How's Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity Doing?

How’s Alpha Omega Doing?
I am very happy to report that the state of Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity is good, and is getting better and better. The transition of our Headquarters Office to the Third Eye Group is now complete, and your Administrative Committee has been working proactively to make sure there was a seamless and effective transition, and we are working very hard to assure that our members benefit from this transition to a new management company.
Since my last blog, I have enjoyed another week of fabulous Alpha Omega experiences. This past Saturday night, the New York metropolitan area chapters honored me with a lovely cocktail party and dinner. Queens-Nassau Chapter’s President and Regent of what was formerly Regency 3, Andrew Rutman organized and coordinated this terrific program. Members were there from the chapters in Staten Island, New York, Brooklyn, Queens-Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Eta Chapter (Columbia). There was cross-generational representation with several enthusiastic young fraters from Eta, as well as members who have been members well over 50 years. It was great to see so many close and dear friends, including Hannah, Bill and Kathy Kampel (unfortunately Michael was home ill), Gary and Don Scharoff, Alan Moss, Isabelle and Sam Unger, and so many others. It was fabulous seeing so many fraters who had not been at AO functions in quite a while, including Laurie and Michael Teitelbaum, Merle and Ed Perlow, Debby and Howard Kirschner, Muriel and Bob Bruskin, Cora and Mitch Greenberg, Debbie Blum, and many others. I hope it is the beginning of getting them reinvolved. Foundation Board Member Gail Schupak and Lloyd made me feel very special. Since this event was held on the South Shore of Long Island, it was really nice of the several members from Westchester to travel a distance to be at this event. I really appreciated the many kind words, and especially want to thank Andrew Rutman and Sam Unger for all they did and said to make this evening so very special. The inimitable Gary Scharoff was busy taking photos, which he has already on the AO.ORG website. Check out AO.ORG for all the great photos.
On Sunday, we held the first of our two mandatory Board of Directors Conference calls. In addition, we have instituted, this year, informal conference calls monthly to assure our Board members are kept up to date about developments in the AO world. We began with a moment of silence in memory and honor of Yom HaShoach. We reviewed Board member responsibilities and Board members prior to the call each submitted an activity report. The Board evaluated and approved enhancements to our Member Benefits program, including a relationship with D4D-E4D, Demand Force, Chemlog, an improved benefits program with Schein, and a new affinity program/card tailored specifically for dentists. Details will follow in an upcoming AO Now. A special thank you to BOD Member Alan Moltz, for all his hard work and effort, in coordinating all these exciting member benefit- type benefits. We also discussed the need for improved communications, and better outreach for past, present and potential members. If we all dedicate ourselves to letting those we know get more familiar with all AO is today, we will grow and be stronger as a Fraternity.
Anyone who is considering a leadership position on the International Committee, for either a Board of Directors position, or an Admin Committee position (if you have the necessary credentials), please contact me and I will put you in touch with the appropriate party. The Awards Committee is also looking to receive additional nominations for Honorary Membership, the Meritorious Service Award, Certificate of Merit, etc. Please contact me to get additional information or to make a recommendation.
Amongst the many e-mails I sent out this week was one to fraters in the Hartford area (inviting them to stop by an AO Hospitality at the Connecticut Dental Association meeting), and to fraters in the San Diego area inviting their involvement in the upcoming Convention. I was thrilled to have received two incredible responses right away, one from each area. In Connecticut, Dr. Calvin Mass wrote me the most heart-warming letter an Alpha Omega International President can possibly receive. Dr. Mass, an Alpha Omega since 1942 and now 92 years was very active in AO in the Hartford area for many years. He wrote how he remembered how exciting AO was when he originally joined, and that he was glad to see that I was so actively involved in the fraternity, and bring back some of that excitement. Bill Kampel remembers Dr. Mass as an active Conn. Member and past Chapter President. The Chapter President of the small AO chapter in San Diego, Dr. Robert Levine, e-mailed me how he and his staff are looking forward to helping out with the Convention in any way they can, and that he was hopeful that he could get members excited about the Convention, and use that to jump-start a reinvigoration of his chapter. We, the Admin committee, had a wonderful dinner with this chapter in late January. These two men are proof of Alpha Omega’s potential, and its members like that that which make me very optimistic about both AO’s future and potential!
I want those of you who have attended AO Conventions in the past to attend this year in San Diego, and to encourage other fraters who might have not attended a convention to “try it out” this year. This will be a great convention, and those that attend conventions develop the strongest fraternal bond. I am looking forward to some busy traveling in the next weeks, leaving for the great folks in our Louisville Chapter this Saturday (until Tuesday), and then traveling with Richard to a great weekend in Detroit from Thursday night through Sunday. Then on to England, across the pond, if the volcano stops puffing! More details to follow!

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