Bi-Monthly Teleconference

Monthly TACONA tele-conference call. Notification with the dial-in details is sent to members via email ahead of each meeting.

Novi Nutsuwo, Novi Nyonuwo, Tsitsiawo kple Deviwokata……Medo Feyeye na mi.

By the Mercy of the Almighty God, we have gone through the year 2012. During the year 2012 some TACONA members (or their families and friends) had serious medical problems and in some cases had to undergo operations. Thank God everything went well with them. But even though all TACONA members made it through the year 2012, the same cannot be said about some of their family members. They departed this world. May their Souls rest with the Lord!

The year 2012 on the whole might not be described by all members as a very good year. The economic tides were rough and challenging; the job market was almost stagnant. But in the face of all these difficulties the Lord did not abandon us. We prevailed and for that we are extremely grateful.

How did TACONA do in the year 2012? TACONA saw a positive growth both in terms of membership and our balance at the Bank. TACONA had an amazing Get-Together Party and TACONA members had a successful review of the Constitution. Based on the aforementioned it can be said that TACONA is slowly but steadily moving in the right direction. One day and with the help of God, TACONA will be a household name. That is my dream.

TACONA will grow faster and bigger if our sisters and brothers who are still sitting on the fence can come down and join us. There could be many reasons why those that are qualified to be members are still not registered. Some might say they don't have the time. This may not be a valid excuse. Think about the hours spent on favorite TV shows and games EVERY WEEK. TACONA telephone conference on the other hand happens only once a MONTH so if they have the will, they can make up the time. 'No money to pay monthly dues' some might say. To them I say they don't need money to have good ideas. TACONA needs ideas. Come and share your ideas with us. A single bright idea can change the course of things both for TACONA as an Association and Taviefe as a whole. And to those who are avoiding TACONA because of personal conflicts, I urge them to put their differences aside and focus on the love they have for Taviefe. The love they have for Taviefe should be big enough to overshadow petty personal differences. I encourage all members to continue sharing the news about TACONA with as many people as they can.

In closing let me say this……It takes more than a President to run an organization and TACONA is not an exception. TACONA is not making progress because I am the President. No. I am privileged to have competent Executive members. I am greatly indebted to them for the good performance of their duties. Beside the Executive members, there is the support group of individuals that I normally refer to as 'behind the scene' contributors. These are some dedicated individuals who not only offer expert advice to the Executives on certain issues but also run errands for TACONA. I am also aware of some supportive spouses who indirectly assist TACONA in various ways through their partners. I appreciate your help and I say thank you.

Last but not the least, I salute all members of TACONA. Thanks for your dedication and Love for TACONA. I am proud to belong to your family……TACONA family. May the Lord shower His blessings upon us all during the year 2013 and beyond!

Long Live TACONA!!!

Novi nutsuwo, novi nyonuwo, xolowo, tsitsiawo kple deviawo kata, medo dza na mi.

I welcome each and every one to TACONA's first Get-Together celebration. Before I touch on my message for this event, please join me in thanking the Almighty for granting us the favor to witness this day which is made possible by Him. To Him be the Glory. On the human level, I am greatly indebted to the Chairman and all members of the TACONA Get-Together Planning Committee for their hard work to transform our wishes into a reality.

I however deeply regret the fact that I am not with you IN PERSON today. But in SPIRIT, I'm with you. I'm here. So let us enjoy together.

Let me start my address by thanking all TACONA members for giving me the chance to be the interim President of the association. During the tenure of my office, I try to discharge all my duties to the best of my ability. While attempting to do that, I might have stepped on some toes. I sincerely apologize to those who felt offended by any of my words or actions. Believe me, none of my words or actions were intentionally calculated to hurt anyone. I don't expect to score 100% job approval rating from every member either. To those who hold the opinion that some issues could have been handled differently, my advice to them is to actively participate in the deliberation of matters affecting TACONA. All humans, including the President of TACONA, make mistakes; the only exception is those who do nothing. If we all openly express our views on matters of interest to TACONA, I bet you mistakes will be reduced to a minimum, if not completely eliminated.

Having said that, let me express my profound gratitude to the Interim Executives. I could not have led TACONA this far without the Executive members, who immensely contributed to the smooth running of TACONA. When we think of the fact that these members put in their time and efforts without any compensation whatsoever, we all just have to, not only admire them, but be very grateful to them as well.

There are those that I term 'behind the scene contributors'. These are individuals who did not have any official title in the administration of TACONA and yet their care for TACONA went beyond giving expert advice on certain issues to running errands for TACONA. To them I say thank you.

Last but not the least, I thank all members from the bottom of my heart for their warmth; I have truly enjoyed the comfort they provided me for being part of their family. Let me hereby state that the existence of TACONA and her merits are largely because of the aforementioned groups and individuals. The deficiencies remain my own.

Now, a little background history of TACONA…… Taviefe Citizens of North America (TACONA) was born during the funeral and burial of the late Dominic Abiew (peace and blessing be upon his soul) whose sudden death sent a wave of shock through all those that knew him. His untimely and sudden departure to the next world left us perplexed, to say the least. We were totally lost and unprepared for such a devastating tragedy. In that state of mind, the idea of forming an Association to better cope with any similar situation that might crop up in the future came from someone at the funeral. As would be expected the idea was enthusiastically embraced by all like minds and on the 20th day of January 2009, TACONA was formally inaugurated.

The circumstance under which TACONA was formed is the underlying factor why the Association at the moment is seen as more tragedy oriented. The primary focus of TACONA at the moment is to be able to offer some financial assistance to a bereaved family when the unfortunate but inevitable happens. But sadly, the current amount entrenched in our Constitution as a donation to the bereaved family is very minimal; in fact, it is only symbolic, not a help in the true sense of the word. It is my hope that a proposal to slightly raise this amount during the review of our Constitution should be on the table. As time goes on this amount should continue to be beefed up based on our financial standing. It is my prayer that TACONA's contribution to a bereaved family in the near future should make a dent on the funeral expenses.

'Mi wor novi le agbeme'. That is our popular Ewe adage. Furthermore, 'Venor memloa axa deka dzio'. With this in mind, we have to balance our commitment between the unfortunate bereaved families and families that will be blessed with joyous news such as child births, graduations and weddings. The revision of the TACONA Constitution should therefore include expansion of the constitution to address these two vital stages of our lives.

Now, why are we gathered here today? We are here today to put faces on the voices that we have heard on numerous occasions on our Tele Conference calls; we are here today to eat, drink and dance together. But above all, we are here today to introduce TACONA to those who are not yet members. Yes, they've heard about TACONA. Now we present them TACONA. We therefore urge all non-members to join us today. Simply put, this is a membership drive get-together. Everyone gathered here today is a potential member of TACONA. How do I know this? The answer is simple: You will not be here today if you don't care about TACONA in any way. Just see the secretary for your membership package. You will not be turned down. I promise you. Also, I humbly ask everyone gathered here today to share the news about TACONA with friends and families. The importance of being a member of TACONA, especially those born to citizen(s) of Taviefe, or tied to Taviefe by marriage cannot be over-emphasized.

To conclude, I wish you luck in the deliberations of the TACONA Constitution and the election of new Executives. Enjoy yourselves to the fullest. Again, thanks for coming.

Viva TACONA.

Novi Nutsuwo kple Novi Nyonuwo. FEYEYE na mia peteee!!!

First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Almighty Jehovah for safely guiding us through the year 2011 and enabling us to start with the year 2012. May His Mercy be on us all throughout the year 2012.

TACONA is also still standing as an Association; so are all the TACONA members. I am indeed grateful to the Lord. However, TACONA members suffered quite a lot of indirect hits. Some dear and beloved individuals, who were one way or the other connected to TACONA members, departed this world. I would like to commit their souls to the Lord. May their souls rest in perfect peace!

Now, let us take stock of TACONA in 2011. Our membership is slowly growing. Our balance at the Bank stands ….. These two major issues are positive. But TACONA could have achieved more than that. I therefore humbly ask all members to join me in declaring 2012 as the Year of ACTION.

Let me elaborate. Areas requiring serious and immediate actions include: (1) There are quite a number of individuals who are qualified to be members of TACONA, but they are not at the moment. There may be varied reasons for this; the notable ones are (a) such individuals have not yet heard of TACONA — let us use the power of word of mouth to spread the news to them; every member who knows of somebody who is not yet a member of TACONA should end up the New Year's greetings to him/her with an invitation to check TACONA out, and this process should continue throughout the year; (b) there may be those who have heard of TACONA but are still sitting on the fence — if it will take some motivation, let us give them some.

(2) I know times are bad, but members should give some kind of priority to the payment of their dues. This is the only way TACONA can meet her obligations if the need arises.

(3) Members should make an effort to join TACONA monthly Tele-Conference calls. An idea from a member could help mould the future of TACONA.

(4) Members who agreed and voted that the TACONA Get-Together must take place in 2012 should show their commitment by sending in their contributions. The deadline has just passed, but the Treasurer will be glad to accept late payments. The Get-Together WILL take place in 2012.

In conclusion, let me take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to the Executive committee for their outstanding performances. But the President and his Executives could not have led TACONA this far without the help of some 'behind the scene' performers. Those individuals in many diverse ways contributed greatly to the running of TACONA. My sincere thanks to them. To all members, I say thanks for enabling me to belong to a BIGGER FAMILY.

VIVA TACONA!!

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!