On New Year’s Day, when the singing, fireworks and champagne toasts are over, many of us become more serious about life (at least for a few minutes). We take stock and plan new courses of action to better our lives. As individuals and organizations, we enjoy a sense of purpose and accomplishment when we achieve our values and planning for them gives us hope, that we will endure.

So what does this mean for the DBA in January 2003?

You may recall there was a Planning Retreat held by the DBA Board of Trustees and Executive Management four years ago during which our goals were defined and strategies to attain them were developed. The "Vision for 2001" was stated as:

• Continue to get members together in person to counter isolation facilitated by expanding technology
• Increase membership
• Continue to have members come to the bar as an activity center for networking, interaction and education
• Take the DBA on a field trip! Or on the road! Or at least to LoDo!
• Have long-range plans for organization and for the provision of services to lower income people
• Be the repository of substantive information re: Colorado topics
• Increase members’ activity in the DBA

How are we doing? Next month I’ll tell you what I think, but I wanted you to have some time to respond first. Obviously, we have actual membership statistics but your impression of our goals, whether we have attained any or all of them, and whether we need to re-examine them may be just as important as what the numbers show.

So let us hear from you so that we can prepare the DBA 2003 Resolutions!