We aim above the mark to hit the mark. Ralph Waldo Emerson
For my first letter as 3D President, I wish to thank the delegates that had attended the 3D Convention in NY for their confidence in having elected me to serve in the capacity of President. I would like to thank President Mary Andersen and the previous Board of Directors for a job well done in our Tremendous Third. The President and Board are volunteers as well as members of SON and they, along with previous 3D boards, have definitely provided us with a Third District to be proud of. President Mary has been a terrific role model, and her shoes will be impossible to fill. I am especially grateful that I will be able to rely on her wise counsel during my term.
I have been a member of Sons of Norway for over 30 years and have held multiple positions in my local lodge and on the District Board. I care for our District and our membership. It is my desire, along with an awesome Board of Directors, to raise awareness of the value of being a member of the Third District and by extension, Sons of Norway, International. We look for more people to become members and to take a more active role in shaping the growth and development of The Third District. In the last couple of years the 3D has taken the steps to reach out to support our 49 lodges by creating an LLST ( local lodge support team), whether through officer leadership, website, programs, visitations, etc. Under the guidance of Vice President Stephen Helmold and LLST chair ZD 7 Dirk Hansen, I hope to continue this ongoing effort and expect to see continuing results. As we look to the future, as your new President, my vision is to give every member a voice, to develop and promote the use of officer training for new officers, reduce lapsed membership, and have initiations for new members for every lodge. We have a lot to offer (language camps and classes, scholarships, handicrafts, cooking and heritage classes, heritage programs, sports programs, travel opportunities, Viking Magazine, and outreach programs) and we should share with our community especially our future youngest members.
Thanks to the work of all of our committees we are on our way to a successful two years.
I welcome your ideas and would appreciate any help from you to improve our District. Should you have any comments and or concerns feel free to email me at .