August 2024

RVC Column -- August, 2024
Michael Eager, RVC 8

Forty or so Mensans joined me and my partner Susan Heimlich in July for an old tradition: a backyard BBQ, this time billed as an opportunity to meet the new RVC. I made BBQ ribs, in honor of the recent Kansas City AG, while grillmaster Dena Anderson cooked burgers and we all shared in pot luck sides. There were several families with children, new members, enthusiastic volunteers, and many Mensa friends. It was a fun time for me and, from my observation, everyone who attended.

Coincidentally, I received a copy of an email from a LocSec reminiscing about the time when there were more dinner parties, house parties, pool parties, games nights, etc. It seems that most of our in-person activities are in public venues. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there is something to be said for the camaraderie and hygge of sitting around talking with fellow Mensans. If you have the space and inclination, think about inviting M-friends over.

I’ve had several conversations with local group officers and participated in ExComm meetings to introduce myself and get a better understanding of local group issues. There are some common themes but each group is different.

On the AMC (American Mensa Committee, our national board of directors) front, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with the incoming Communications Officer, Lily Noonan, and Marketing Officer, Greg Wright, to become acquainted and share our thoughts. (I’d talked with Membership Officer Kimberly Strickland at the AG.) It’s a bit of a task to understand where we are as an organization and figure out where we would like to go. To that end, the AMC will have a full-day strategy meeting in mid-September. I don’t know what the agenda will be at this point.

Let’s talk about communication. I’m sure that there are a few members who just want to be left alone, like Greta Garbo. For the rest of us, I try to communicate as best I can. In addition to columns in the newsletters, one of our communication channels is Mensa Connect. Everyone in our region should be a member of the Region 8 Community and each of you should be a member of your local group’s community. If you are not receiving announcements and news about what is happening in your local group or in the region, log in to https://connect.us.mensa.org and click on “My Account” then “Community Notifications”. You can select whether you wish to get email when messages are posted or a daily digest, sent at the end of each day. I also occasionally send out an email blast to all members, but twill ry to avoid filling up your inbox.

Region 8 Gifted Youth Coordinator Lana Lee and I are working on offering parents of Mensa children who are not themselves members free testing at the SFRM Regional Gathering “Brilliance by the North Bay” in November. This would be a great way to share in your child’s experience of Mensa.

Still in the works is organizing a monthly Region 8 Round Table for all members of the region where we will meet via Zoom and discuss one topic in depth each month. This is not a brainstorming session, but more a focused discussion of a shared issue and how we can address it in our diverse groups.

You can find this column as well as past columns at https://mensa.eagerm.tech.