Volunteers need to step up and fill offices of Back Country Horsemen

Published 9:10 am Monday, February 5, 2018

To the editor:
Happy New Year to everyone.
Boy our year is off to a cold start. The good news is warmer weather is on the way.
I wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank all BCHET members for giving their money and time to support the BCHET and our effort to keep the horse trails in Northeast TN open. As in all organizations you have those who are active in the organization and those who offer their support but aren’t actively engaged.
I want to especially recognize all those who have been engaged over the past six years of my presidency. Those who have volunteered to serve on the board, our present and past secretaries, vice presidents, and outpost leaders. These people have volunteered and dedicated a sizable portion of their time to serve the members of the BCHET. They are using their precious time to look out for your interest, to protect your access to local trails and they do this all for FREE. Their efforts ensure that you can continue to enjoy that special time with your horse.
The past and present members of the BCHET board did not volunteer to serve because they had spare time on their hands. They volunteered because they care about the cause. They volunteered because they want to ensure you and I continue to enjoy our time in the saddle. But let me say again: they did not volunteer to serve because they had spare time. NO, they volunteered to serve and then they made the time required to get the job done.
Every member who has served on the BCHET since its beginning has taken a portion of their family’s time and dedicated that time to ensure that their family and your family continues to have a voice in the future of our local trail systems. Not only does our continued involvement ensure a local voice but a State and National voice as well. The BCHET is now one of five BCHA chapters in Tennessee and it all started here in Northeast TN with the BCHET.
It takes a volunteer to make things happen and it takes a dedicated volunteer to get things done. The dedicated volunteers of the BCHET are not paid. They give of their time freely to serve you and I. Their efforts for the most part go unnoticed. It is only the members of the board and the outpost leaders who truly see the work that is required to keep the BCHET going.
It takes a volunteer to make things happen. It takes a dedicated volunteer to get things done. We have had some awesome volunteers over the years. I would like to mention them all but I fear that I would miss someone and for that I would be attacked. But my skin has grown thick over the past six years so I will mention just one, Tori Tolliver.
Tori has been a dedicated volunteer since 2002, the beginning of BCHET. She has served on the board since the beginning. She has organized and lead trail rides for the BCHET year after year. She shows up for workday after workday. She also makes a extra effort to ensure the workday is enjoyable. Believe it or not, she normally bakes brownies the night before and shares them with everyone who turns out. She has organized potlucks, roundups and camping trips year after year. She stepped up during a recent packing event and helped turn it into a successful event. She is and has always been a dedicated member to the BCHET. Thank You Tori!
Have Tori and I always agreed on the direction the BCHET should take or on the details of a project or event? No, and sometimes she has stepped on my toes and sometimes I have stepped on hers. Yes, we may have disagreed but we remained friends and we continued to work together for the good of the BCHET. Would the BCHET be here today if Tori had chosen to sit on the sidelines? Maybe not.
The question is: will the BCHET be here two years, four years, and 10 years from now? Well, if you chose to sit on the sidelines, the BCHET may not be around.
It takes a volunteer and we need you to be a dedicated volunteer. The BCHET needs you to step up and be an active member. I have served the maximum number years (six) allowed for the office of president of the BCHET. Therefore, the office of president of BCHET will soon be vacant and so we are in need of candidates. We need a few of you to step up and throw your hat into the ring. We are also in need of candidates for the office of secretary and the board of directors too.
The election will take place in mid-March so we need candidates now. Please seriously consider what is at stake here. We MUST fill these positions to continue as the BCHET. Please discuss this need with your family and friends and then submit your name or your friends’ name (with their agreement) for the office of president, secretary or a position on the board of directors.

Sincerely,
Larry Jeffers
President
Back Country Horsemen of East Tennessee

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