PRIDE, COMMITMENT,
AND A HEAVY HEART

When I first began writing this month’s message three weeks ago, I was still grinning about what a great time we had at our May meeting at Orange Lake. If you weren’t there, you’ll just have to imagine what fun it was to be one of 20 boats playing follow-the-leader behind our guide, Bill Johns. What a beautiful lake — great riding! In the middle of our ride we were reminded of the need to be prepared for those typical Florida summer showers, but even that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. It was a day of camaraderie, beginning with a short but effective meeting, and ending with a whole lot of great food and hours of late evening socializing. We even had more new members and a winner for the President’s Card Draw!

A man once told me that “a decision is made in the mind, but a commitment is made in the heart.”

How true that is in this club. The week before the May meeting at Orange Lake, the Board and Officers of CCAA came together to revise the Bylaws and take care of other “official stuff.” It was a very productive meeting — tangible evidence of the high level of commitment of the officers and directors of this club. And it does make me proud!

When any of our members, family, or friends are ill or hurt, it affects us all because of the feelings and respect we have for one another.

Therefore it saddens me greatly to tell you that one of our members is gravely ill with terminal cancer of the lungs and liver. It hurts even more to inform you that it is my father, my hero: Bob Hoover, Sr.

Over all the years of my life, he has taught me many things — from race cars to four-wheel drive to semi-trucks to airboats. From hunting to fishing to barbecuing. From hard work to the appreciation of time off. He is not a man who talks a lot, but teaches best by example.

His lesson to me today is: Life is short, tomorrow may never come. I am so thankful he has always shown me and told me that he loves me.

Bobby Jr.

You’ll notice this is a short newsletter, and it is later than usual. As you read Bob’s message, you’ll understand why. Thanks for your patience, and for the kindness and support we’ve been getting from many of you in the last couple of weeks. I know it means a lot to Bob and to his Dad!

Meanwhile, also included with this newsletter is a copy of the CCAA Bylaws with the proposed amendments on which we will vote at the June meeting. Please read them and be prepared to ask any questions you may have before the vote.

See you at the June meeting on the 19th. Don’t forget there will be a special Red Cross presentation about Airboater’s First Aid at the meeting, as well as recognition of new Honorary Life Members.

OK, so you buy your tickets every month at the club meeting, and you listen intently to see if one of your numbers is called for either of the two drawings which are held. But do you really know what it’s all about?

Back in the early days of the club, these games were developed to help raise funds for CCAA causes. Only minor changes have been made over the years, so here’s how it works today:

In the 50/50 Drawing, the amount of money collected by sales of tickets is divided in half (rounded to nearest dollar). The person holding the winning ticket gets half, and the remainder goes to the CCAA general fund. At the May meeting, $89 was collected in ticket sales. Bobby Cooke had the winning ticket, and took home $45, while $44 went to the treasurer, Ron Bailey, Jr., for the CCAA general fund.

The President’s Card Draw is more complex, because it can carry over from one meeting to the next for up to 12 months if no one beats the President’s card. It is designed to benefit both the CCAA Legal Fund and the FAA (Florida Airboat Association) Legal Fund.

Here’s how it worked at the May meeting: The amount collected by sales of tickets for the President’s Card Draw was $115. Add that to the $341 carried forward from previous meetings, and you have a total on the line of $456. The President’s Card Draw challenger was Alexie Ellis, who drew a Jack of Spades. CCAA President Bob Hoover drew an Eight of Clubs. Therefore, $228 was paid to Alexie Ellis, with $114 going into the CCAA Legal Fund and $114 sent to the FAA Legal Fund.

So now you know how it works and where the money goes. Congratulations to our winners!