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VHIA NEWSLETTER
Publication of the Virginia
Homicide Investigators Association
No greater honor,
nor more profound duty
Will ever be bestowed on an individual
Than when they are entrusted with the
Investigation into the death of a human being
-Anonymous-
Message from the President
We have completed another successful conference and I sincerely appreciate all of the hard work and dedication shown by the members of your Board of Directors during the conduct and prepartion for this years conference. Attendance was down somewhat due to the economic crisis which was expected however, hopefully things will turn around before next year's conference and hopefully attendance will be back to normal again. Costs were up for every facet of the conference however we were able to cover all the costs without having to raise the price of the conference. I would also like to congratulate the winners of this years awards and say that they were well deserved. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner co-hosted this years conference and we certainly appreciate Dr. Leah Bush taking time from her busy schedule to attend and accept the award for Dr. Fierro at the banquet. She also permitted other members of her staff to participate and instruct in the conference which again was greatly appreciated.
We will begin preparations for next years conference now as we are considering changing the location of the conference not because we were not treated like royalty by our host the Norfolk Airport Hilton but simply due to the cost of the conference and the expenses of having to transport all of our supplies etc., to the conference. We are lucky to have a friend named Michael Shepherd who owns a local roofing company in Stafford County who loans us a large box truck to transport the VHIA supplies and materials to the conference however, the price of gas was certainly a factor in our decision to seek something closer. If any member and their agency would like to co-host next year's conference please let us know. Keep in mind however that we are searching for a location with a large banquet room capable of accomdating at least 200 people for classes and the banquet. The location must also be able to provide that many rooms and a suitable location for the hospitality room as well. Food obviously is another factor so if you have a location that has the capability to hold such a conference let Dave Watson or myself know and we will check into the feasibility and costs involved.
Annual dues notices will be mailed in the middle of November returnable by December 31, 2008 for 2009. As you know last year we changed the dues schedule providing our members with six months of free membership in order to separate the dues from the monies collected for the conference each year. From an accounting standpoint this was a necessary move for us to make. Please submit your dues promptly as they are the single most important source of income for the VHIA. Make sure that your contact information is up to date as well with Dave so we can provide the membership with an updated roster of contact information. This comes in handy when you need a contact at another agency so please keep your information up to date. Shoot Dave an email at vhia1@aol.com or simply update your information on a piece of paper submitted along with your dues renewal form.
Lastly, we are going to attempt at least one, possibly two golf tournaments in 2009 as well as some other fund raisers to generate some much needed income for the VHIA so we can continue to hold the type of annual symposiums that the membership is used too. Our costs have gone up unfortunately because of the economic crisis so we need to be creative and find new funding sources as well. We will call upon members of the Association to assist with these fund raisers by selling raffle tickets or obtaining hole sponsors for the golf tournaments. Please if you know someone who may be interested in sponsoring a hole please let Dave or I know. The more sponsors the more income we can generate. If you have an idea for a fund raiser or would like to help with one please let us know.
The holidays will soon be upon us and on behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to wish each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Please keep our military members in mind this year and pray for their safety and that of their families. Make sure you also cast your vote on November 6th for the Presidential candidate of your choice. This is an important election for all of us and hopefully our next President can turn the ecomony around and help those in need in order to keep our country strong.
Rich Leonard
President
Web-Site Updated March 7, 2008.
Annual Membership Dues Notices
Annual membership
dues notices will be mailed out to members December 1st and will be
returnable no later than January 1st, 2009. Annual dues for all
members is $25.00 per year. Make your check payable to the VHIA and mail it
to
PO Box 317
,
Woodbridge
,
VA
22191
.
Many members have been
removed from the "Active" membership rolls due to their failure
to keep their dues current. If you have any questions pertaining to your
status, Email your concerns to vhia1@aol.com. Also, if there have been
any changes in your personal information since the last dues notice, please contact the VHIA with those changes as
soon as possible. Otherwise, outdated information will be placed in the
roster.
Information Sought
for
VHIA Newsletter
We are looking for
articles to place in future Newsletters. If any member has written an
article for any publication and would like to have it placed in the VHIA
Newsletter, please contact Bob Murphy at Bob.Murphy@fairfaxcounty.gov. Please keep in
mind that copyright laws may apply and written permission may need to be
obtained before having the article reproduced for the Newsletter. The
Association is also seeking information from members concerning
retirement, promotions, job changes, etc., along with articles of
interest that have appeared in local newspapers concerning members.
VIRGINIA HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS
ASSOCIATION (VHIA)
View/Print Application for VHIA Membership
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