Southern Region

the bulletin

A Message from Tim Mansure….…………………..…..1

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT: Egg Harbor FBLA….…………….…..2

Member Editorial by Andrew Lopez.……..............3

official publication of NJ FBLA § volume I § october 2011

an update on the new year in NJ FBLA and the Southern Region President’s Council from your Southern Region VP

by Tim Mansure Welcome to a new year in New Jersey FBLA! These past few months have not only been fun and exhilarating, but they have been filled with activity as well! Throughout our region, chapter officers and members have been working hard to utilize membership recruitment tactics and other innovative ideas for the new school year. Working with such our membership has been incredible! Prior to the start of the school year, the state officer team

compiled the NJ FBLA Program of Work at the annual State Officer Leadership Training Seminar in August. During this exciting, three-day program, the state officers worked on many new goals and tactics; among them was the creation of the Regional President’s Council. I am proud to announce that the Southern Region President’s Council is now on its way to another great year! We are also hoping to expand the network of the NJ FBLA Southern Region Facebook group by adding

and including all local chapter members and promoting the group to our local chapters. I’m hoping that this will strengthen the lines of communication between the State Office and local chapters throughout the year! Additionally, I would like to congratulate the following Southern Region members who have been accepted to the NJ FBLA State Committees. The members who are now working on the 2011-2012 committees are: Andrew Lopez, Lola Agabalogun, and Nicole Dowdell.

LEFT: At the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, Tim was able to network with many FBLA members. He is pictured with National President candidate, Si Cave, of WA FBLA.

EXECUTIVE BOARD CONTACT INFORMATION

Egg Harbor FBLA Located by the shore about 20 minutes away from the famous Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township (EHT) High School is home to one of the largest NJ FBLA Southern Region chapters. EHT FBLA has been an active chapter for the past 5 years, after being inactive during a small hiatus. The chapter has gone on to become a Gold Key Chapter, as well as having members place at Nationals after just a few years of competing. On Wednesday, September 21st, EHT FBLA held its first general meeting for the 2011-2012 year. With President Tom Barr presiding, the meeting was one for the books. The concept was to make the meeting a “mini-SLC.” The chapter had a PowerPoint projected in the school’s brand-new auditorium. There were Ice Breakers, videos, speeches, and a

BY LOLA AGABALOGUN

Egg Harbor FBLA

Chapter Spotlight:

chance to win prizes for all those who attended! It was truly a success. To advertise for the meeting, the club utilized the talent of Media Specialist, Juan Paolo Chamorro. Chamorro continually creates superb videos that

introduce the chapter to the school by being played on the school news station, EHT-TV. Getting the word out, however, began before school started at the Class of 2015 Freshman Orientation! There, the officers gave out information about EHT FBLA, and displayed pictures of their showing at the 2011 FBLA NLC and 2011 NJ FBLA SLC. The officer team even used iPads to give the display a technological edge. In addition to this, the

Membership VP: Frankie Yip (frankiey85@yahoo.com)

Service VP: Chris Baumgartel (cbaumgartel17@gmail.com)

Fundraising VP: Bret Bye (brethb95@comcast.net)

Secretary: Irene Patron (irenexkate@gmail.com)

Media Specialist: Juan Paolo Chamorro (orromahC@aol.com) Historian: Lola Agabalogun (lola.agabalogun@gmail.com) Webmaster: Christopher Lin (linchris1223@gmail.com) Webmaster: Mike Perez (perezmike@live.com)

chapter held a Labor Day Car Wash to kick off the fundraising year! Here’s a quick update from Chapter President Tom Barr: “The Egg Harbor Township FBLA chapter has already started strong with a fundraising event over the summer and an ongoing school-wide fundraiser at our local football games. Our membership will continue to flourish as we had many new faces at our first general meeting. We plan to hold our annual induction dinner in November, continue strong fundraising for the SLC/NLC for our talented members to compete and attend, and hold our annual Nerfball tournament that consistently raises thousands of dollars for our chapter and the March of Dimes each year. We also plan to participate in many other activities that give the March of Dimes support through service by our members and monetary donations. All in all, EHT FBLA hopes to open the Gateway to Greatness with full force this year!”

President: Tom Barr (tombarr@chopdawgstudios.com)

Learn more about EHT FBLA at www.ehtfbla.org

Get to know the author…

Andrew Lopez currently attends Northern Burlington Regional High

School as a sophomore, and serves as local chapter Treasurer. Andrew’s interests include golf, FBLA, community service, and

traveling. In the future, Andrew plans to attend a top university to

study economics and entrepreneurship, to pursue his

passion for business.

the

Member Corner an editorial by Andrew Lopez

Hello NJ FBLA Southern Region! My name is Andrew Lopez from Northern Burlington County Regional High School in Columbus, NJ! I will be serving you on two State Committees proudly this year as a Membership Committee member and Publicity Committee Regional Communications Director! With an amazing year ahead of us, we all can truly open our own Gateway to Greatness. Future Business Leaders of America has not only transformed my life, but the lives of over 215,000 members nationwide. FBLA is more then an organization; it is a helping hand for everybody. With the unlimited opportunities for networking, leadership experience, and a one of a kind business education, FBLA stands above the crowd. At the beginning of middle school, I was really searching my school for opportunities that allowed me to think outside the box, to really discover what my passions were, and to make a

difference in my community. Then, I came across FBLA. From the moment I walked into my first chapter meeting, I knew this was something extraordinary. All around me, there were signs of teamwork, success, and friendship. I knew this was the place for me. Whether it was working alongside my peers to coordinate community service events or winning at the Regional Competitive Events, there was never a dull moment. FBLA has given me my own path to travel by, instead of the two drawn in the dirt for me. As corny as it may sound, FBLA really gave me that high school experience, which I would not trade for the world. What really drew me to FBLA was the emphasis on each and every one of its members that this organization thrives on. Simply as a local chapter member, I really felt like I made a difference in this organization. Today, I do not regret one thing about my decision

to join and pursuit FBLA. It was probably the best decision of my life. I cannot wait to see how far this organization not only takes me, but how far it takes you too. Vince Lombardi once said, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” I can say with complete confidence, this is the reason why we are the premier student business organization!

The FBLA Experience

Want to write for the Bulletin? Contact your Communication Director, ANDREW LOPEZ, at

andrew-lopez1@hotmail.com!