President’s Corner—March 1, 2022

While we were optimistic in 2021 that we had turned the corner on Covid and that square dancing would be bouncing back in full swing by now, the Delta and Omicron variants had different plans. We ended 2021 with a successful New Year’s Eve Dance co-sponsored by the WNYF and Copy Cats. The afternoon celebration included 4 squares of dancers and 10 round dance couples. In addition to dancers from Copy Cats, dancers from the following clubs attended: Cloverleafs, Grand Squares, Shamrock Squares and Silver Squares. It was a fun time dancing together to Jim Gotta calling and cueing as we welcomed in the new year.

So far between Covid and winter weather, several early 2022 dances have already been cancelled. Some clubs have temporarily stopped dancing, taking a Covid pause until the infection rates are lower. We all are being very cautious as we attend various events and gatherings, adhering to the various precautions being recommended.

As you check the dancing schedules in the Promenader for the next few months, there are several special dancers coming up—Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, St Patrick’s Day dances, etc. A lot of fun dancing is being planned.

Plans are underway for our 62nd annual Dance-O-Rama (DOR) on Saturday, May 14. Please save the date for our afternoon DOR dance at the Perinton Recreation Center in Fairport. More information will be available shortly; flyers, dance schedules, pre-sale tickets, etc. They will be sent to our club presidents to share with their members.

Discussions are currently underway for three Federation-sponsored Summer dances. Last year all the Summer dances were very well attended despite some challenges with heavy winds and rains. We currently are checking into several outside pavilion venues. As soon as we know the dates, locations, callers & cuers we will share them with everyone.

We know we all enjoy our dancing and want to share it with others. A great way to share square dancing is through demos. If you have any ideas or opportunities to demo square dancing, please let the Federation know. We will gladly assist with helping obtain a caller, getting additional dancers, etc.

Another resource many of the clubs may not be aware of involves the recruitment and retention funding programs the WNY Federation has available. At our last WNYF meeting it was unanimously approved to re-institute these two funding programs for our member clubs. There are two types of financial help that clubs can apply to the Federation for:

1. Promotion / Advertising Reimbursement Program—limited to up $60 per member club per calendar year. This reimbursement can be used to offset the costs of advertising intended to get new dancers into the program. Advertising can include expenses for posting on the Internet, radio or print advertising, lawn signs, flyers, etc.

2. New Dancer Recruitment and Dancer Retention Grant Program—limited up to $125 per member club per calendar year. This can be used for special or different events necessary to get new dancers or retain our current dancers. Can be for advertising, demo at a community event, special dances, etc.

More information on these grants, the application process and forms are the WNYF home page under the Forms and Documentation Tab. Here is the weblink: http://www.squaredancingrochester.org/formsanddocuments.html

We recently received notification from the IRS that WNY Federation of Square and Round Dancers Inc. has been granted not-for-profit status as a 501(c)(3) organization. We want to thank everyone who participated in this effort. The process has taken more than a year to complete. It first required we be recognized as a charity and incorporated in New York State.

At the onset of Covid in 2020, the Federation was approached about accepting donations. Our response at that time was that we were not legally structured to do so. We are now able to accept donations as a qualified 501(c)(3).

We look forward to seeing & dancing with you on the dance floor sometime soon!

Please Take Care—stay well & safe,

Debbie & Jeff Blood