Villages Hiking Club – General Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 26, 2022. 7:30- 9:30pm, Foothill Center
- Call to Order-President Bob welcomed 32 members and guests in the audience to the meeting, calling it
to order at 7:35pm. All Board Members were present including: President – Bob Bogdanoff, VP Social –
Bernice Capitano, VP Membership & Website – Jim Beyer, Treasurer – Gordon Carbonetti, Secretary –
Cheryl Allmen, and VP Hiking & Trails – Gary Lohr. - Reports:
VP Membership & Website – Jim welcomed several guests and announced that our current
membership is 318 villagers. He announced that 2 members have moved away and 4 new
members joined in the last month including: Stephanie Torres, James Halliwell, Grace Schultz,
and Norma Brown.
Related to our membership breakdowns, he indicated there is a greater number of female club
members and then outlined the timeframe length of membership as follows: 0-1 year club
members= 70 people; 1- year members=14; 2-5 years= 79; 5 years=88; 10 years=5, and 20
years=11 individuals. On the screen he showcased a minor change to our club membership
application form which includes an addition of a couple of more mature characters.
Secretary–Cheryl thanked Gordon for serving as her substitute while she was vacationing by
recording the August General Meeting which allowed her to write up the minutes. She then
announced copies of the minutes were located in the back table for review along with minutes
of the September Board Meeting. She next emphasized to the membership that volunteering is
how the Hiking Club members support each other and encouraged other members to be willing
to lead more hikes and additional volunteers to support many of our activities and socials. With
copies of August General Meeting minutes on the back table for review, a motion was made by
Lucy McProud and seconded by Stephanie Bogdanoff to accept minutes from August 29, 2022
General Meeting. Motion approved.
Treasurer – Gordon shared that the Hill Lands Project Fund remained unchanged and is
currently $2,215.89. The new balance of our General Fund as of August 31, 2020 is $5,558.95
since 4 new members joined the club and we received a reimbursement check from the Villages.
Al Girolami motioned to approve the treasurer’s August financial reports, seconded by Stephanie
Bogdanoff. Motion approved.
VP Hiking & Trails—Gary reminded the membership to check out the upcoming hikes available
on our website and also from emails from Jim. Related to the Cambria Outing, Bob indicated
that presently, 38 members have signed up and arranged for lodging at the Blue Bird. In front of
the inn we’ll have a reception beginning at 4pm on Tuesday. Gary and Bob had checked out the
various hikes ahead of time. Three hikes will be lead on Wednesday-Rambler Lite by Lucy,
Rambler by Gary and Long Hikes by Bob. 5pm Dinner will be held at Linn’s of Cambria at a cost
of $48/person billed to member’s residence account. Alcoholic drinks and dessert are also
available payable by members wishing additional items. There’s also a gift shop available at the
restaurant for jams, syrups and other local Cambria item. Thursday is on your own with
reservations available for Hearst Castle and Lighthouse Tour. Viewing the nearby elephant seals
is also suggested. President indicated that an up-to-date trip outing email will be sent to those
outing-registered members by Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
VP Social—Bernice thanked Sandy, Bob and JoAnn for the evening refreshments cookies. She
reported the September Potluck at the Gazebo was a grand success with 40 individuals in
attendance and beautiful music by Ed Knott. She thanked a large number of volunteers who
helped with set up, clean up, ice pickup, name tags, games, umbrella, serving. Etc. It was great
weather and a wonderful time was had by all. Bernice also shared the 4 more 2022 events
planned with more details to come including: November 10-Game Night, November 28-Hidden
Paths Walk, December 2-Holiday Party and December 22-Holiday Evening Lights Walk.
President – Bob indicated the next General Meeting will include presentations by Al Girolami
on October 31, 2022: “Iwo Jima”. On November 28, 2022, Wate Bakker will lead the 2023
Club elections with 5 current officers willing to continue and seeking 1.5 board members. He
also indicated he will be soliciting additional speakers for next year’s meetings and the 2023
Calendar of room reservations have been submitted to the Villages and awaiting it confirmation.
Break of 15 minutes was announced at 8:05pm along with thanks to those bringing snacks as
refreshments, organized by Susan Brown.
Speaker and Presentation : “First-Aid for Hiking & Walking”, Matt Kelly, VP Lionheart Safety
LLC, with 22 years of experience, also SJFD Fire Captain and Hazardous Materials Specialist, EMT
& Fire Academy Liaison. The idea of this type of presentation at a General Hiking Club meeting
first came from a Saturday morning hike with his mother, Magnoli Kelly, as well as our
President’s last first aid training occurring in his 1960’s Boy Scouts timeframe. Additionally,
because hiking and walking trips has a higher risk of falls, sprains, strains, sore knees & ankles,
heat exhaustion, poison oak, ticks, animal encounters & medical emergencies, it’s critical the
Villages trail/walking leaders, sweepers and hikers/walkers are acquainted with how to respond
and help someone with an injury while on a hike or walk. Matt gave out lots of first aide items
to the members and described in detail how to respond to a broad number of potential injuries.
3. Adjournment. After the conclusion and questions and answers of the First Aid presentation, the
meeting was adjourned at 9:30pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Cheryl Allmen
Cheryl Allmen Secretary
Hiking Club – The Villages Golf & Country Club
General Fund – Financial Report
September 2022
September 1, 2022 Beginning Book Balance: $ 5,658.95
Income:
New Member Dues – Norma Brown $ 7.00 New Member Dues – Stephanie Torres & James Halliwell $ 14.00 New Member Dues – Greg Schultz $ 7.00
Total Income: $ 28.00
Expenses:
Ed Knott – End of Summer Pot Luck Entertainment $ (125.00) Total Expenses: $ (125.00)
September 30, 2022 Ending Book Balance: $5561.95
Submitted by:
Gordon Carbonetti
Treasurer
Hiking Club – The Villages Golf & Country Club
Hill Lands Project Fund – Financial Report
September 2022
September 1, 2022 Beginning Book Balance: $2,215.89
Income:
$ –
Total Income: $ – Expenses: $ – Total Expenses: $ – September 30, 2022 Ending Book Balance: $2,215.89
Submitted by:
Gordon Carbonetti
Treasurer