NSS Life Leadership

From the Desk of the President

The weather over the past week in the Pittsburgh area has been quite extreme. Last weekend actual temperatures hovered between 0° and 10° and the windchill temperatures were between minus 15° and minus 30°. Today, the high temperature is predicted to reach 60°. Over the course of the next week temperatures will remain above freezing and high temperatures will reach the high 50’s. What a difference a week makes in Pittsburgh area weather. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected from last week’s severe weather across the country, especially those in western New York. The blizzard conditions in the area near Buffalo dumped several feet of snow and with the gusting wind, snow drifts made travel impossible in the area.

The month of February brings us Groundhog Day on February 2nd, Valentine’s Day on February 14th, President’s Day on February 20th, and the beginning of the Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. Several assemblies have meetings planned during the month of February including Assembly 617 on February 15th, Assembly 586 on February 17th, and Assembly 588 on February 27th. Assembly 432 has a Tobogganing Event scheduled on February 19th. Please make plans this year to attend your assembly’s meetings and events and become more active in our Society!

Congratulations and Happy 133rd Birthday to the National Slovak Society! We will celebrate this occasion on Founders Day, Monday February 20th which is also Presidents Day. The Home Office will be closed for business on that day. The Society continues to fulfill its mission and to grow providing our members a means of financial security through the life insurance and annuity products offered. Although the year-end results will not be posted until the Annual Financial Statement is completed at the end of February, based on the results of the Third Quarter Financial Statement the NSS has had a very successful 2022. The surplus of the Society has increased by nearly $9.8 million through the first three quarters, and the solvency ratio has also increased. These metrics indicate a strength in our operations and additional protection for the money invested by our members. The increase of surplus was one of the areas of focus of our last Strategic Business Plan. Since the plan was finalized in 2017, our surplus has increased from $43,563,074 as of 12/31/2016 to $90,727,410 as of 9/30/2022, an increase of $47,164,336 or 108.66 %! We have more than doubled our surplus during the life of the most recent Strategic Business Plan providing additional security for the money of our members. The increase has not happened by chance, but is the result of thoughtful strategic business decisions made by the Board of Directors and Officers over the life of the recent Strategic Business Plan.

The Board of Directors and Officers will be involved in the development of a new Strategic Business Plan that will help to guide decisions over the next five to seven years. The process began with the selection of a consulting firm to oversee the process which will take place over the next ten months. The strategic planning process will involve the collection of information from the Directors, Officers, and Home Office department managers through interviews and surveys, meetings with the Directors and Officers, and finalization of the plan which will be presented for adoption at the Fall Meeting of the Board of Directors in November, 2023. This important process will result in a plan that will help guide the Society over the next five to seven years. The newly reorganized Board of Directors will have direct input into the future of the Society through their ideas and vision during the strategic planning process.

The Joint Fraternal Societies Bowling Tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 19 – 20, 2023, at the AMF Airport Lanes located in Cheektowaga, New York near Buffalo. Hotel accommodations will be at the Buffalo Airport Hotel. Bowlers from NSS will compete with bowlers from GCU, FCSU, and SCS. This year two new divisions have been added to the tournament, Mixed Team and Mixed Doubles, provided there are an adequate number of entries. Hope to see NSS represented at the tournament! The entry form/application will appear in next month’s edition of the National News. Join us in New York for a weekend of great bowling and fraternal fun!

News of Narodniars

Special Happy Birthday wishes to my granddaughter Adalyn Bernardo. Hope your birthday is as special as you are! Happy Birthday to Randi Czarney, Elaine Kucherawy, Bob Triebsch, Elizabeth Young, Don Shriver, Linda Beno, former Home Office Employee Mary Lou Chojnicki, Phillip Chojnicki, Danielle Lavin, Cooper Lavin, Maureen O’Neill, Bob O’Neill, and all other NSS members celebrating a birthday in the month of February.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Veronica and Cliff Moeller, Maureen and Bob O’Neill, and all other couples celebrating an anniversary this month.
Get well wishes go out to our Legal Advisor Ron Cooper, and to Floyd McKain who both underwent surgery recently. Wishing both of you a quick recovery!