By Bruce Ross, Executive Director

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s September, 2020 Volunteer Newsletter edition.

I hope you got out for early goose or teal.  I put a couple of hours in and had a fine teal dinner to show for it.  Mmmm.

The theme of my note this month is APPRECIATION.  I’ve been reflecting on the challenges of 2020 and am pleased to report WWA has weathered the storm so far.

Since spring event postponements and cancellations were the norm, I wasn’t sure where we’d be right now.  But we’ve just gotten done with a string of late summer previously planned and re-scheduled events.  Events were extremely well-attended, putting many chapters in contention for super-goal status.  I suppose people wanted to find some normality in their lives and WWA events provided an opportunity to deliver some of that.

SO THANK YOU to those chapters who were able to hang in through all the uncertainty.  WWA will likely survive 2020 thanks to your extreme efforts to adjust planning and hold these successful events.

Some chapters were simply not able to adjust because of the disease realities in their community, the restrictions of their venues, or local and state requirements.  But many of you made up for these disappointments by holding class A raffles that have been critical to our survival – THANK YOU!

With three more events before we call 2020 a wrap (Green Bay, Manitowoc and Waukesha’s Christmas Bash) and another four to five Class A raffles drawing before the new year – fingers crossed – we stand a good chance of ending the year in the black. Something I would not have forecast only a few months ago.

Even if these events finish well, we are not out of the woods yet; COVID has not dealt its last card.  Like small businesses in your local community, WWA will rise or fall with the spread of the disease, local reactions and the timing associated with a vaccine.  See our early “Christmas Wish List.”

Finally, I must extend my THANKS to your WWA Staff: Kelcy, Tom, Rob and Peter.  Each of them have, time and again, demonstrated their personal commitment to WWA by rising to the challenges of 2020: unplanned turnover,  more hours, less compensation, new role expectations, creative endeavors, and chapter support in new ways.

I’d like to express my particular appreciation to Tom, who “retired” in December 2019, unretired in March 2020, and has just now AGAIN “retired” into a new part-time role we’ve titled the “Class A Coordinator and Event Consultant”.  It’s not a surprise to anyone who really knows Tom that he bleeds WWA – he’s not going too far and will be a regular face at our events (I suspect with Blaze in tow) and in this newsletter.  THANK YOU Tom!