STATE OF THE PHLOCK - 2008
Welcome to 2008 and our annual "State of the Phlock" report.
By all accounts, 2007 was another banner year around the "Parrot Head Nation." We worked hard and we played hard … We had a lot of fun, we cavorted with old friends, we made new friends and, sadly, we bid farewell to far too many beloved friends. What we most assuredly did, in a big way, was make a difference - a difference in our communities, a difference in our environment and a difference in the lives of our fellow man as we continue to grow and prosper. What began with the original Parrot Head Club in Atlanta blossomed to a record 229 chapters at year end, an increase of 6% from 2006.
Meeting of the Minds was again an unqualified success. From a group of 80 attendees and 5 Clubs in December, 1992, MOTM has grown to 200+ Clubs and over 3000 dedicated Parrot Heads making the trek to Key West every November for four solid days of music and mirth, mischief and merriment, and above all, the friendship and camaraderie of kindred spirits from around the world.
Attendees this year enjoyed visiting with our guest Ms. Lucy Buffett who spent time in the mini-mart signing copies of her long-awaited and newly released cookbook.
Again, our raffle and the charity auction were extremely successful, as were the annual blood drive and Toys For Tots campaign. Parrot Heads also participated, en masse, in the annual Zonta Walk and, as a team, generated a donation of $ 10,000 for the cause. Replacing the defunct Balcony Decorating Contest for the first time was the soon-to-be-infamous MOTM Hat Contest. In the presence of a panel of luminary judges, Parrot Heads went way beyond the call of duty, as they’ve been known to do on occasion. Designs ranged from simple to intricate and from the sublime to the deliciously ridiculous, with every entry generating thunderous applause from the capacity crowd.
As always, we had a few chapters fall by the wayside, but we've also added several new chapters to the PHiP family already this year, with more on the horizon. At this writing, our organization stands at 227 chapters in the United States, Canada and Australia - 3 different countries, 47 states, 3 Canadian provinces and one U.S. Territory. Our total membership remains steady with more than 25,000 dedicated, fun-loving Parrot Heads amongst the ranks.
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