Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/956367
Spring 2018 | wyoea.org 6 Central/Northeast Mini-Retreat On Saturday, January 27th, members from the Northeast and Central Regions met at the Gillette College campus for a mini-retreat. Although the weather favored us, illness did not, and 10 of the 30 members who'd signed up were unable to attend. Despite this, we had a good time and learned about a variety of topics. Members and a few potential members learned about Social Security from financial advisor Jonathan Neher. He discussed options of when to draw Social Security and how it works in conjunction with the Wyoming Retirement System (WRS) and personal investments. WRS presenter Kelly Leichtnam discussed the plans and options offered by the Wyoming Retirement System and answered questions about how to access WRS. During lunch, California Casualty's Rachel Quist discussed the benefits offered by Cal Cas, and WEA President Kathy Vetter told about the upcoming legislative session and bills we are expecting to see. After lunch, Judy Trohkimoinen gave a presentation on NEA360 and edCommunities and invited members to join a private group dedicated to the Northeast/ Central Region mini-retreat. Central Region President Dirk Andrews was on hand to discuss recruiting and retaining millennials and how ECE (Early Career Educators) will impact our membership. NEA Member Benefits Specialist David Glenn gave an overview of how to get the most for your dues dollars using the NEA Member Benefits website (neamb.com) and products. Finally, Judy Trohkimoinen gave an abridged version of Degrees Not Debt, a training designed to help members find a student loan repayment plan that saves them money and might even forgive some of the debt. The day was packed with information for members at all levels and places in their careers. We were few in numbers, but mighty in spirit, and hope that if we do another mini-retreat, more members and potential members will be able to join us. Judy Trohkimoinen, Central/Northeast UniServ Director, jtrohkimoinen@wyoea.org