Alliance for Retired Americans National Convention  

Building Retiree Power

Join us on April 5^th - 8^th, 2010, in Las Vegas for the National Convention of the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Our Convention will kick-off our efforts to build the grassroots organizing power of retirees for the 2010 elections.  Voters across the country will be deciding who will represent them in Congress and state capitols, and we must make the retiree voice a mighty roar on Election Day.

Confirmed and Invited Speakers:

Barbara Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans

Liz Shuler, Secretary Treasurer, AFL-CIO

Senator Harry Reid

Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Las Vegas

Linda Chavez-Thompson, Former Executive Vice President, AFL- CIO

Alan Rosenblatt, Center for American Progress

Rep. Shelley Berkley

Rep. Dina Titus

Workshops  

The 2010 Alliance National Convention, April 5-8 in Las Vegas, will offer a wide array of education and training opportunities to improve your skills as a grassroots activist and as a leader of a local or state retiree group.

Health Care Reform: What?s in it for Retirees - Learn more about upcoming changes in health care, how and when they will be implemented, and how these changes will affect you.

Using Health Care Reform as an Organizing Tool - Learn to develop strategies to educate retirees on health reform, including initiating and preparing presentations to your local senior community.

Social Security and Entitlement ?Reforms?: Barbarians at the Gate - The privatizers are still hard at work.  Learn more about efforts to "reform" Social Security and other key programs and what you can do to protect them.

Organizing Strategies Around the 2010 Elections - learn more about the Retiree Zone Coordinator structure to educate and mobilize retirees for electoral success.

Applying for Foundation Grants - learn how to apply for foundation grants aimed at helping non-profits.

Using Everyday Activities to Build Your Budget - learn how Alliance chapters can raise money - and have fun - through local grassroots activities.

Building Relationships with Elected Officials - explore strategies to reach out to elected officials and the city, county, state, and federal levels.

State Legislative Advocacy in a Time of Fiscal Crisis - learn more about being an effective advocate at a time when states are under great fiscal pressure to cut key programs.

Yearly Strategic Planning: Critical to Success - participate in presentations and skill-building exercises around strategic planning at the state level.

Reporters Don't Bite - Learn how to be an effective spokesperson for your local Alliance by writing letters to the editor, developing relationships with local reporters, and speaking at public events.

On-Line Organizing - Learn to use new, on-line forms of communication, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to educate and mobilize a broader community of retirees.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Computers But Were Afraid to Ask - our team of experts will answer any question you have about using e-mail or the Internet, signing up for Facebook, or sending or receiving Word documents or photos.

Building Coalitions with Faith-Based Organizations - learn more about how local Alliances have successfully reached out to faith-based organizations.

Building Coalitions with the Senior Community - hear state and local Alliance leaders describe their work with community-based senior groups.

Recruiting CAN Executive Board Members - identify action steps to recruit and engage non-union retirees in your Alliance chapter.

Officer Elections

Delegates will be electing a President and Secretary-Treasurer. Our Community based delegates will be electing six At-Large Directors.  At-Large members in good standing as of December 6, 2009 may be nominated at the Community Based Caucus during the convention to serve as an At-Large director.

Delegates

• Any individual whose Alliance membership is paid for by a Sponsoring organization is eligible to be a voting delegate.
•  Any at-large member, also called "self enrolled" or community-based member (a person who pays their own membership in the Alliance), who is in good standing, measured as of  December 6, 2009 (120 days before the meeting), is eligible to be a voting delegate.
•  State Alliance chapters and local Alliance chapters may assign delegates as described in the Alliance Bylaws. 

Resolutions

Any delegate registered to attend the National Convention may offer or second a resolution for consideration. The resolution must pertain to a statement of the Alliance's position or policy on a specific matter. Resolutions, and seconds, must be received by the Alliance no later than March 15, 2010. The Resolutions Committee designated by the President will review the proposed resolutions.

Banquet

 Don't miss our gala Awards Banquet, which will honor several individuals for their outstanding work in building and strengthening the retiree movement.  It promises to be an evening to remember. More information to follow as we build the agenda.

Conference sessions will be held in the Bally's Event Center. 

To register online, please visit our website: www.retiredamericans.org
 

Hotel Accommodations

Hotel reservations must be made by contacting Bally's Las Vegas directly at 800-358-8777. In order to get the discounted room rate when contacting Bally's, please make sure to identify yourself as an attendee to the Alliance for Retired Americans 2010 National Convention. Room rates for April 4th through 8th are $89 per night. Additional persons will be charged at a rate of $30.00 per person, per night, with a maximum of four (4) persons per guestroom. These rates are available for reservations made before March 2, 2010. After March 2, 2010, regular room rates may apply. All reservations must be guaranteed with a deposit for the first night's guestroom and tax charge.  If reservation is guaranteed by a credit card, the first night's guestroom and tax charge, per guestroom, will be billed immediately to the cardholder's account.

Bally's Las Vegas Hotel

3645 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Tel: 800-358- 8777

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact our Registration Desk by phone at 888‑373‑6497, or e‑mail to ARAConference@retiredamericans.org.