KAMO Newsletter – March, 2020

 Hello to all KAMO members, t his is Kids And Mentors President, Mark Walters with my monthly update.  Pretty much everyone’s lives have changed in the last 30 days, at least for the time being and that is also the case for KAMO. Every meeting has been cancelled and that included a couple of pretty important ones. Our state meeting that was to be held at Stevens Point did not happen and what I feel would have been an extremely well attended meeting at Beaver Dam for what will be our next chapter was put on hold.

Mike Brown and I speak a lot and if everyone is good with this idea Mike will become KAMO’s 2nd Vice President and one of his main jobs will be reaching out to every chapter on a periodic basis to see what is and is not working.

For the time being as just about everything in KAMO has come to a halt, so we are not going to put out a multi chapter Newsletter, but my guess is that we will be back to normal by early summer.

As always I want to thank each and everyone of you for everything that you do help introduce our youth to the outdoors!

Mark

Webmaster – Traffic on our site has been slow this month as would be expected. We need to change the picture on the front page if anyone has a good spring one. This header picture is one that has to be added by the web design shop. Our web hosting fee is coming up soon. It is very reasonable. Between that fee and having updates run on our site, it is a little under $130/ yr.

Keep in mind that if your chapter takes in a mentor, the new forms are on the website under ?enrollment forms?. One of the two forms includes a statement that our background check company has recently begun requiring. Our brochures are available on the site in the lower right hand corner of the front page if you need one in a pinch.

   General – A fresh batch of 800 brochures has been run. If you would like any of these brochures, posters,  and/ or KAMO wear such as t-shirts, hats,or hoodies, the shop making them would be glad to take our order. I will wait until a week has passed after this newsletter gets sent to place the order, so you have until April 7th . The current order is below. Once the order is received, the materials will be sent out to chapters by mail. 

Has your chapter paid its dues yet? Exception – Marshfield. They are still the same and get sent to Tom St. Clair.

There is a template of a letter available to you.  It is intended to be sent out to sportsman?s groups in your region by someone in your chapter to bring awareness that there is a KAMO group in their area serving youth.The presence of a KAMO group might be a means of helping that particular organization to be more kid oriented (which we hear so often from others). Some of that organization?s members  might be willing to help your chapter as a volunteer or mentor.

It can be shared electronically to your chapter and you can revise it to your needs. Just ask me at brownmtjc@gmail.com   This letter was sent to one chapter already.

A few words from Mike Brown (La Crosse)

The Coulee Chapter has received two donations of hunting clothes, boots, and equipment.One former KAMO member moved to California and left us some things. The other was from a woman whose husband was a total outdoor guy, nut and is now in very poor health. Both the quantity and quality were amazing. Earlier in March, it was put in waterproof totes, so when the smoke clears from our restricted movements, we can decide what to do with it. 

Our chapter sent out a letter to parents to let them know we?re still thinking of their families and to mention some events we have in mind for later in the year. A couple people wrote back to comment about how refreshing it was to get a letter of optimism for the future and getting back outside.

The idea of me becoming a vice president of our overall group came out of a phone call between Mark and I. Although I have some other roles in the group, none of them are that time consuming and I often get involved in the bigger picture anyway.. One person has expressed possible interest in taking the secretary position with support from me to get started. 

My interest is to be in the role of communicating with other chapters and seeing where the strengths and weaknesses are and what could be done to work on some things. Every chapter has things they shine at as well some concerns. I don?t know all the answers either, but the communication could have some good potential.

If anyone has an objection to me, Mike Brown,  being in this 2nd V.P. role, please let Mark or Bob Nicksic know that in the next several days.

Mike