and the houses of others. chosen as our 2009-2010 State Project. The state officer team decided that our 2009-2010 monetary goal Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit would be $75,000 the cost to build Christian housing ministry whose one home. Today Habitat for mission is to seek to eliminate Humanity has built over 300,000 poverty housing and homelessness houses around the world providing from the world and to make decent ore than 1.5 million people in 3,000 shelter a matter of conscience and communities with safe, decent, action. affordable shelter. Through volunteerism, labor, giving If you are interested in learning donations of money and materials; more about Habitat for Humanity Habitat builds and establishes you can visit their website at simple, decent houses alongside http://www.habitat.org. our homeowner (partner) families. Habitat is not a giveaway program. NLC 2009 — Anaheim, CA Written By: Mark Hickey, State Treasurer After a plane ride that took the PA The streets of Anaheim were lined FBLA delegation and its guests with palm trees, grand hotel chains, PA FBLA provided a tour day in across the country, PA FBLA was and restaurants. The Hilton Ana- which PA FBLA got to see some out of the airport and onto a run of heim, which was where the state of sites in Anaheim. The Crystal Ca- shuttles to have a Beach Barbecue Pennsylvania would be staying defi- thedral, the Walk of Stars, and The at Huntington Beach. The welcom- nitely was grand in itself. Kodak Theater were all stops on ing waves and bright sun made the this tour. The most memorable hours spent there worth while. The Besides the hotel, one main attrac- probably being the Kodak Theater view from the pier looking out into tion for the entire FBLA was Dis- in which the famous HOLLYWOOD to the Pacific Ocean was one that neyland located on the same block sign could be spotted! In all, Ana- could not be compared to. The as our hotel. So, when the opportu- heim was a great location with an awesome scenery at Huntington nity arose, a short walk to Disney- abundance of sights and experi- Beach would be sorely missed as land proved to be worth the experi- ences for PA FBLA to enjoy their PA FBLA climber onto busses to be ence. Boasting extravagant scenery time at the 2009 FBLA National bussed to the hotel. and some of the best rides and at- Leadership Conference in Anaheim tractions in the country, it didn’t fall California. short of expectations. Many themed rides and games based upon some of our favorite Disney characters, topped off with an unforgettable fireworks show, made the time spent there as magical as Disney’s legacy. Page 2 PENN PAL Running a National Campaign Written By: Justin Coleman, State First Vice President As all of my fellow officers would PM. Later that night was the exciting Eastern Region meeting. My two The Awards of Excellence Ceremony agree, this National Conference will at Anaheim was spectacular this not be forgotten for a long time. It was opponents, Weishan Wang from New York and Leslie Redmond from year. Many hardworking members a first experience for six out of the were awarding with top 10 finishes eight officers who attended. Although Washington D.C., and I had to make speeches in front of the entire region, and a trophy to take home. Many of the State President and I had at least the events were even sponsored, and one national conference then together we underwent a Question and Answer the event winners received under our belts, none of us scholarships as well. When the end had ever endured such a s e s s i o n . T h e s e questions ranged from had come, and the Region Vice long and grueling campaign “I could not have been more Presidents were being announced, experience like the one we joyous. All the support from our platforms and goals, to the routes we my heart began to race. I had mixed would all soon face. Even my family and friends had emotions; if I had won I needed to with this daunting task would take to achieve come together and helped them. The next day at remember everyone who made this ahead of all the state experience possible. If I had lost, I officers, none of them tried me achieve a dream I have 9 AM the campaigning reconvened and lasted would have to keep my head up and to get out of attending and had for many years. “ until 2 PM on congratulate the newly elected helping at my booth. Without Eastern Region Vice President. When their help, my campaign Saturday. We had the rest of the day to relax, my name was finally announced as would not have been nearly the new Eastern Region Vice as successful as it was. until the next morning at the voting session. President, I could not have been more joyous. All the support from my Our first official day of campaigning family and friends had come together When the Eastern Region voting began on Friday at 7 AM. The officers and helped me achieve a dream I session doors were closed, there and I had 2 hours to completely set have had for many years. up my campaign booth. At 9 AM, were 324 official voting delegates visitors were allowed entrance to the present. That means that for a hall; the swarm of members, advisers candidate to win on the first vote, he and guests began and lasted until 4 or she must receive 159 votes, giving that candidate a majority over the other two. Fortunately, with Pennsylvania's 109 present voting delegates, my campaign was able to secure majority on the first vote. Being that we did not know this until the award ceremony later that evening, the rest of the day would be spent trying to relax, wondering if I had been elected. The IFL Experience Written By: Krista Smith, State Vice President-at-Large At the National Leadership The highlighted topics at the The PA State Officers took on IFL Conference in Anaheim, California, Institute for Leaders were: to learn new and exciting ideas, but several FBLA members enrolled in business, entrepreneurship, career, most importantly, to better our time the 2-day seminar, Institute for management, communication, and spend in FBLA. Leaders. During IFL, members leadership. Each person was to If you attend the NLC next year in engaged in individual and group choose a “major” and a “minor” in Nashville, sign up for the Institute activities.