Tag: Walker of the Year

October 2024 news

Here’s the September – October 2024 newsletter Sept – Oct 2024 newsletter (yes, it’s a bit late, but there’s still lots you want to read!) Nominations for the 2025 club officers are being taken, as well as for the 2024 Walker of the Year.

Upcoming events:

  • Saturday, October 12th, 10 a.m. – Group walk at the Bellevue Lions Club’s Spaghetti Feed. $4 for the walk, $12 for the spaghetti dinner.  This is taking place at St. James Methodist Church,, 4343 Capehart Road, Bellevue, NE. Meet around 9:45 a.m. to start walking by 10 a.m. Dinner starts at 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, November 2nd, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Our traditional November “Pie Walk” is being replaced with a ‘Giving Walk (as in Thanksgiving), where walkers bring the makings for a pie. Walk fee is $2 if an item is brought; $4 if no item, but the $2 will go either to the food pantry behind the Thanksgiving dinner food drive or to our host church. The location is First Covenant Church, 201 N 90th St, Omaha, NE. Specific items requested are: canned fruit (low or no sugar added), pie fillings, 5# sacks of flour, 4# sacks of sugar. Other nonperishable pantry items are also gratefully accepted. This walk is in an area of town where sidewalks are scarce and there are some hills.
  • Saturday, December 14th, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Our annual Lights Walk! The RiverFront is generously sponsoring this event, so all walkers walk for free. We’re collecting gloves, mittens, hats and socks (especially warm socks) for the homeless. The RiverFront will be hosting a Holiday Market as part of the seasonal festivities, and one 5k loop will pass right by/through it. The other is quieter and heads up to see the Joslyn Art Museum at night and the lights on the Creighton campus.

Send questions to us at netrailblazers@gmail.com. See you on the trail!

Pies and Lights and a Newsletter!

Our annual Pie Walk is coming up THIS Saturday, November 6th, starting at 9 a.m. The start location is the APWU at 13th and William Streets in Omaha, but better parking is available just a block north in the church parking lot at 14th & Pine Streets. (Hint: don’t drive Pine between 13th and 14th, even if it is on the map!) Check-in/walk-in registrations end at noon. Cost is $3 per walker. Please consider bringing a pie to share; all leftovers will be donated to the men’s shelter in Council Bluffs.  Register online using this eRegistration Link

Our next staffed walking event is our annual Lights Walk on December 4th, this year starting from the Urban Abbey at 1026 Jackson Street in Omaha’s Old Market.  Check-in/walk-in registrations run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the cost is $3 per walker. The Urban Abbey will have hot drinks for sale, while our club will provide complimentary cookies. Our host has asked us to support their mission with the YES Maternity Group Home by bringing diapers for sizes 3 and up. We’ll be offering “diaper shares” for a $5 donation.  Donations are not required, but as always, are greatly appreciated. Register online using this eRegistration Link.

Read more about these walks in our latest newsletter! Be sure to read up on how voting will be handled this year for club officers and Walker of the Year and take a peek at the very full 2022 Walking Calendar (coming soon to a website near you). Newsletter link: November – December 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to 2021!

Our New Year’s resolution for 2021? To offer great walks and to make new friends! Club membership in 2021 is FREE! Download the form and either email the completed form to netrailblazers@gmail.com or print it and send it to the address on the form.  

Our latest club newsletter can be downloaded here.  As always, club members get the full newsletter emailed directly to them.  This introduces our new club president, the implementation of our calendar year club dues structure and offers the chance for one lucky person to win a FREE registration to the AVA’s 2021 Biennial Convention, to be held in Madison, Wisconsin.

We’ll be announcing the 2020 Walker of the Year at our January 11th Zoom meeting (link sent to club members by hard-working past president Lee). In-person club meetings are still on hold at this time.

You did see our 2021 Walk Booklet, didn’t you? We’ve got 8 Traditional Events scheduled, starting in March. We have 10 Year Round Walks that you can do (almost) every day of the year and 3 Seasonal Walks starting April 1st (information on this page). One of them is only available via the Online Start Box, so if you don’t have an online account, now is the perfect time to create one and get familiar with the process. A tutorial is in the works to supplement the great “Help” sections available with each step of the process.  

We’re sending out a big THANK YOU! to the folks with the Lincoln Volkssport Club, which closed at the end of 2020. Their passion and commitment to great walks continues.  Our club has picked up the Lincoln Capital and Seward Year Round Walks, with the help of former LVC members. The Nebraska City walk has been turned into one of our new Seasonal Walks, but don’t worry – it closes after the Apple Jack Festival.  

If your 2021 resolution is to be more active, we want to be your partner.  And you can always do those Year Rounds in snowshoes.  ?

 

 

Your Vote Counts!

Relax – it’s almost time to vote for our 2020 Walker of the Year and our 2021 Club Officers. A proposed set of amendments to the bylaws concerning club dues is also on the ballot. Because our bylaws require us to give 14 days’ notice to club members before voting on an amendment, voting won’t begin until November 25th.  Our club president emailed the details to all current club members this morning, which are also attached here for your review.

Club members will be sent an email with a link to vote online for all three items: 2021 Club Officers; 2020 Walker of the Year; Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws. (Club members with another adult in the household will be sent a second email.) If you don’t vote online, the club will have to mail you a ballot, to conform with our bylaws stating that a majority of club members have to approve an amendment to the bylaws.  That costs money (and a bunch of time) to do, so remember: Your Vote Counts!  

September Walk, latest Newsletter

Walk has moved!  See latest post (September 9, 2020).  Our next walk will be September 19th at Omaha’s Standing Bear Lake, Entrance 4 (N. 132nd Street, between Fort and Military – closer to Military) from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.  We’ll be offering a 6k around the lake and a 10k that adds some hills in the Saddlebrook neighborhood to the west of the lake.  Please register online at: eRegistration Link .  Pay when you arrive: $2 for Fun Walkers, $3 for Credit Walkers (book stampers).  Group Walk at 8:30 a.m.  We will be observing COVID-19 protocols, so bring your mask and pen and an envelope containing payment (exact change or check made out to “NWFT”).

Our latest newsletter, containing 2021’s tentative schedule and plenty of insights from President Lee and Coordinating Committee Chair Sandy, is available here:  September – October 2020 newsletter  As always, club members get the full newsletter directly in their inboxes, hot off the press!  Be sure to send in your “Walker of the Year” nominations to newsletter editor Julie, whose email address is listed in the full newsletter.  

Our Volunteers are the Best!

At our Annual Dinner and Meeting this past Saturday, January 18th, our club installed its 2020 Officers and recognized some special volunteers in our club.  Volunteers are the heart and soul of our club!

Karen Dix-Johnson – 2019 Walker of the Year

Karen Dix-Johnson was recognized as our 2019 Walker of the Year. Karen is our smiling ambassador when she’s not busy leading walks or helping wherever she’s needed.

Ann Drebot – AVA Meritorious Service Award recipient

Ann has lined up speakers for our club’s monthly meetings for over 20 years!  Her AVA Meritorious Service Award is richly deserved.

Tricia Abel as club secretary

We say “thank you” to Tricia Abel as our club’s secretary, as she hands over the club minutes to Dave Brown, our secretary for 2020.

And the Walker of the year award goes to . . .

Lee Frantz (right) receives the 2018 Walker of the Year Award

Our annual meeting and dinner was held Saturday, January 19th at Valentino’s Pizza south of 108th and L Streets in Omaha. The 2019 Officers were installed and the Walker of the Year award was given to Lee Frantz, club president in 2017 and recently installed as president for 2019.

From l to r: Jill Champley, Lee Frantz, Jeanne Miller, Tricia Abel

Just a reminder that our next club activity is our January 26th Meet and Eat (details here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/happy-new-year-of-walking/.   Club members can use the Westroads Mall Walk as part of their 2019 Incentive Program (details here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/announcing-our-2019-walker-incentive-program/

Annual Meeting and Dinner – 2017

Past president Sandy Spaulding addresses the club

31 people attended the January 21, 2017 Annual Meeting and Dinner at Valentino’s (108th & Q area).  Incoming president Lee Frantz and wife Donna Campbell decorated the tables with a star theme in anticipation of our August 18 – 21 Total Solar Eclipse events, with Milky Way candy bars, Starbursts and Sunshine butterscotch candies.

Ann Drebot (in blue)

A highlight of every Annual Meeting is the presentation of the Walker of the Year award.  2015 Walkers Jim and Martha McGahan presented the 2016 award to Ann Drebot.  Ann arranges for speakers at our monthly club meetings and has done so for many, many years.