Work Hard/Play Hard seems to be the general strategy of the New Jersey Convention of States Team. Following all our hard work this year, we gathered for our annual Holiday Party on December 8, 2024 at The Landing in Hillsborough, New Jersey. It was our second year at this delightful venue, where the food is terrific and the service is excellent.
State Director Chris Garzino discussed NJ COS 2024 accomplishments and events. Our Regional Director, Michael Arnold, filled us in on plans for 2025 on the national level. We even had two special guests! Alexander Hamilton (aka State Co-Director Jim Collinsworth) and Santa Claus (aka District Captain DC3 Mike Rutcosky) visited with us and definitely contributed to the festive atmosphere. More fun was had with a raffle and a trivia game. Congratulations to everyone who won a prize!
The highlight of the party was the special recognition of four team members who were honored, two with the Challenge Coin and two with the Patriot Pin.
Regional Captain Daniel Rogers was awarded the Challenge Coin for his contributions to the growth and success of the Central West Region, which has become the most active in the State. He grew the team from the ground up, first as a Follow Up Team member and then as a District Captain prior to accepting the role of Regional Captain. Daniel is a kind and caring man who offers fellowship and mentoring to any and all team members. His development of best practices for finding and conducting events led to an increase in signed petitions in the CW Region; and his suggestions for developing and maintaining a relationship with Legislators were invaluable, resulting in increased outreach by the CW team to their State Representatives.
Murn Myers, DC Team and RC Team for the South Region, made history as the first woman in New Jersey to earn the Challenge Coin. Murn is a tireless grassroots activist for COS. Her cheerful enthusiasm is an inspiration to the volunteers in the South Region. Her tireless networking on the local level has brought new people into the COS fold by showing them how it can address frustrations with federal overreach in many areas of their lives.
Speaking on a personal level, this writer can attest to Murn’s challenging me to grow in my role as a State Content Writer by offering new ideas to consider in my approach to spreading the word about COS. She also has great appreciation for the sacrifices of America’s veterans and has found ways to involve COS in honoring them. More to come on this in a separate blog!
Richard Gamba, District Captain DC10, was awarded the Patriot Pin for his rapid involvement in the cause within a few months of signing the COS petition. He signed up in late 2023 and became a District Captain in March of 2024. Rich hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since. He had the innovative idea of holding petition signing events at Pickle Ball tournaments. He also welcomed local petition signers to his home for meetings and secured a spot at the Ocean County Fair for a COS booth. Rich also attended the recent Grassroots Article V Experience (GAVE) in September, a valuable opportunity for a new District Captain to expand his knowledge base.
Paul Gneco, District Captain DC39, earned the Patriot Pin for his outstanding leadership. He is an enthusiastic proponent for COS with a keen focus on, and great ideas for, growing volunteer activism in his District. Paul is on a task force working on intense training for Follow Up Team members. This will include mentoring FUT members, a task that will come easily to Paul as his caring and kindness will shine through during the training process. He is also a professional running his own business and has great organization and speaking skills – a true asset to District 39.
The New Jersey COS Team could always use more volunteers. Sign the petition below to take the first step in joining us.
