Hello from very warm central Florida. My names is Dennis Blythe and currently I am your Treasurer for our Scottish District families Association. SDFA is a wonderful organization that provides a number of services to our members and non-members alike. I would like to ask for your support to become your next president.
My wife and I enjoyed the many Highland Games in Florida when we convened a tent for SDFA. The Central Florida Highland Games were the largest and generally drew better than 30,000 in attendance. Smaller, but just as charming were games at St. Augustine and Jacksonville. We even visited with Lew Bowlby one day as he convened the Maine Highland Games.
Sadly, my wife Christine passed away. She loved the pageantry, the games and music but most of all she enjoyed manning the SDFA tent assisting those who came in search of their ancestral surname and its location in Scotland. Seeing the delight in the visitors to our SDFA tent when we found their surname and the district where it was first recorded, also made us smile. I want to continue working for SDFA. I hope you will honor me as your next president.
Covid-19 has thrown organizations like ours for a loop. This pandemic has produced horrendous suffering for many individuals. Organizations like ours are not immune. Games have been canceled along with meetings and gatherings. It would not surprise me that a number of organizations will not survive. SDFA will survive! SDFA will grow!
Judi and I have had long talks about SDFA and its future. It is a bright future and with your help we can establish a more modern infrastructure from banking, meetings, memberships and grow out list of conveners.
Our economy has changes rapidly from a cash society to a cashless society. Few, if any young families carry cash. Plastic is no longer the future, it is now. We have begun using a point of sale debit/credit card reader that can be used with smart phones. This allows us to quickly and easily obtain membership fees. Further, face-to-face meeting during this pandemic is unrealistic. I propose we institute Zoom meetings where all of us can join in. This way we can all meet each other no matter where we live. (COSCA will be holding its annual meeting via Zoom this year). Like me, your involvement is SDFA is a personal choice. You chose SDFA and you should reap the benefits of your decision. With your help, I would like to increase the value of SDFA to you and all of our members. You represent your heritage, your family and district. Let’s work together to improve and grow SDFA. I want to talk to you. I want to hear what you have to say, your thoughts and your ideas.
Lastly, I would like to thank Judi Lloyd for all that she has done to start and grow SDFA. Her tireless efforts are to be applauded. With her help, I hope we can continue to grow our member benefits and to grow our service to all we meet.