After long discussions with your TSDAR State Board, health officials, our hotel and with input from our chapter regents regarding delegate counts, it is with a heavy heart that I write to let you know that the TSDAR State Conference scheduled for August 14-15, 2020 will be a virtual conference this year. Once it became clear that logistically the hotel could not provide all the space and services we felt we needed to move forward under our contract and after learning of much of the uncertainty for travel for the voting delegates within our chapters, we began to look for ways that we could still fulfill the business of our state. Your TSDAR Executive Committee voted, and at this time we believe the safest and most efficient option will be to conduct a virtual state conference on Saturday, August 15 for our delegates. Once we have the links and materials ready we will be sending that information out. While the event will look different, I hope that it will be a time for us to conduct the important business of our organization and prepare our society for the upcoming year. We will also plan for virtual officer training later this summer to help our officers transition, which will be especially helpful for our new incoming officers.
While I am disappointed that we will not be able to meet this August in person for state conference, I believe this is in the best interest of our membership to move to this virtual format so that all the chapters and chapter regents will be able to participate in the decisions that will impact our state society moving forward. As you know we also had a luncheon scheduled for Aug. 16, 2020, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of women obtaining the vote. Since this was a special social occasion and specific delegate counts were not needed for a successful event we are still determining the feasibility of that lunch. The Hermitage Hotel is in a different county under different set of health guidelines as well so we are in the process of gathering information with the hotel and will have more details on that event later this month. Please be watching this blog for those details.
We are an organization with a membership that sees a challenge and makes the best of it. This week we are enjoying a full virtual Congress for the first time ever due to the challenges provided by this pandemic. However, this virtual format has brought Congress to everyone equally this year through the power of technology. I hope you will take advantage of the wonderful programs this week and join in with the evening sessions. On Wednesday evening at 7 pm. the NSDAR will kick things off officially with our opening night festivities, and the line up of scheduled speakers is out of this world. Please join us to watch our National Society make history as we take our society virtual this Wednesday!
Until we can meet again, please stay safe and follow your healthcare providers recommendations as you prepare for summer and fall chapter meetings and other social gatherings. A helpful list of state resources can be found in this previous blog with links. I will continue to have all of you in my thoughts and prayers.
In Service, Cecile
