Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, Intl.

The Manitoba Pond generously donated $19,000.00 earlier this year to Dream Factory, which is a foundation dedicated to creating memories for kids battling life threating illnesses. Below is how their money was used to help one little girl.

Good afternoon Keith,

I hope this message finds you and the members of the Blue Goose well. I wanted to reach out very quickly this afternoon to say thank you again for the very generous donation you made to The Dream Factory last December. While we always are truly so appreciative for your support, your gift has been incredibly valuable in allowing us to continue our work through this difficult period of time. I want to make sure you know how much it means to us, and the families we work with.

I also wanted to share a little bit of an update on how we’re still making dreams come true. While a lot of our travel related dreams have understandably been put on hold, we are still supporting families here in Manitoba who need support right now. One example is Sophie, who’s dream shifted to a backyard makeover after her family learned they did not have time to wait. You can read more of Sophie’s story here – https://thedreamfactory.ca/blog/meet-sophie

Thankfully, because of donations like yours – we were able to make Sophie’s backyard makeover dream come true just a few weeks ago. I’ve attached a few photos to this email of Sophie enjoying her incredible new space.

From all of us at The Dream Factory – thank you again for helping make dreams come true, especially during this particularly challenging time. If we don’t connect before the end of the year, I will also be sending a more formal report showing how your donation made an impact in 2020, and some of the highlights of our year.

Please feel free to share this message with the rest of the group. If there is anything else I can do to be of help, please don’t hesitate to ask. I can be reached via email at this address or by phone at (431) 999-9437.

With appreciation,

Andrew

Andrew Kussy, CFRE
Development Manager, The Dream Factory

The 2020 Hartford Convention’s planned interactive charity activity at the Family Luncheon was repurposed as a delivery of 28 filled Household Helper baskets to the Prudence Crandall Center today. The baskets were filled with much needed cleaning supplies with the support of the Hartford Pond, Ocean State Puddle, and the 2020 Convention Committee.

Good day Ganders and Blue Goose Friends!

We hope that you and yours are well at this time.

Seven weeks ago, it is with a great deal of sadness that the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International announced the cancellation of the July 2020 Grand Nest Convention in Hartford, CT.

But today, it’s with absolute excitement, that we are announcing the rescheduling of the most GROOVY Grand Nest Convention in July 2021! The new dates are set for July 23, 2021 through July 28, 2021. The location will remain the same, and the schedule looks to be just about the same. We are still working on confirming a few minor details. Your event registration remains in place, and the price you paid remains honored for next summer’s event. The Hartford Marriott is also honoring the 2020 published room rates for July 2021.

Procedurally, the hotel will process a mass cancellation in a few days after this announcement. If you made a hotel reservation for this year’s convention you will receive a cancellation notice directly from the hotel. If you do not receive an email notice within the next week, please contact them directly. We will send out an updated link for the hotel reservations as
soon as it is available. Please know that we have added more rooms for this event as we expect a great turnout!

It is our hope that you can still attend! Yet, if you wish for a refund at this time, please send an email to kevin.brady@allstate.com & cherylm@pecpros.com by November 1, 2020. We will provide a refund in full. We still hope that you will re-consider joining us in July 2021! If you have any questions, you may reach out to any Convention Committee member or Cheryl McShane of PEC Meeting Company, our meeting organizer, at 414-899-7418.

We thank you all for your excitement to attend the Grand Nest Convention in Hartford, CT and we look forward to gathering again for fellowship and charity very soon! Stay safe until then!

Fraternally yours,
The Blue Goose Hartford Pond 202ONE Convention Committee!

In this ever-changing environment, the HOBGI would like to provide some guidance for you as you begin to re-plan and go forward with many of your meetings or events. We all are concerned about the welfare and safety of our members and any of their guests that will be attending meetings or events in the next several months but unfortunately we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety or protection from contracting the virus.

Right now every Country, State and Province have different re-integration plans, rules and guidelines. Grand Nest is encouraging every Pond to think about re-starting, however, it is essential that any Pond that is planning, scheduling or hosting events MUST follow the guidelines that your State or Province have in place on the date of said event/meeting. You MUST also send each attendee the State or Provincial guidelines in place at that time, as well as the venue guidelines in advance of the meeting, in addition to having them posted clearly at your event/meeting. This protocol will remain in effect for your Pond as long as restrictions continue to exist in your location. All HOBGI Regional events are postponed until further notice unless you are able to hold them virtually.

PLEASE NOTE: the HOBGI Commercial General Liability policy has an endorsement to the policy that clearly states that there is NOT any coverage for COVID -19 exposures resulting from a meeting/event we are hosting.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your MLGG, Dan Rich at DRICH@@travelers.com.

PLAN SAFE, STAY SAFE & STAY HEALTHY!