President Message - 3rd Quarter 2025 

 

As a National Club we continue to make positive changes for our Club, below are some of those updates to bring you up to speed:

 

1.   Future of the Regional Meeting Groups that was led by Bill Kruder

 As long as we had leadership for that area of the country we would continue to maintain  that Regional Meeting Group. If we could not find Leadership then we dissolve the RMG and ask those members if they would like to join a neighboring RMG or just be National Members only.

 

2.   RMG Leadership Teams - it’s sometime hard to get members to step up and lead an RMG. 

Therefore we would like to see 2 - 3 members making a commitment to lead an RMG so it’s not the responsibility of one person usually know at the President. Better to share the responsibility as a Leadership Team. The Southeast and Southwest has taken that

approach.

 

3.   Smaller Hubs for Get Togethers’

 Bill Kruder has been a huge partner to help get this program off the ground.  We had many smaller groups formed this year which might consist of anywhere from 8 - 16 members with/without spouses to get together for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner to           

 share laughs and catch up with each other. 

 

4.   E-Newletter created by Steve Strom 

This has been a valuable information piece that goes out between our Partners Magazine as an email blast and we have had over 1,000 plus members read the E-Newletter.

  

5.    Membership Drive by John Chapman 2nd VP

 We have added over 70 plus members so far this year and many are in the contest to either to go to Kemmere, Wy. In 2026 for our Golden Rule Days in August or receive a $1,000 in cash. 

 

We have used GhatGPT to create a message to send out either via email, Facebook or Messenger to prospective members that have worked for JCPenney, see below:

 

Once a JCPenney Associate… Always Part of the Family

 

Remember the teamwork, the holiday rushes, the friends who became like family?        Keep that spirit alive by joining the HCSC JCP Alumni Club — free until January 2027! After that, dues are just $__/year and include two Partners Magazines, club news, and invites to local and national events where the JCPenney stories never get old.

Your JCPenney journey may have ended, but the friendships don’t have to.

Reconnect today at www.jcpalumniclub.org and just click on the (Join the HCSC today!)

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6.    Century Club Member - we just added our oldest Century Club Member in August,

Elsie Pickles who turned 105 years old on July 1st, 2025, more to come about her in the     next Partners Magazine.    

      

As always, I can’t thank our wonderful team of members enough who make our Club run on a daily basis and I would like to recognize:

John Chapman 1st VP, Sharon Winkle Secretary, Karen Bell Treasure, Tom Clarke Emeritus Board, Steve Strom Past President, Bill Kruder Past President, Jeannette Siegel-Partners Magazine Mgr., Debi Kruder- Email Blasts Mgr., Maggie Mertzlufft-Website Mgr., Julie Gilmore -Quickbooks Mgr., Robin Caldwell - Century Club Recognition and Susan Dunseth - 50 Year Pin Recognition, Board of Directors and Regional Meeting Group Leadership Teams. 

 

If there is anything any of us can do please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. 

 

John Gresham - JCP HSCS Alumni President