I am sure in every ham radio club there are persons who continually work behind the scene to make the club active and prosperous. Possibly it’s the one who gets the monthly newsletter out on time every month. Maybe it is the one who makes sure there is coffee and donuts for each club meeting. Or the one who has organized and run Field Day for the last few years. Our clubs would not operate without these dedicated individuals who we can all depend upon to “deliver the goods” without ever having to be told to do so. They are the unsung heroes of the club.
Your club may also have some “old timers” in it. You know….those guys who have been around since Marconi’s time and have logged more hours on the air that you can imagine. These guys are always around and always can be counted on to pitch in when asked. They can give sage advice from their years of experience and can help us all avoid some of the problems they have seen and solved in the past.
Why not honor the person or persons who work behind the scene and your “old timers”? Ham radio clubs don’t often have a way of honoring their members. Sure, some clubs have a “ham of the year” award , and that is good, but how about honoring several of your members at once. They work for no pay and no recognition…….but honoring them helps keep them going, helps keep the club operating in good fashion and is often an inspiration for other members.
I have found that a simple 8 1/2 by 11 inch framed document makes an excellent and inexpensive award. This award might have the club logo and the ARRL logo on it and should have some wording that explains the reason for the award. It can be signed by the President and Vice President . This could easily be made on a computer by one of several graphics programs. I have successfully used PowerPoint for this application. One can buy rather inexpensive frames for these awards at The Christmas Tree Shop…….although I will never admit I have ever gone into one……ha ha ha !
An ideal situation would be for the club President to make the award presentation at one of your monthly meetings. There would be nothing at all wrong with making a big deal out of the presentation. It would be a good photo opportunity!
So, give it some thought. You can reward hard workers for just a little effort and in so doing make your club a much better club and one that is even more friendly than it is today.
Bo Budinger
WA1QYM
ARRL EMA ACC