WHAT OUR VALUES MEAN
We undertook the development of a value statement by asking a wide variety of Civil War community organizations, CWRT leaders, advisors, donors, board members, and others to tell us why CWRTs might want to affiliate with the Congress. To me, the diversity of responses mirrors the diversity among CWRTs and why they look to us for inspiration, guidance, resources, and as a network convener. And it is their desire for competency and sustainability that inspires us as they face their many challenges. Mike Movius, President
The Mission of the Civil War Congress needs to be read over and over by the leaders and members of all Round Tables and put into practice. The Mission of the CWRT Congress is to provide new and existing Civil War Round Tables with time-tested tools to help them to remain or become sustainable.
We continue to do this in many ways. First of all, during the start of the pandemic we stepped up and provided great historians, authors and Civil War speakers on Zoom and You Tube for Round Tables to sign onto when they could not have meetings. Our newsletter The Light Post is very informative, well written, and keeps Round Tables up to date on what is going on around the country. Lately, the Online Classrooms have provided Round Tables with proven practices and innovative ideas. The stable Round Tables should find and support the less than stable Round Tables in their areas and states and adopt them as sister Round Tables to mentor them. That will make us all stronger. John Bamberl, Vice President
My involvement with the CWRT Congress has taken a significant uptick as I have become a regular attendee of the numerous Zoom presentations that have been offered since the late winter of 2020. I have been but one of many attendees from all points of the compass. It has been gratifying to support the success of the Zoom programming, which truly emphasizes the “networking” watchword of our mission statement. And the feedback and ideas garnered from my new “networking” colleagues has proven that our mission statement, “Improvement through education & networking,” is achieving success. Bill Miller, Secretary
When I became the President of the Capital District Civil War Round Table, having been a board member and officer for many previous years, I had two goals for my term. I wanted to recruit younger members (not older than 50) to the Board. I also wanted to improve the online presence and capacity of the Round Table.
After I attended the 2017 Congress meeting in Manassas and listened to Mike Movius talk about technology and how a round table might effectively use it, our Board considered how we could implement the strategies Mike identified for an enhanced online presence for a round table. Each of the new members of the Board took responsibility for one of the elements. We arranged a joint editorship for our well-regarded almost monthly newsletter. One of the new members took responsibility for an enhanced Facebook page. The other new member arranged to tape programs and, as part of his service to the Round Table, conducted a regular online program involving interviews with well-known Civil War experts.
Building capacity for new activities in an organization that has been successful at its mission for many decades requires new thinking. Having the benefit of the Congress allowed us to stretch our programming into areas we had not previously effectively explored. Rosemary Nichols, Treasurer
The Ambassador Program of the CWRT Congress permits for interaction with and between Round Tables and the partners of the Congress. Opening lines of communication allows for the exchange of practices and challenges experienced across the nation. Listening to the strengths, needs and concerns of Round Tables permits understanding and analysis. The Program serves to provide mentoring, coaching and advise to Round Tables as well as connection. It collects data that serves as a repository for all and benefits the National Civil War community. Training through classes and workshops spreads the information and gathers feedback for improvement. Honored to serve and learn with others. Rich Jankowski, Director
Recent events have highlighted the need for accurate history to be understood by American citizens across the country. Civil War Round Tables have the opportunity to be local centers of expertise for those with an interest to learn more about our country’s defining conflict, the ramifications of which are still resonating through all levels of our society. The CWRT Congress is providing direct aid and support to round tables that voluntarily seek us out in order to enhance their membership, organization, culture, and programming. The need for robust round tables distributed throughout our country has never been more imperative. Thus, the work that the CWRT Congress does to support round tables is crucial and I am proud to do what I can to assist the survival and growth of round tables. Michael Kirschner, Director
Every round table is unique in its particular circumstances and challenges, but by sharing proven practices and innovative ideas, the CWRT Congress is helping the entire community. Even in the difficult past few years, where it was easy to feel isolated and alone in an uphill battle to maintain momentum amid, but by imparting lessons learned in one location that can be adapted and adopted in others, the Congress has become an incubator worth emulating. The round table movement has long been a bulwark of this history community, instigating deeper understanding and study, connecting historians and allowing individuals to join together to undertake impressive projects in fields like the preservation of battlefields and other cultural resources. The CWRT Congress is ensuring that round tables have the resources to remain just as relevant throughout the 21st century. Mary Koik, Director
As the Communications Director for the CWRT Congress and editor of The Light Post, I take pride in being able to provide Civil War round tables with information that may help them thrive and survive. I’ve learned so much from those leaders and members within the CWRT community about their successes and challenges. I believe that through The Light Post and other communications, the CWRT Congress provides a uniting and valuable service to our CWRT community worldwide. Carol VanOrnum, Director
