If you have attended any regional meeting over the last year I am sure you can feel the energy from the group of participants! The evaluations from those attending have been excellent. We have sustained increased attendance at each offering and have continued to generate some revenues for PCR in the process. The BOD, and especially the Coordinator of Education Donna Lockhart and her committee, has worked very hard to ensure that your needs and wishes have been met. Please continue to communicate with the board as we truly solicit any input (positive or negative) from the membership. This is the information we use to chart our course and make any adjustments, when needed.

Many exciting things are occurring within our region. The newly elected members of the Board of Directors take office on January 1, 2001. Although they will not have been formally installed (this occurs at the March 2001 general membership meeting) they will begin working at the Transitional BOD Meeting planned for January 19-20 in Fontana. Kelle Herrick, your newly elected President, and myself have been formulating an agenda that is guaranteed to bring a smile to every face! Emphasis will be on the planning and further development of our strategic plan and the growth of our region. Each Officer will come prepared with the Goals and Objectives defined for their respective office. The BOD and a special task force will define our direction for the coming months with the use of these.

You asked for it...minimal expense, fly in-fly out, no overnight stay, lots of opportunity for networking and less formalized structure. Plans are well under way for an exciting one-day meeting of the membership in Los Angeles. The date of the event is March 16th and will be held at the Holiday Inn, Los Angeles International Airport. The address is 9901 La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles. The meeting will start slightly later so that people may drive or fly in that morning. This will make an overnight stay unnecessary. All will be receiving a brochure after January 1. An interesting speaker from the PCR membership has been chosen for the keynote address in the AM. The afternoon will be filled with members participating in Roundtables that promise to be thought provoking, enthusiastic, and stimulating. Please plan now to join us!

Once again it is time for each of us to renew our National membership, thereby making us members of Pacific Coast Region, as well. If you have not received a renewal notice from WOCN office, please contact Maria Garces and ask to have one mailed to you. The membership renewal form should be completed immediately and sent with payment to the WOCN office since dues are due January 1. This year the rebate will clearly go to the region you specify since the WOCN has been deleted as an option for the rebate.

This will be my last President's Message...for the year and for my term as President of this organization. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for the honor of serving you. This has truly been a highlight of my vocation and my professional career. I have learned much in the process! I have made many new friends and acquaintances. I now realize more than ever that truly great things can occur when people work together and when it doesn't matter who receives the credit.

I am extremely proud of the progress we have made as an organization and would now like to extend an invitation to each of you. Step up to the plate! Begin by asking 'what can I do'. The rewards will far outweigh those few sacrifices required. There is strength in numbers. The more members who become involved will lighten the load of those already working very hard. I challenge each of you to begin by accepting one small piece of the "fabric" of this organization. Personalize it and make it your own. I know we can weave a beautiful tapestry in which all can and will share pride. My warmest thoughts and wishes go out to each and every one of you as we prepare for the year ahead.

Mary W. Sears, RN, BA, CWOCN.
President - Pacific Coast Region