<CORSA Chapters> A note from the CORSA president

[tim mahler]

Pre-Note:  This started out as a short paragraph or two -- as usual I got 
long winded.  Editors -- I don't have all the email addy for the editors so 
I included Gary Swiatowy who seems to have a large collection. --please 
consider adding a part or two to your newsletter -- IF there is room. Edit 
as needed.   thanks tim

Pre-Note2:  Candidates for the CORSA board are being solicited -- self 
nominations are due by March 1.  Please give it some thought.  The members 
on the chapter list are the local leaders.  Is some work involved, but the 
work is not overly burdensome. tm

A note from the CORSA President

I started prepping the Prairie Capital Corvair Association (PCCA) newsletter 
today. I was quickly reminded that it is winter which means little Corvair 
activity. The fact that the last two days have been minus something outside 
should have given me a better clue. <grin>

CORSA held what has become a rare winter meeting, via conference call, to 
discuss options to balance the budget. Membership dues are simply not 
keeping up with expenses. The biggest reason is fewer members.

I have heard several local chapters have seen increases in membership. 
Congratulations to you, if you are one of those chapters. It is the chapters 
that provide some of the most visible reasons to be a member of a club - the 
monthly chapter meetings, the local tours, attending car shows together. But 
most importantly, the frequent comradery that all of those things provide.

CORSA, as the national club, provides the same benefits, on the national 
scale. The comradery is sometimes harder to see because we only meet once a 
year at the International convention. The monthly CORSA Communique becomes 
the most visible benefit. It is a great magazine featuring a mix of Corvair 
related articles that pleases most members, albeit, not all the time. The 
list of chapters, parts and repair specialists and even the advertisers are 
all part of sharing information with CORSA members on a national, no, 
international, scale.

Another comradery tool is the CORSA roster. Yes, CORSA sells a roster. A new 
edition is slated for release soon; so soon, in fact, some may consider this 
paragraph an Ad. I purchased my first roster in Flagstaff and used it before 
I got home (Thanks again Jeff Moore). Being a member of CORSA, and 
identifying yourself as one to another CORSA member just seems make for an 
instant friendship when you are away from home. Why? Because we are all part 
of the same club, and club members tend to help other club members. Not sure 
I can explain it any other way.

The roster, and the updated tech guide - a new volume III and revised volume 
I and II should help merchandise sales, which in turn will help the CORSA 
budget. The Board also looked at raising other rates, fees and the reduction 
of expenses such as allowing the Communique to be printed using variable 
number of pages to say printing costs. By the way, the total number of 
printed pages will remain the same, over a year, but each issue will be 
optimized for print savings. But that nagging decline in membership is the 
real block buster.

If you have members who are not CORSA members, please encourage them to give 
the CORSA a try. CORSA does more than provide insurance for the chapter 
meeting and events. CORSA also provides the many event rules that are used 
at many of the chapter shows and rallies, classifications and 
standardizations specific to Corvairs. CORSA works in partnership with a 
local host chapter to put on the CORSA convention, this year in Jacksonville 
Florida. And comradery that includes help with vendors, answers to 
questions, and a nationwide/worldwide access to parts, used and new, repair 
services and various online forums, not all specifically sponsored by CORSA. 
There are several special interest groups for stock Corvairs, performance 
Corvaris, AC Corvairs, 69 Corvairs, 1960 Corvairs, Ultravans, V8 Vairs, and 
Foward Controls.

The CORSA board is seeking new candidates for the 2009-2012 term from all 
regions. If you may be interested in serving on the CORSA board and help 
guide CORSA into the future, please contact Scott Morehead or myself soon. 
The nomination forms need to be submitted no later than March 1, 2009 so 
time is short.

A final note, as I have rambled long already, if any CORSA member has a 
desire to help improve CORSA, please drop me a note.

Thanks Tim Mahler, President CORSA