Iowa Secularists - A community of religion-free Iowans!

American Atheists Looking for State Directors – including for Iowa!

Posted in General on April 21st, 2010 by sfedler – Comments Off

Hello American Atheist Affiliates,

I am Ken Loukinen, Director of State Operations for American Atheists. One of my first goals is to find a State Director for each state that has an affiliate and even those few that do not. Though I am going through affiliates, being associated with one is not a requirement. Living close to your State’s Capital is a plus, but again not required.

What we are seeking is individuals that are dedicated and motivated to the rights of non-believers and separation of State/church issues, and whose organizational loyalty is first and foremost (not necessarily exclusively) to American Atheists. The duties include keeping up on local and state issues pertaining to Atheists, initiating protests, letter writing campaigns, and communicating with Freethought groups in your state and relaying the info to American Atheists (through me) and vice versa.

If you are interested, or know of an interested person that you can endorse, please send an email expressing the interest, experience in activism (a major plus) if any and I will send an application. It is preferable that you have been a member of American Atheists for several years; however it is not set in stone for standout applicants.

This is a very important role in American Atheists. State Directors are the eyes and ears, they are the “watchdogs” and motivators, and they are volunteers which makes them more valuable. But you will find that is not a thankless job: ask any current State Director.

American Atheists has always been on the forefront of secularism in America and the rights of the non-religious. In the past few years the Atheist movement has made great strides and is making a difference. Now is not the time to rest on the works of past atheists, but to continue forward until ALL Americans are treated as equals, special rights are stripped from the churches, and our elected officials use logic and reason as a basis for governing.

Ask not what American Atheists can do for you, but what can you do for America’s Atheists. We need you!

To find out if your state needs a State Director, please visit http://atheists.org/about/State_Directors

Thank you,
Ken Loukinen
American Atheists, Director of State Operations
KLoukinen@atheists.org

–

In reason,
Blair Scott
National Affiliate Director, Alabama State Director, and Social Networking Coordinator, American Atheists, Inc.
Staff Writer, American Atheist Magazine
Alabama State Director online: http://atheists.org/Alabama
National Affiliate Director online: http://atheists.org/about/local_and_affiliates
Official American Atheists on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Atheists-Inc-Official/71352317417
Official American Atheists on Twitter: http://twitter.com/americanatheist
Official American Atheists on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/americanatheists
Email: bscott@atheists.org or alabamaatheist@gmail.com
Pri Phone: (256) 701-6265
Sec Phone: (256) 503-1123
Postal: PO Box 41, Ryland, AL 35767-2000

Personal Web Page: http://alabamaatheist.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rblairscott
YouTube: http://youtube.com/blairscott

American Atheists is a nationwide movement which defends the civil rights of nonbelievers, works for the separation of church and state, and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy. American Atheists, Inc. PO Box 158, Cranford, NJ 07016, Tel: (908) 276-7300 Fax: (908) 276-7402

Board Elections at the Annual Conference

Posted in General on April 16th, 2010 by sfedler – Comments Off

Hello,

As you know, the Iowa Secularists Annual Conference will be held Saturday, July 17 at the Ramada Tropics Resort and Conference Center in Des Moines. With the meeting of members in the morning there is one important item that needs to be addressed.

There is a vacant Board member position that needs to be filled. THE IS IS NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR A BOARD SEAT, TO BE ACTIVE FROM 2010-2013.

In order to nominate someone for a member to the Board, the nominator must be an Associate or Contributing member. In order to be nominated for a position on the Board, the nominee must be an Associate or Contributing member in good standing. A member may also nominate themselves. To be eligible for office, an elected nominee must be or become a Contributing member prior to the beginning of the term of office. This level of membership must be maintained for the duration of the term of the office.

The IS encourages all members to consider nominating someone, even yourself, to become active leaders. The organization thrives on your energy, input, and diversity and the more members that get involved, the stronger the organization will be. Please consider nominating another member or yourself to help the organization grow and expand.

Please send any nominations to my attention by Monday, May 17, 2010.

Thanks!

Scott Fedler

Chair, Iowa Secularists

sfedler@iowasecularists.org

Location for July Conference

Posted in General on April 12th, 2010 by sfedler – Comments Off

The location has been secured for the IS Annual Conference on July 17, 2010.

We have reserved space at the Ramada Tropics Resort and Conference Center (http://www.ramadatropicsresort.com/) in Des Moines, which is conveniently located on the southwest corner of the intersection of I-80 and Merle Hay Road (hat tip to member Don Sievers for the suggestion!). Come for the conference, and stay for the waterpark!

The conference will feature a meeting of the voting members in the morning, followed by sessions for all the membership in the afternoon, with the keynote address that evening featuring the Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta.

Save the date now, but look for registration and further details coming in the near future!

SAVE THE DATE! Iowa Secularists Annual Conference

Posted in General on March 30th, 2010 by sfedler – Comments Off

SAVE THE DATE!

Those that came to the Spring Fling this last weekend were treated to a little inside information for the IS, but the 5th Annual Iowa Secularists Conference will be held Saturday, July 17, 2010 in Des Moines. A specific location has yet to be finalized, but be sure to reserve the date now on your calendars. Online registration is now available.

The meeting will consist of a meeting of Associate and Contributing members in the morning, followed by afternoon sessions for the general membership. The day will conclude with a dinner and a keynote address.

The Iowa Secularists are proud to announce the keynote speaker for the conference will be The Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta!

Hemant Mehta is the Chair of the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) Board of Directors.

He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he graduated with honors in both Mathematics and Biology. While there, he also helped establish their first secular student group, Students WithOut Religious Dogma (SWORD). He is now earning his Masters in Math Education at DePaul University.

He has worked with the Center for Inquiry and is the SSA representative to the Secular Coalition for America. He is also on the board of Foundation Beyond Belief, a charity organization targeting non-theistic donors.

Hemant was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for his work as the “eBay Atheist” and his book about the experience, I Sold My Soul on eBay (WaterBrook Press), was released in 2007.

Hemant’s blog can be read at FriendlyAtheist.com.

He currently works as a high school Math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago.

Hemant will provide two sessions at the conference – one focusing on the suitability of religion and religious belief in education, and another one about how to build secular student groups and how to interact positively with theists.

The IS looks forward to Hemant joining the conference, and look forward to see you there, also!

Welcome

Posted in General on March 19th, 2010 by Anastasia – Comments Off

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