Fall is a time for new beginnings as many of us head back to school to start a new academic year or semester. The NPAGR board members hope that includes sometime for you to fill your educational needs by attending a few of the programs/ conferences coming your way this fall.

Here is what's coming up!

• First, let's just get together! – Join the board at a networking social at Amore in the Wegmans East Avenue store on Thursday, September , 18th from 5-6 pm. Grab a glass of wine or another beverage and let us know what programs you are interested in, and provide us with feedback about how the organization is doing to meet your needs.
  
  
• Nurses need to join together to learn and take action for change. GVNA's Legislative Committee is sponsoring a Legislative Roundtable on Monday, September 22, 2014 from 6-7:30 pm. The meeting will take place at Highland Family Medicine, which is located at 777 South Clinton Avenue in Rochester, NY 14620. Members from GVNA's Legislative Committee and members of local NSO will be present. We are hoping that you will be able to attend this meeting in advance of the upcoming elections.
  
  
• Tuesday , October 7th , 2014 from 5:30- 7 pm in Room 100 in the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College, How to be an Effective Board Member, presented by Mel Callan who has experience on many boards which affect health care. This program is co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Region Action coalition and is connected to the IOM, Future of Nursing Recommendation which promotes nurse leaders. Nurses need to be a part of the conversation and the decision making about health system transformation. One way to effect this change is to become a board member on a community board, a health systems board, or a professional board. Once there, you will need to know effective strategies. Mel will provide us with insights gained form her years of experience.
  
  
• Join us in Saratoga for The NPA's 30th Annual Conference, October 22-26, 2014. This is the final year for the conference at the beautiful Saratoga Hilton & City Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Early-bird Registration ends on September 30th, 2014. We enjoy seeing you away from home as well. We will be hosting a reception for all the NPAGR members who travel to the conference. Watch the website for more details.
  
  
• Finally, our own Regional conference will be held on Saturday November 15th from 7:30 am until 4 pm. The conference will be held at St. John Fisher in the WSON. Program Committee Chairs David Goede, Kathy Davis and Kimberly Proto-Conroy have lined up a great day of information for all of us, so please take advantage of a quality conference in your own back yard.