In this space, I prefer to offer an inspirational message to you, the membership:

As your new president, I started on July 1st by hosting a fundraiser.  It was a success not only in terms of dollars raised, but also because of the general good feeling it created.  Everyone had a good time and walked away with some new treasure to be used in their creative Ikebana arts.  Many donations were received and some of the deliveries were unmarked, leaving the contributors unknown.  I want to thank you all for your efforts in cleaning your Ikebana closets and making your donations to II.  I especially appreciated the opportunity to get to know members on a more personal level.  I found it very satisfying to be able to connect outside of our structured general meetings.  Thank you, thank you!