Hi all –
This is David Merenbach and I want to wish you all a very happy new year. I am Unit 503’s new Board President.
While I wanted the first email of the New Year to be upbeat and optimistic, I must share with you that the Board met today to close the Bridge Center for two weeks through Sunday January 16. Upon return, all players will need to be vaccinated and if eligible will need to be boosted. We believe it is in the best interest of our community to be cautious as we work our way through the pandemic.
Despite the impact of the pandemic, I am happy to share the news that despite two very difficult years the Unit is in a strong position. We are sound financially, we have wonderful volunteers and we have people who are working hard to assure we can all continue to play this game we love.
Unit 503 is a community that share a passion for a unique game and I want to recognize some of the people who have helped keep that game alive throughout the pandemic.
Our community is blessed with a beautiful bridge center. We renegotiated the lease and upgraded the center during the pandemic. The games run at the center by John Schwartz, Paul Davis, Will Watson, Pru Saunders, Tricia Steele, Lori Spaeth, Marolyn Imaoka, and Kevin O’Leary were all making a face-to-face comeback, until the announced closure, and we are looking forward to when we can play face-to-face with no masks. I want to thank all of our club owners, each of whom contributed part of their BBO earnings for over the first year of the pandemic to the Unit. Their generosity helped our community to continue to flourish.
I would also like to recognize Gabi Bowling whose Wednesday afternoon game at Unity Church was where a lot of our members got comfortable playing duplicate. Neither her Tuesday or Wednesday game has returned to a physical site, but her BBO games throughout the week were and remain a great option for our membership during the pandemic.
We are also fortunate to have alternative games within our unit that are not currently hosted at the PABC. The games at the Vi (Mary Steele) and Los Altos Country Club (Marolyn) expand our footprint to parts of our community that may prefer to play somewhere other than the Bridge Center.
We have so many amazing volunteers and need more to lead sectionals and the Firecracker later in the year. I want to thank two volunteers in particular today. Gerry MacDonald has served as President throughout the pandemic. Her steady hand has assured we have weathered a difficult storm. I also would like to thank Charlene Friedman who is stepping off the board after serving for two years in various roles… her insight has been invaluable to all of us.
If you wish to volunteer and contribute your time to the Unit, please email me.
Before, I close I want to encourage people to stay engaged and share a few upcoming events. We have a strong ongoing mentor program, we have great teachers offering classes, and we have these special events coming up:
- January 23 Unit Swiss Team Game
- January 29 Celebrity Lecturer Gavin Wolpert
- February 19 & 20 Non-life Master Sectional
Please be safe. Remember, if you are feeling poorly or have been exposed to Covid, please stay home.
If you have questions or comments you can contact me by email at merenbach@yahoo.com. I plan to provide monthly updates, but you can always learn more at our website.
Have a Happy, Healthy New Year and may all your finesses work –
David Merenbach