DC Connection Annual Letter to the Eastern Region - 2017 Season
NAARVA Eastern Region Director
March 1, 2018
Ms. Belinda Moore:
The DC Connection RV Club opened the 2017 camping season at Americamps RV Resort, in Ashland Virginia during the weekend of April 21-23, 2017.
During the 2017 camping season we welcomed 10 new members into the club. Our current membership is fifty-three active members, two honorary members, two associate members and 29 rigs. We were also joined on numerous outings by extended family members, guests and other RVers who enjoy sharing our camping experience. Unfortunately we were saddened by the deaths of Tony Weaver in April 2017, who served as our club’s president from 2002-2003 and Bob Rose in May 2017, an active member who joined the club in 2016.
The last week of April, eight rigs and sixteen club members traveled to Lakewood Camping Resort, Myrtle Beach SC to attend the Eastern Region Rally from April 30th to May 7th. Our members enjoyed all the rally festivities and helped keep the vendors busy.
At our May outing, the ladies of the DC Connection club held a Red Hat tea to welcome two new club members. Although the wind tried its best to spoil the outdoor festivities, our ladies were determined and made the event both meaningful and memorable for all who attended. The men were especially appreciative of the leftover snacks.
July was our busiest month. July 7th through the 9th, we hosted our annual Friends and Family Weekend event at Bethpage Camp Resort in Urbana VA. We kicked off the fun-filled activities on Friday with a “Meet and Greet under the Big Tent,” where the children got the opportunity to introduce themselves and tell everyone how many “Friends and Family” events they had attended. We dined on tacos and hotdogs with the works and followed up with a bicycle and golf cart parade to the Ice Creamery for dessert. Later that evening, the children were invited to enjoy a “Movie Under the Stars.” Chairs and blankets were laid out, popcorn and juice boxes passed around and the children and adults enjoyed a showing of Zootopia. Saturday morning, we scheduled games and contests for the children and the adults with medals for all. After an afternoon of swimming and socializing, we shared a wonderful feast with our family and friends. We also enjoyed a talent showcase by some our club and family members. These events were coordinated by Chairpersons Leroy and Jackie Butler and the Planning Committee, along with Chairperson Ernestine Fobbs and the Hospitality Committee.
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Hosptality Committee.
Shortly after our Friends and Family event, eight of our members (four rigs) caravanned to NAARVA’s National Rally July 17-23 held in Hutchins Kanas. Dr. Cynthia Richardson served as a delegate for our club during the official events and meetings. Dr. Richardson provided an in-depth report of events and items of discussion at our club’s membership meeting in September. We congratulate members Ron and Elaine Standifer on being elected to the National Executive Board in the positions of Historian and Public Relations Officer respectively.
Our charitable donations to worthy organizations located in the vicinities where we held our outings totaled 268 food items, 439 school supply items, 47 hygiene products and $190.00 in monetary contributions. This activity was managed by Chairperson Carolyn Pearson and the Charity Committee. We make every attempt to leave a positive impact on the local communities that we camp at and all charities have been very appreciative of our efforts
We ended the 2017 camping season on the first weekend in November, as we do every year, when we celebrate “Everybody’s Birthday” and offer RV winterization assistance to our new members and friends.
The DC Connection RV Club will continue to support the NAARVA Eastern Region, as well as the NAARVA National Association. We wish each and every RV traveler a safe and exciting 2018 camping season.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey White, President
DC Connection RV Club
2016 DC Connection “Friends and Family Weekend”
This event is centered on our children and grandchildren, and the focus is on making sure they have a great time. They have attended this event, some for as many as five years, and they look forward to seeing each other year after year. Fortunately, the campground affords us the availability of having a block of sites that span two streets with roomy double sites where the children can ride their bikes, scooters, and play ball with very little interaction with other park campers and limited outside traffic. They enjoyed swimming at the waterpark and played at the nearby playground to their heart’s delight.
We kicked off the event on Friday with a “Meet and Greet under the Big Tent” chaired by Ernestine Fobbs and the Hospitality Committee. Family and Friends dined on tacos and hotdogs. Next the group lined up to ride or walk to the Ice Creamery Parlor for dessert. Upon return, the kids and many adults had an outdoor movie experience, some were on blankets and some were in golf carts to watch “Zootopia,” compliments by Julian Rozzell. Everyone enjoyed popcorn, drinks and other treats.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN! On Saturday morning, the activities began with games and races for the younger children coached by Julie White and Jackie Cousins. The kids also designed and crafted various art projects to take home. Later the competition got more intense and culminated with the all-time favorite water toss balloons game led by Mike Huskins. The participants relished the challenge of drenching each other in the pursuit of being crowned the winners. All of the kids were rewarded with numerous prizes and were thrilled to receive a Certificates of Appreciation created byJackie Rouse and signed by DC Connection President Jeff White.
After an afternoon of swimming, hanging out at the playground and socializing, we gathered together for a delicious feast of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and too many sides to name, coordinated by the Event Chair, Dedra Swanson. Next we were entertained by “DC Connection’s Got Talent Show”. The show opened with an outstanding rendition of the Star Spangled Banner performed on saxophone by Justin Ennis. During the Talent Show, we celebrated July birthday and anniversary honorees and recognized a number of special guests who joined our fun filled weekend. McKenzie Ennis delighted us on keyboard followed by her solo performance. Beautiful solo selections were also rendered by Julie White, Kyla Wilson and Julie Ennis. A choreographed duet was featured by Joshua Black and Ayden Laster, followed by Justin Oliver’s amazing magic tricks. Brandon Fobbs presented a dramatic interpretation of a scene from the play Hamlet. Kenny Ramon-Fortune, a guest from Trinidad and Tobago serenaded us with a Frank Sinatra, standard, “All The Way”. Charlie Fobbs closed out the show with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s, “Isn’t (He) Lovely” dedicated to his new grandson Benjamin Cole Fobbs. WOW! What a Show.
What’s family event without a “Family Feud”? Steve Harvey has nothing on Carolyn Pearson who emceed the game and provided the scored board of questions for five families dueling to the finish. In lieu of the $20,000 and a new car, Bragging Rights Certificates were presented to the Champions, the Fobbs Family. Jerry Swanson provided an entire weekend of various genres of music that we all enjoyed.
In the spirit of Friends and Family we celebrated the club the 20th Anniversary of DC Connection RV Club. We reflected on how the club started with three families and expanded to twenty-seven rigs strong. We gathered to share slices of a beatifically decorated cake adorned with the club logo. It was delicious!
Thank you to all who attended the event, a special thank you to all of the members who gladly pitched in to help. Another successful Friends and Family Celebration, full of new memories to cherish until next year!
DC
Connection Annual Family and Friends Outing
July
25-28, 2013
WOW!! What a
weekend! We had an awesome time at
Bethpage Camp-Resort in Urbanna, Virginia. For those of you who couldn’t join us, we
send our regrets. We had over 150
attendees that came from near and far.
Our visitors came to join the fun from Missouri, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and the Washington Metropolitan Area. The weekend kicked off on
Thursday with a “meet and greet” aimed at getting to know one another. The children introduced themselves with great
pride and conviction. After that, they were given safety and common sense
instructions from Ernestine Fobbs and Virginia Rozzell. The
children were told to look at each other and know that they were considered a
big part of our DC Connection Family and to look out for one another. They were
warned to get away from strangers if they tried to tempt them with treats no
matter how good it sounded and to travel with a buddy. They got it!
The fun began with an organized
bicycle ride/walk down to the Resort’s Creamery. The children (and a few adults) ordered ice
cream with names like “Superman” and “Birthday Cake”. And of course, the usual flavors were
available. It was a long walk, but we
adults hung in there. Next, the children
were treated to a fun movie provided by Julian Rozzell,
who turned out to be our Go-to-Guy for many requests throughout the
weekend. The children relaxed on
blankets, rugs, and chairs and munched on popcorn, candy and lots of
beverages. They had a grrrrrrrrrrrreat time.
The movie Cars 2 was a bit long so it was off to bed for the kiddies and
campfire time for the adults. Jokes, jokes and more jokes. As the saying goes, “what happens in Vegas
stays in Vegas”.
FRIDAY evening after a day of
swimming, and biking, and lounging around, we were treated to an old fashion
“Fish Fry” cookout, with corn on the cob, coleslaw, hot cornbread and
watermelon. We had hot dogs for anyone
who didn’t want fish. The meal was
cooked by “Head Chefs” Henry Hamilton and Ray Gilbert with an assist from
Patrick Lynch and Mike Huskins. Way to go fellows and great idea Dedra!
The kids and some adults were
treated to a second night of “movie under the stars”. This time the movie
“Wreck It Ralph” was recommended by Trey Randall, one of our camping kids.
Again Ernestine and Virginia served up lots of popcorn and treats for all to
pig out on.
Next, the evening turned
into a family campfire night when the children had a chance to toast giant
marshmallows that were squished down on graham crackers and topped with Hershey
chocolate squares, VOILA….SMORES. We sent the kids to bed and continued the
traditional campfire powwow with jokes, toasts and
laughter. And it was only FRIDAY!
SATURDAY!! “Let the Games Begin”.
Our best day of the weekend started with our future Olympians competing in
fun-filled games. We had sack races according to age groups and sack races with
the children and their parents/grandparents conducted by Ernestine who made it
entertaining with her comments. The air was filled with laughter, loud screams
of encouragement, and hop, hop, tumble, tumble, excitement. The first race of the day was won by Tyler Huskins in the Kiddie Category. McKenzie Ennis came in first for the girls,
followed by Trey Randall and Justin Ennis for the guys. The three legged race
with the parents/grandparents took the cake with a lot of falls and old folks’
bruises, but that did not stop us. It
was on to the Balloon Toss for a nice cool off.
Balloons were filled with H₂O and the contestants paired up and
started tossing them. Mike Huskins was
the Commander-in-Chief for this event and he made it fun with his animated
comments and instructions. Our First Lady Julie White and her grandson Kemaney Bilbry were winners in
the first contest. And after a long intense game, Adrian Arrington and his
buddy, Chris, closed it out by being the last team standing. “Hey, we got left
over water balloons!” What should we do with them? As expected, everyone became
targets. Run, duck, hide, splash, splat,
#%*$!! (Didn’t we know that would happen?). Next up was the Bean Bag Toss
Contest followed by the Ladder Ball Contest.
Everyone wanted to get in on the action.
It was a fun-filled afternoon. Then many of us headed for the pools.
The Saturday evening program
was scheduled for 5 pm and everyone was present and accounted for at the family
cookout. Lance blessed the food and we
lined up to dine on a smorgasbord of delightful dishes prepared by the club
members. Grill Masters, President Jeff
White, Bennie Umstead and Willie Freeman kept the “dogs” and “burgers”
coming.
The Hospitality Committee,
headed up by Ernestine, gave us top of the line talent acts. We were treated to a beautiful liturgical
dance performance by Miriam Gilbert, decked out in full dress. We are so proud
of Miriam. We watched a precision Karate
Num Chuck demonstration by Trey Randall.
He was great. We had solos by McKenzie
Ennis, Roshae McCrowe, LeNae Powell, Kaila Crosse, Raniya
Nance and our fantastic Mistress of Ceremony, Reneika
Nance, daughter of Estelle and Rick Lyons who kept everything moving and
entertaining. We really enjoyed Kennedy
Arrington’s and Divinity Swanson’s a’ cappella duet, and we also enjoyed
Damari’s break-dance.
Tyler Huskins
made us all laugh when he performed his version of the Gangnam Dance with
sunglasses and all. I think he enjoyed
it as much as we did. Our resident
crooner, Norman Baylor, accompanied by his backup singer Ray Gilbert gave us a
Manhattan’s song, and then Norman sang an original song he recorded in the
‘60s. Charlie played two songs on the
sax and Lance played a song on the sax.
We have a lot of talented DC Connection Family members, and we know
there are many others we are going to discover in the future. There’s always next year or next outing, so
get ready! We clapped, recorded and
snapped throughout the talent show. We hope to post some of the acts on our Web
site, as well as other events that were captured. The night ended with our usual campfire
ritual as President Jeff White handed out Certificates of Appreciation to the
contestants who participated in the sports events and to the talent show
performers. A faithful few put the last
cinders out at four am, after having hamburgers
served at the “Open All Night Swanson Grill”.
Big thanks go out to Dedra and her Events Committee Members who worked
tirelessly planning the meals and purchasing and prepping the fish for our fish
fry, Of course we greatly appreciated the music provided at the Talent Show by
Jerry “Music Man” Swanson, as well as the music he plays at all of our
outings. We do love to listen and dance
to the music.
Commendations and
congratulations
are also sent out to Ernestine and Virginia who planned activities for the
three-day event and carried them off without a hitch with the assistance of
Elaine, Sonya, Miriam and Carolyn. All of the club members
pitched in and did various things to add to the success of the weekend. The
planners thought of everything. The Events Committee and the Hospitality
Committee worked together to make sure all had a wonderful time.
The entire weekend was
simply excellent. Thank you to all of the club members and their families and friends!!
CAN’T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!
Written
By Pearl Huskins and Ernestine Fobbs
____________________________________________________________________________________________
DC Connection Annual Report to the Eastern Region
Ms. Belinda Moore,
NAARVA Eastern Region Director
April 14, 2014
Ms. Belinda Moore:
The DC Connection RV Club opened the 2013 season the weekend of April 19 through April 21 at Rockahock Camp Ground in Lanexa, Virginia. We ended our official camping season the weekend of October 25 through October 27 at Castaways RV Resort near Ocean City, Maryland. We are currently 26 “rigs” strong with 50 very active members including six newly inducted members. In addition to our core members, we also have four associate members who travel with us frequently, and family and friends are always welcome to join us. We are always close to full attendance at our monthly meetings and we also get together for additional fun outings on a spontaneous basis throughout the year.
Our 2013 camping season was bitter sweet. We had wonderful and safe travels to various camp grounds where we continued to strengthen our fellowships and make unforgettable memories. Unfortunately, we suffered the losses of three of our beloved club members. Germaine Lynch, Miriam Gilbert and Norma Saunders were all taken away from us at different times during 2013. We will always cherish their memories and are confident they made a peaceful transition. Beautiful memorials to these three ladies are featured on our Website (www.dcconnection.com ). We will never forget them.
DC Connection had 13 coaches in attendance at the Eastern Region Rally. We volunteered to handle the registration duties for the rally. Club member Anita Robinson, the Eastern Region Financial Secretary, did a wonderful job in leading this assignment. We registered over 200 attendees and helped parked them without any problems due to Anita’s idea to pre-assigned sites. Elaine Standifer and Lorraine Baylor participated as vendors. We also had four representatives attend the NAARVA National Rally in Sedalia Missouri. We are very proud to report that club member Ronald Standifer was elected to serve as the Historian for NAARVA.
Our Executive Board successfully steered the club in several new endeavors. In addition to our annual charitable cash donations, we instituted a monthly Food Donation Program which is chaired by Mrs. Virginia Rozzell. At each of our outings, our members provided food donations to a food bank local to wherever we had an outing. This program was highly successful and had full membership participation. The recipients were always very grateful and thanked us for our contributions, and we were overjoyed to help. Our meeting time was changed from 11:00 am on Saturday morning to after dinner on Saturday evening. We voted to try this on a trial basis and so far, it is working. Lorraine Baylor designed coach ornaments for us to display when we arrive at the camp sites to represent our club affiliation. We have ordered club pins minted in our logo, and they will be presented to the members in a special ceremony arranged by Ernestine Fobbs, our Hospitality Chair. She has worked diligently to procure the pins. We also ordered zippered Koozie bottle covers in our club colors, depicting an RV and the year our club was established.
Thanks to a dedicated committee chaired by Dedra Swanson, our annual Friends and Family Day was once again outstanding. We enjoyed a Fish Fry on Friday, followed by movies and treats for the kids, and campfire smores for all. On Saturday, we “Let the Games Begin” with races and competitions for the young and old alike. Every young person who attended received a certificate for participation to commemorate a great weekend. We were all treated to a cookout as well as a talent show put on by club members, family and friends. We watched them dance and sing and demonstrate karate moves. Their ages ranged from three to seventy five. At night, the children were treated to another movie and more treats, popcorn, candy, chips and beverages. We had an awesome weekend. Other campers at the resort made several positive remarks about how much fun we had and how well organized our weekend was.
In closing, we reflect fondly on our 2013 season and remain energized to make 2014 even better!
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey White, President
DC Connection RV Club
DC CONNECTION RV CLUB HISTORY
“THE FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS”
The DC Connection RV Club began when the founding members Norman and Jean Baylor, James and Joanne Briscoe, and Ron and Elaine Standifer met in June 1996 at Outdoor World Harborview Campground in Colonial Beach, Virginia. The founding members immediately began establishing the club and attended their first NAARVA National Camp Rally which was held at Caesar Creek State Park (named after a black man) in Waynesville, Ohio between Columbus and Cincinnati. The club name was selected to represent members from Washington, D. C., Maryland and Virginia.
The Logo
The logo shows three recreational vehicles (Class A, Class C motor homes and a Fifth Wheel) encased in an outline of the map of the Washington, DC metro area that includes D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Included is a written inscription which details the name of the organization D. C. Connection RV Club, and the date of the establishment 1996. The Washington Redskins colors of burgundy and gold were chosen as club colors. Since gold colored T-shirts were not available at the time, the color yellow was chosen until gold became available.
Membership
The founding members developed a membership application to give to campers met on their travels to invite them to become a part of the organization.
D. C. Connection’s membership continued to grow over the years with members sharing membership information with African American campers they meet.
Purpose
The purpose of the organization was to:
- Bring recreational vehicle owners together at monthly camp outings (April – October)
- Promote good fellowship, fun and recreation
- Share camping experiences
- Enhance family oriented aspect of love, respect, and friendship
Current and Previous Officers
2021-2023
President – Stanley Cousins
Vice President – Anita Robinson
Secretary – Vacant
Assistant Secretary – Vacant
Treasurer – Ron Standifer
2019-2021
President – Stanley Cousins
Vice President – Dr. Cynthia Richardson
Secretary (Interim) – Sharon Edwards
Assistant Secretary – Connie Hemby
Treasurer – Patrick Lynch
2017-2019
President – Jeffrey White
Vice President – Patricia Renfro
Secretary – Sharon Edwards
Assistant Secretary – Julie White
Treasurer – Lance Harrison
2015-2017
President – Jeffrey White
Vice President – Kathy Madison
Secretary – Jackie Butler
Assistant Secretary Julie White
Treasurer – Lance Harrison
2013-2015
President – Jeffrey White
Vice President – Kathy Umstead
Secretary – Pearl Huskins
Assistant Secretary – Julie White
Treasurer – Carol Randall
2011-2013
President – Patrick Lynch
Vice President – Dedra Swanson
Secretary – Pearl Huskins
Assistant Secretary – Norma Saunders
Treasurer – Carol Randall
2009-2011
President – Richard Walker
Vice President – Dedra Swanson
Secretary – Sonia Hamilton
Assistant Secretary – Pearl Huskins
Treasurer – Rudy Smith
2007-2009
President – Anita Robinson
Vice President – Ron Standifer
Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Assistant Secretary – Dedra Swanson
Treasurer – Terry Robinson
2005-2007
President – Anita Robinson
Vice President – Ron Standifer
Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Treasurer – Norman Baylor
2004-2005
President – Anita Robinson
Vice President – Ron Standifer
Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Treasurer – Norman Baylor
2003-2004
President – Tony Weaver*
Vice President – Vacant
Secretary – Michelle Hylton**
Assistant Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Treasurer – Denise Weaver*
*A special election was held for the positions of President and Treasurer since the officers chose to step down.
**The position of secretary become vacant and the Assistant Secretary filled the vacancy.
2001-2003
President – Lotus Mills
Vice President – Lorraine Baylor
Secretary – Dana Matthis
Assistant Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Treasurer – Ron Standifer
1997-2001
President – Joann Briscoe
Secretary – Elaine Standifer
Treasurer – Norman Baylor
The Charter
Constitution and By-Laws
The Constitution and Bylaws have undergone several formal revisions each year since its original writing in 1997. In 2002, the Constitution and By-laws were revised to reflect becoming a chartered chapter of NAARVA.
Club Meetings and Outings
The club meets seven months out of the year from April to October to fellowship and conduct official club business. The meeting locations are selected by members hosting the meeting each month. Other outings throughout the year have been established during the last meeting of each year for the next camping year.
NAARVA National Camp Rally Easter Region Participation
From 1996 to 2008 D.C. RV Connection Club members have attended NAARVA National Camp Rallies as far west as Puyallup, WA near Seattle; Casa Grande, Arizona; Forest City, Iowa; Sedalia, MO; and south to Perry, GA, Rayne, LA and Montgomery, Texas.
A few D.C. Connection members have held National and Regional offices both elected and appointed.
In the spring of 2000, the first Eastern Regional Rally was held in Buena, NJ at the Buena Vista Camping Park and was sponsored by the Leisure Travelers of New Jersey and the D.C. Connection RV Club.
The D. C. Connection Friends and Family camp outing was held at Harborview Camp Resort in Colonial Beach, VA in 2004. NAARVA Eastern Regional members came from various cities on the East Coast. Everyone fellowshipped and had a wonderful time.
The 2005 Eastern Regional Rally was hosted by the D.C. Connection RV Club and was one of the most financially successful regional rallies.
The first Red Hat Tea was held in 2005 to shower new women members of the club.
The 15th D.C. Connection RV Club Anniversary was held at BethPage Camp - Resort, Urbanna, VA, not far from the Washington, D. C. area July 8 - July 10, 2011.