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- Member Update
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Member Update - March 2006
Welcome to the first edition of the Member Update! Every couple months, we plan
to publish a summary of current news, Board activity, and past event wrap-ups. This
will be sent exclusively to members, as a way for you to keep in touch with the
Seattle Atheists and find out what's happening and how you can get involved. It's
a work in progress, so
please share any feedback you have.
KUOW Pledge Drive
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It's that time of year again where Atheists show we're both highly
intelligent and charitable. It is time for our local NPR (National Public Radio)
station, KUOW, to beg the community for money so they can operate with decreasing
federal funds. Here's where we come in. If we have at least 6 volunteers to answer
phones and take pledges on one evening during the pledge drive, they mention us
on the air, live! Seven generous Seattle Atheists members participated in this during
their fall pledge drive in October, and it was a lot of fun (see above photos),
in addition to the free advertising! Now it's the Spring pledge drive, and we're
at it again. Megan is gathering names of volunteers to take calls from 5:30-9:30pm
on Friday March 31st, in Seattle (U-District). If you are interested in helping
with this fun activity, please contact
Megan.
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Upcoming Event: Julia Sweeney
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Speaking of NPR, there is an event coming up on May 6th, featuring
our friendly neighborhood Atheist (and actress and comedian), Julia Sweeney. It
will be an evening of conversation with This American Life's host, Ira Glass.
You can get more information and order tickets at The Paramount Theater's
website. Some of our humanist friends from Victoria, BC will be making a
special visit to Seattle for the event, and they are looking for people kind enough
to host them for the night, before they trek back up the next day. If you have a
spare room or two and would like to invite a fellow atheist into your home, please
contact
Tiffany who is coordinating with the Victoria folks.
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Michael Newdow (and YOU) to the Rescue!
Have you ever wondered just how pervasive "In God We Trust" is
in our supposedly secular nation? So has Michael Newdow. He is most famous for his
push and recent appearance in front of the US Supreme Court in order to have "Under
God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance (which was inserted in 1954 by those
panicked by "God-less Communists"). His case was ignored on a technicality, but
the lawsuit has been renewed by other families.
Mr. Newdow's latest cause is the challenging the "In God We Trust" phrase which
appears on all American currency and many other references. He would like help doing
the tons and tons of research that this case requires. He would like volunteers
to find books and other publications, especially religious ones, looked through
carefully to catalog how many times they use this phrase, and in what context. The
logic is that the religious right tries to argue that the phrase has become "ceremonial"
(i.e. so watered down that it's rendered meaningless, and therefore harmless on
the currency). Mr. Newdow intends to argue that the wording is used only (or mostly)
exclusively by the religious groups in their literature, and therefore is still
meant as a religious phrase.
If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact
Wendy. She can give you more details and let you know how you can help (where
to go to find books to check, what to look for, and what to do with it).
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Social Events
When was the last time you got to spend an entire afternoon with a bunch of fellow
non-believers, playing games or watching movies or having great conversation while
eating delicious food? If you are interested in getting to know your Atheist community,
check the calendar of events on the
Seattle Atheist Yahoo group.
Almost every week there are posted events, including a monthly movie night (sometimes
on a theme, almost always irreverent, and always lots of fun), a Pool Night every
few months at Darrel's Tavern (owned by Ben, a wonderful Atheist who has owned the
pub for decades, and loves when we patronize his establishment), and bi-monthly
game day/nights (we play mostly board games). One upcoming event is "Wester, the
Un-Easter", an annual celebration hosted by current Vice-President, Shellie. Last
year we played games, had an egg hunt, and found Jesus (the hollow eggs were filled
with candy, and a bio about some Greek, Roman, Christian, Buddhist, or other religions'
mythological figures. There was one Jesus, the finder of which got a copy of the
movie "Saved!"). In addition to member activities, the calendar also includes events
by other organizations, such as Humanists of Washington, ECS, and several area Meetups.
These member-hosted social events are an excellent opportunity to develop the Atheist
community, make friends, find mostly like-minded people, and get to know many of
your Board members who often partake in the social events. So check out the
Yahoo calendar to find an upcoming event. Hope to see you there!
Website changes
You may have noticed that the main website page now features a rotating collection
of pro-Atheist quotes. More website features will be added in the next few weeks,
so be sure to check in regularly.
(Feedback Needed)
Your elected Seattle Atheists Board meets bi-monthly to discuss various agenda items,
and to help our organization move forward in a productive manner. The minutes of
all meetings are available
online for review. This year, the board consists of the following people:
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- President - Marcus Dunavan
- Vice President - Shellie Hoyt
- Treasurer - Jerry Schiffelbein
- Secretary - Megan Spielbusch
- Activity Director - Shane Lees
- Members at Large - Randy Rumley, Jenny Lees, Kyle Hepworth
- Members at Large (Alternates) - Wendy Britton, Shane Lees
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Here are some of the ideas we are currently considering. Please take a look at these
issues and share your thoughts by
sending us an email or talking to a board member at the next event.
Annual Goals
In November, we held a day-long Board workshop to kick-start the new term, where
we discussed the direction and goals of organization. What are our long-term goals?
Short-term goals? What do we want the organization to represent? If you are interested
in seeing the outcome of the day's discussion, please click here to read the
2005-2006 Goals List.
Adopt-a-Highway
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Another item on our recent agenda was about participating in the
Adopt-a-Highway program. Many of us have seen road signs that read "This portion
of Highway 5 was adopted by_____" We think it might be neat to be able to see "adopted
by Seattle Atheists". Personally, in California a few years ago, there was a sign
along Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo that read "Adopted by Atheists United". As
an Atheist, this intrigued me because I had never thought about the idea that Atheists
might actually unite. It seemed a bit of an oxymoron. Maybe it would be a great
advertisement for our group, and to show the world that we care about the environment
and our state. We are currently looking in to the cost, the time commitment, and
any other requirements. Do you have any thoughts about this?
Email us.
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Fairs and Festivals
One of our goals is community outreach. We had a long discussion regarding how we
could accomplish this task, and it was determined that one excellent way would be
to set up booths at some of the many festivals and fairs that are held in the greater
Seattle area each year. We put together a list of the various festivals and fairs
where we've seen people with booths, and are currently researching the costs of
having a booth. We have been able, for very little financial outlay, to make a large
banner with our logo and name to put on the outside of a 10'x10' canopy, to typical
of what one generally sees at one of those types of events. We are hoping to be
at least at one of the festivals this year, and make it to two or three each year
hereafter. It should be an excellent way to reach out to other Atheists that may
not know we exist, and increase our visibility among the public. Do you know of
a festival we should attend? Any other suggestions?
Email us!
Election Terms
Currently, board positions elected in September and are held for one year. There
was discussion at the last board meeting to see if there is interest in two-year
terms for these positions. This was brought up because bi-annual elections seem
to be a more efficient use of our time spent. With bi-monthly meetings, we already
only meet six times per year. If one whole meeting is dedicated (as is always the
case) to elections, that leaves only five meetings per year where real work can
get done.
To that end, we are asking for your input. Yes or no, should the board members hold
two-year terms instead of one-year terms? We would like your comments and thoughts
by April 20th. This is your chance to lobby your board members. Based on your input,
a vote will be held at the next Board Meeting, which will be Thursday, April 27th.
At the last meeting held in February, most board members expressed no strong opinion
either way. A change as important as this requires a two-thirds majority vote of
the Board. Before we vote on something this substantial, we would like your thoughts
and input. Please
email us your thoughts.
Holiday Giftwrapping!
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As part of our continuing efforts to give back to our community,
several Seattle Atheists members volunteered to wrap gifts at Border's bookstore
in December. Not only did we help crush those misconceptions of Atheists as hatefully
"anti-Christmas", but we cheerfully collected donations for an even better cause.
Over one day and one evening, we collected $167 that was donated to Children's Hospital.
We also met several Atheists who stopped by to say hello and find out about our
group. Special thanks go out to Randy, Kyle, Mark and Megan for donating their time.
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Non-Profit Status
Our application is still under review. The department considering our application
has a large backlog, and has been difficult to reach, but we are still trying to
follow-up and expect to hear back soon.
Business Cards
Our resident graphic designer, Kyle, created some nice business cards with Seattle
Atheist's contact info. These are handy for passing out whenever you stumble upon
a fellow atheist. If you would like a handful of these, email
Kyle or catch him at an upcoming event.
Do you have your T-shirt?
We have just a few shirts
left, so we will be ordering more soon. If you would like to place a pre-order to
guarantee that we will have your size, just email
Kyle.
Thanks for reading the first edition of the Member Update! This Update was brought
to you by Shellie, Megan, and Kyle. Please
let us know how we can improve it so it can be valuable to you.
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This page was updated on:
Tuesday, 28-Nov-2006 21:01:17 MST
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