MotorCity Book Drive

This month the NTEA will participate in the Motor City Book Drive. It is a way to give back to the community without incurring extra costs and with very little time. Spring cleaning is something most of us do this time of year and what better way to start by cleaning out old book shelves and drawers to collect some books for this very important purpose. I spent about 30 minutes last night collecting books from my kid's bedrooms and from our basement. Most of these books have sat on shelves collecting dust for quite some time. Many of them evoked memories of sitting with my children reading in the evenings. It's a nice feeling to know that someone else is going to get that same enjoyment out of this donation. If you have a chance, check out the website: motorcitybookstore.com and see what wonderful ways they contribute to the community for both children and adults. There is also a list of what items they accept for donation. Please have your donations in the NTEA office by June 15 (we will house them in the office next to the small conference room). Happy cleaning!!!!

MSAE Luncheon

Several staff members recently attended the MSAE luncheon with Jim Carney at the Somerset Inn in Troy. As always, this is a very festive occasion and the food is always delicious! At the start of the luncheon each year, the host asked that each association speak about their past year, this year the topic was something each association was proud of. I noticed two things as the microphone was passed around the room. The first was that the NTEA was one of a few tables that had reserved the entire table for their staff. Most associations had just one or two representatives and it reminded me of how fortunate we are to have such a generous person like Jim Carney to work for. The second and more important thing that I noticed was the most associations were speaking of the community service and outreach that they are involved in throughout the year. Because of this, I want to encourage everyone to think of some ways that we can get involved on a monthly basis in community service. Whether we take a small group and serve at the Soup Kitchen one day each month or select charities to donate change or items to. I think giving is such a rewarding experience and as the staff recognized the joy they felt when delivering to our Christmas family, it is something we all can benefit from all year long!