Eastern Region PSEA-Retired

Keeping Retired School Employees Informed

Welcome
Welcome to PSEA-Retired Eastern Region. Membership in our organization is open to all retired school employees: teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff and administrators.

Our goal is to present a forum that keeps members informed of issues such as health care, COLAs and relevant legislation, educational issues and other areas of concern to retirees. We provide a social aspect with breakfast and luncheon meetings and other learning and travel activities. As former school employees, we continue to work on behalf of issues that affect our children and public schools.

The officers of Eastern Region PSEA-Retired welcome you to our website. We hope you’ll find this site useful for information about your county, the region, PSEA and NEA. Your county officers work hard each year to plan programs for you. We hope to see you at many of them. Please feel free to contact any of us when you have questions or concerns. Our contact information is at the side of the page.

WHO WE ARE

When you were an active member of PSEA, you belonged to a local association, to Eastern Region and to PSEA and NEA. Nothing has changed. As a retiree, you still have a local, but now your local is named for the county where you live and/or worked. You’re still a member of Eastern Region, PSEA and NEA because we all work together to improve the lives of students and education employees.

As a member, you can continue to be eligible for your member benefits programs (home and car insurance, credit cards, etc.). And you will continue your liability coverage should you choose to substitute in the schools.

The five counties/locals of Eastern Region are Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill. If you select “Counties/Locals” from the tab at the top of this page and look at the dropdown menu, you can choose your local and catch up on the news.

THE PLACES EASTERN REGION WILL GO!

AND THE THINGS WE’LL DO!

In this space, we’re happy to tell you about opportunities for involvement, learning and travel in our 5 counties and beyond. PSEA-Retired is the best way to keep informed about issues and to keep in touch with your friends and colleagues. There’s a lot happening.

Region Calendar

Eastern Region members have elected delegates (to represent each county) to the PSEA Retired House of Delegates which will take place in State College April 16-17. In spring 2012, you will elect a secretary and treasurer for Eastern Region. Members who attend the luncheons in each county will cast their ballots.
At each local meeting, we provide updates on what’s happening with the pension system, Social Security and health care. As you know the state legislature and the governor have been shaking up the lives of education employees, and the Congress has been doing the same at the Federal level. As always, we will keep you informed.
But all information and no entertainment will make us all dull, so we also present entertainment programs and social events.

The Locals (For more information, select the “Locals/Counties” tab above)

Berks County—Fall luncheon canceled because of the snow and electrical outages. The spring meeting will be held at the RCC on Wednesday, May 16.
Carbon County--May 17--Macaluso's Restaurant, Nesquehoning
Lehigh--March 15-Winter Breakfast Meeting--Information update: Elder law--Hamilton Family Restaurant.
Northampton County--May 10--Spring luncheon meeting with Lehigh County. Our first fashion show for charity.
Schuylkill County—May 3--Luncheon meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church, Pottsville.

Opportunities for all Eastern Region members

Date to be determined--Another ER field trip. This one to Connecticut to Mohegan Sun Casino.
Also in the works: A day trip to New York .
And another overnight trip (everyone loved the Hudson River excursion). We're investigating the possibilities. We're looking at the Greenbrier Hotel with adventures on the way down and back.
April 2012 -- Netherlands, Belgium and Paris -- featuring historic Bruges and Floriade 2012.
December 2012 -- Experience Christmas time in Austria and Germany while cruising the Danube. Tell me more.

Service projects in Eastern Region

Each of our locals believes in giving back to the community. Go to your county’s webpage to learn more about what we do and how you can help.
Eastern Region’s service project is Cops ‘n’ Kids. Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties actively participate in the project. Carbon County is hoping to participate soon.

Founded by Julia Burney-Witherspoon, a police officer from Racine, Wisconsin, Cops ‘n’ Kids is an international initiative with the goal of ensuring that every child has access—in his or her home—to books and the knowledge, inspiration and hope that such access can provide.

In addition to the police, the Lehigh Valley initiative was expanded to include the involvement of businesses and organizations, municipal leaders, the educational community and other caring individuals who joined with Quota volunteers to “make a difference” in the lives of our children. Through the cooperative effort of virtually all segments of our Lehigh Valley community, the program has been responsible for distributing more than 395,000 books thus far.

Beverly Bradley has served as Chairperson and President of Quota International of Bethlehem’s Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program since it began in 2003.

To volunteer your time to Cops ‘n’ Kids, select this link: www.copsnkidslv.org.

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Region Elections:

This spring we will be electing the Region offices (retired) of secretary and treasurer. If you wish to run for one of these positions, contact Pat Combs by March 15.