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Presidents Message & Past Newsletters |
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Letter from our Club President President’s Christmas Message for the 2008 New Year (ed.note: This letter was distributed at the club’s December St. Nikolausfeier. The letter was addressed to all members & friends of the club so we have reprinted it here in its entirety).
Dear Members and Friends of the Donauschwaben, I would like to welcome you to our annual St. Nikolausfeier. We are glad you are here with us this afternoon as we celebrate the start of the Christmas season with great food, singing, poems and lots of Gemütlichkeit. While we all love the decorations, gift-giving and rituals that make this time of year so special, we shouldn’t forget that Christmas is really about giving thanks. We give thanks for the birth of Jesus, for our family and friends, and for all the many blessings God bestows upon us. As a club, we are thankful for the many fine members who made 2007 another good year for the club. A great big “Danke!” to everyone for their hard work and support. We really could not have done it without each and every one of you. We’ve had some terrific events this past year, including the auto show, our canoe trips, big ski trip, pilgrimage, and the heritage festival in Holmdel. This is in addition to our consistently successful monthly dinners like the Schlachtfests, pig roasts, and today’s St. Nikolausfeier among others. Of course, we can also all be proud of our newsletter, website, German language school and dance group which remain fundamental to our club’s stated mission of promoting German language and culture. No doubt about it, ladies and gentlemen, it’s been another successful 12 months for the Donauschwaben. Yet, while the good times were many, we also want to remember all those members and friends who passed away this year. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how many lives we come in contact with through the club. It really is like one big family and when someone passes away all of us feel the loss in some way. We can all take some solace in the fact that while these members are no longer with us they will remain a part of the wonderful memories all of us share through our experiences here at the Donauschwaben. And so, on behalf of the Donauschwaben, I would like to wish all of you a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Frohe Weihnachten und alles Gute im neuen Jahr. Prosit, 2008! Sincerely, Joseph Brandecker, President
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