Summons Winter 2019 | Page 5

2020 Conference: The 2020 NALA Conference will be held July 9 – 11, 2020, at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I would love to see as large a delegation from WDALA attend this particular conference as possible. Why? Because our very own WDALA member, Melissa Hamilton, will be installed as the President of NALA!!!

I don’t know about you, but I find that extraordinarily exciting … she is going to be the President of the national organization of which we are an affiliated member! And, on top of it – who doesn’t want to go to Atlantic City?!?!?!

Scholarship: Our association has available to its members a $250 scholarship which can be used toward a number of NALA sponsored activities such as the annual conference, the CP exam, self-study courses, etc. It may seem early to think about applying for this scholarship but I know it takes a degree of planning for some of these things and hopefully, the chance to win the scholarship gives you the incentive to apply.

The Scholarship is awarded at our annual meeting in the fall. Think about pushing yourself … apply! All the information about the Scholarship is contained in our Standing Rules.

Membership: Actually, this paragraph is more about becoming involved as a member. As an association, WDALA has a pretty decent number of members. Especially given the diversity in area and sparse population (compared to other affiliate organizations). We are, however, only as good as those that are willing to give a bit of extra attention to keeping us going strong. I look at WDALA as an extension of my career and a way to improve some very important aspects of being a paralegal – networking, continuing education, leadership – just to name a few.

Becoming involved is also a way to “step outside your box” and push yourself. Soon, the nominating committee will be searching for people who are willing to step up to the plate and take on an office for our organization. I would urge each of you to think about what you can do for your organization. You don’t need to be well-known; you don’t need to live in a certain area; you don’t need to have any particular expertise. What you do need is a willingness to give it a try!