President's Message CAED MILE FAILTE ROMHAT! I hope you had a relaxing and safe summer. It has been some time since you last received a news update. I was elected your President in May, following the Annual Meeting. The Board Members have been working hard at their duties. We are committed to keep you informed of the St. Patrick Society news and events. We have already begun planning for the 2008 St. Patrick's Day Parade & Party that will be held on Monday, March 17, 2008. You will receive more information about the parade and party in early January. Many thanks to all of you who volunteered at the Erin Feis activities held on the Riverfront August 24-26, 2007. This event as you know is held in partnership with the Peoria Park District. At the present time, we are awaiting our final accounting of the event. As you know, the weather was beautiful and the volunteers worked extremely hard at making the Erin Feis one of the best events. Special thanks to John Martin, St. Patrick Society, and Bill Roeder, Peoria Park District, and their staffs for assisting with all of the logistics and supervision. Members, you can assist us with our effort to make our webpage more interactive by sharing pictures of society events. You may contact me by phone 309-253-9611 or by email djheire@insightbb.com. As you renew you membership for 2008, we as that you provide your email address so that we may be able to email you with St. Patrick Society information in a timely manner. The Board has agreed to mail a membership notice to remind you to pay your annual membership dues. Your membership year is January 1 to December 31. Our membership chair, Jolene Doyle, is making every effort to update our membership lists. You may email Jolene Doyle at jolenedoyle@insightbb.com if you have any change of address at any time. Thank you to those of you who responded this summer to my letter pertaining to unpaid dues. Your Board is committed to working on behalf of the membership. Our membership has grown over the past two years. Please take time to invite a friend, neighbor, family member, or work colleague to join the St. Patrick Society. Many times the Board Members report that someone has said, "No one ever asked me to join the St. Patrick Society." I ask all of the members of the St. Patrick Society to renew their membership for 2008 and to invite a new member to join to help us preserve and promote our Irish Heritage here in Central Illinois. Let me take this time to thank our Past President, Jolene Doyle, for the service she provided during the past year. We thank Char Smith and Gretchan Stephens for completing their terms as Directors. We welcome Chuck Bergquist and Betty Rohman as new Board Members. Please feel free to email me at any time, djheire@insightbb.com or contact me by phone 309-253-9611. I may now answer immediately, but leave a message and I will respond as soon as possible. May you have warm works on a cold evening, A full moon on a dark night, And the road downhill all the way to your door. Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas, Dann Haney