-
El Paso Retired Teachers Association
October 2020 - Volume 7 - Issue 3
IMPORTANT DATES (The EPISD Dates are based on the current
Calendar Available 7/14/20) Oct. 5 Last day to register to vote
Oct. 12-16 EPISD Intersession Oct. 13 District Fall conference via
ZOOM Oct. 13 First day of early voting Oct, 23 Last day to apply
for a mail in ballot Oct. 30 Last day for early voting Oct. 31
Halloween Nov. 3 Election Day Nov.11 Veterans Day—No School Nov. 18
EPRTA Meeting with Tim Lee via ZOOM Nov. 23-27 EPISD Fall Break
Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Dec. 18 EPISD End of Fall Semester Dec.
21-Jan. 5, EPISD Winter Break Dec. 25 Christmas Jan. 1 New Years
Day Jan. 5 EPISD Students return to class Jan. 12 87th session of
the Texas Legislature begins Jan. 18 Martin Luther King Day Jan. 20
EPRTA Luncheon Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Feb. 15 Presidents’ Day, No
School Feb. 17 EPRTA Luncheon Mar. 8-12 EPISD Intersession Mar. 14
Daylight Savings Time starts Mar. 15-19 EPISD Spring Break Mar. 17
St. Patrick's Day Mar. 17 EPRTA Luncheon Apr. 2 EPISD Spring
Holiday Apr. 2 Good Friday Apr. 4 Easter Sunday Apr. 21 EPRTA
Luncheon May.19 EPRTA Luncheon May 31 Memorial Day Jun. 15 EPISD
Last Day of school
President’s Message
Thank you to all those who “attended” our September General
meeting. It was held via Zoom. We had 42 people check in. If you
need help using Zoom, feel free to contact Lila:
[email protected], 915-253-5792.
Our next meeting will be the District Fall Conference on
Tues-day, October 13, 2020 at 10:00 am (check in at 9:30 am). It
will be a Zoom Meeting. You will receive an email with the Zoom
link. There will be speakers from TRS and TRTA.
At the EPRTA November 18 ZOOM meeting, TRTA Executive Director
Tim Lee will be our speaker. Further information about joining the
meeting and asking questions of Tim will be pro-vided in the
November Grapevine
To learn about TRS-Care changes for 2021, regis-tration is now
open for the 2021 TRS-Care Virtual Info Sessions. Go to
TRS.texas.gov
Don’t forget about keeping track of your volunteer hours. Many
of you are taking care of grandchildren, helping with
school-at-home, helping family members with health care, attending
virtual meetings for your organizations, etc. The Volunteer
Calendar is included on page 7 of this Newsletter.
If we don’t have your email address and you are interested in
re-ceiving information by email (some items go out only as email),
please send your email address to [email protected].
If you have not yet paid your dues, this is the link to get a
mem-bership form. Membership Form https://tinyurl.com/y388xpw4
Lila Murphy President, EPRTA,
[email protected], 915-253-5792
Special Notice: Due to printing problems resulting from
COVID-19, the EPRTA Yearbook will not be printed this year.
Tim Lee
mailto:[email protected]://TRS.texas.govhttps://tinyurl.com/y388xpw4mailto:[email protected]
-
2
HEALTHY LIVING
As we move into Fall it’s important to remind our-selves of some
top tips to keep healthy.
Keep active. Do something to keep fit each day Do something you
enjoy that maintains strength, balance and flexibility and promotes
cardiovascu-lar health. Physical activity helps you stay at a
healthy weight, prevent or control illness, sleep better, reduce
stress, avoid falls and look and feel better, too.
Eat well. Combined with physical activity, eating nutritious
foods in the right amounts can help keep you healthy. Many
illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure,
type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, can be prevented or controlled
with dietary changes and exercise. Calcium and vitamin D
supplements can help women prevent osteopo-rosis.
Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight increas-es your risk for
heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Use the Kaiser
Permanente BMI (body mass index) calculator to find out what you
should weigh for your height. Get to your healthy weight and stay
there by eating right and keeping active. Replace sugary drinks
with water—water is calorie free!
Prevent Falls. We become vulnerable to falls as we age. Prevent
falls and injury by removing loose carpet or throw rugs. Keep paths
clear of electrical cords and clutter, and use night-lights in
hallways and bathrooms. Did you know that people who walk barefoot
fall more frequently? Wear shoes with good support to reduce the
risk of falling.
Get regular dental, vision and hearing check-ups. Your teeth and
gums will last a lifetime if you care for them properly that means
daily brushing and flossing and getting regular dental checkups. By
age 50, most people notice changes to their vi-sion, including a
gradual decline in the ability to see small print or focus on close
objects. Common eye problems that can impair vision include
cata-racts and glaucoma. Hearing loss occurs commonly with aging,
often due to exposure to loud noise.
Taken from Parent Giving.
EPRTA LEADERSHIP
President: Lila Murphy 1st Vice President: Donnette Vollmer 2nd
Vice President: Debra King Treasurer: Carlos Martinez Secretary:
Beverley Mueller
Past President: James Lamonica
The following members serve as committee chairs.
Book Project: Anna Marie Tolland Community Service: Jackie
Morgan-Tomko Communication: Gloria Banister Courtesy: Page Morgan
Foundation: Hank Dunbar Healthy Living: Beverly Baldwin
Legislative: Joe Barbe Member Benefits: Lydia & Mateo Hinojosa
Parliamentarian: Jackie Morgan-Tomko Protective Services: Yolanda
Barbe Reservations: Ceci Carpio & Eileen Hovis Retirement
Seminar: Ruth Frith Technology: James Lamonica Yearbook &
Grapevine
publishers: James & Mary Jean
Lamonica
You may email any of these members by sending
your comments to [email protected]. Please
indicate in the email who you wish to communicate
with.
In Memorium Bertha Carver
Coletta DeArman
Beverly Worley
Thinking
of You
If you wish to be tested for COVID
19, CLICK HERE for the location of
El Paso testing sites and information.
https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/!ut/p/a0/FchBCsMgEADAt-QBsusSRHOTNm9o9bbIYoRogkjz_SbHGYjwhdj4VzKPcjTeb4ckbUhfLil5G_CBCPHsnCtDaIdKnDZ5jvsoaRcIDl9EZFA5tF5pvaKy2q43yb9pNmjcDGet9vLT9AeujA5S/https://www.parentgiving.com/elder-care/10-essential-health-tips-for-seniors/#:~:text=10%20Essential%20Health%20Tips%20For%20Seniors%201%20Maintain,Get%20regular%20dental%2C%20vision%20and%20hearing%20checkups.%20mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk02yTCYc1t1PJ5UBb5VHxtAiJzSu7g:1595273563694&q=List+of+Covid+19+testing+sites+in+El+Paso&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=31906993,-106436846,1531&tbm=lcl&ved=2ahUKEwjriNWQydzqAhUET6wKHVheBpEQjGp6BAg
-
3
PROTECTIVE SERVICES These scammers aren’t investigators!
If you get a call claiming to be from the FBI or Department of
Justice (DOJ), you need to
put the phone down.
If you’re chosen as a target, the scammers will call you
pretending to be DOJ investiga-
tors or employees. They’ll ask for your assistance in an
“investigation,” which eventually
leads to them asking you for personal information.
And if the call goes to voicemail, these scammers won’t give up.
Instead, they’ll leave a
voicemail with a return phone number. Call the number and you’ll
hear a recorded menu
that sounds exactly like the real DOJ phone menu. Spend enough
time with the recording and you’ll reach an
operator that — you guessed it — also tries to ask for personal
information.
If you end up speaking with the scammers long enough, you might
get asked for information like your SSN,
bank account, credit card number and address. To stay safe, know
the signs to spot the fakes. Here’s how:
Any legitimate FBI agent or DOJ officer will not demand cash or
gift cards from a citizen. If the person
on the phone asks for either, it’s a scam.
The DOJ can call you for investigations, but you have the right
to consult with an attorney before an-
swering any questions. If you tell the person on the phone you
would like to speak with a lawyer and
they threaten you with fines or punishment, hang up. That’s a
clear sign of a scam.
The DOJ or FBI cannot threaten arrest over the phone. Don’t
trust any caller who says otherwise.
The DOJ will not contact you using foreign area codes. Pay close
attention to the number calling you.
What can I do?
If you made the mistake of giving your information to a
government impersonator, here are a few steps you
can take to protect yourself and your data:
Report the scam to the FTC by calling 844-330-2020 or on its
website at ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Submit a complaint to the
FBI’s fraud tip line at justice.gov/criminal-fraud. If you or
another victim you know is a senior, report the crime to National
Elder Fraud Hotline at https://stopelderfraud.ovc.ojp.gov/.
If you shared financial information, call your bank or credit
card company and let them know you may be
at risk for fraud.
Set up two-factor authentication for your bank accounts to
prevent any unauthorized attempts to access
your money.
If you shared your SSN with the scammer, contact a credit bureau
and request a freeze until you’re sure that you’re safe. Tap or
click here to see how to perform a credit freeze.
Reporting these crimes will help stop future victims from
getting scammed — and can potentially lead to
these imposters getting caught. And with so many scams making
the rounds these days, the last thing we need
is more of these criminals clogging up phone lines.
--Based on information from James Gelinas at KimKomando.com
(Sept. 16, 2020)
Yolanda Barbe, Chairperson.
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#crnt&panel1-1https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/report-fraud?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdeliveryhttps://stopelderfraud.ovc.ojp.gov/https://stopelderfraud.ovc.ojp.gov/https://www.komando.com/privacy/instructions-to-freeze-your-credit/606317/
-
4
ELECTION DAY IS COMING!
That’s right...the long awaited Election Day 2020 is almost
here! We should actu-
ally say Election Days, plural, because we now have multiple
opportunities on
multiple dates to exercise what may be the greatest American
right: to choose our
leaders and decision makers at federal, state, and local levels.
In previous editions
of the Grapevine, we have discussed voter registration (deadline
October 5) and voting by mail, and even
touched on voting in person. Let’s look more at voting in person
for those who choose that option over voting
by mail. If you vote in person, you actually go physically to a
vote site (polling place) to cast your ballot. Vot-
ing in person may be done during state established dates for
early voting, or on Election Day itself.
IF YOU PLAN TO VOTE EARLY IN PERSON, there are some dates that
you should keep in mind. Early
voting for this election has been set for October 13-30, 2020.
There are thirty-five early vote site locations in
El Paso County where you can vote early. Voters registered in El
Paso County can vote at any of the locations.
You can find the list of locations and their individual
schedules on the Elections Department website at https://
epcountyvotes.com and click on “Early Voting”, or call by phone
to the Elections Department at 915-546-
2154.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY, November 3,
2020, you may vote at
your regular precinct or at any of the other vote sites in the
County. All vote sites will be open from 7:00AM to
7:00PM on November 3. To see a list of all the vote sites in the
County, go to https://epcountyvotes.com and
click on “Current Election” or call 915-546-2154. As I mentioned
in an earlier Grapevine article, if you plan to
vote on election day, be prepared for some delay at the polling
locations due to an anticipated large number of
voters.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO VOTE IN PERSON EITHER DURING EARLY VOTING OR ON
ELECTION
DAY, remember to bring with you an ID accepted in Texas
elections. Call 915-546-2154 or see the compre-
hensive list at
https://epcountyvotes.com/voter_information/identification_required_for_voting
.
SAMPLE BALLOT: To see a sample ballot for this election,
regardless of when or how you plan to vote, go
to https://epcountyvotes.com , click on “Current Election” and
choose the ballot you want to see. For any other
questions you may have, go online to https://epcountyvotes.com
or call County Elections Department at 915-
546-2154.
CURBSIDE VOTING: If a voter is physically unable to enter the
polling place without assistance or likeli-
hood of injury to his or her health, he/she may ask that an
election officer bring a voting unit during Early Vot-
ing or a ballot during Election Day to his/her car at the
entrance of the polling place. All curbside voters will
be allowed the same privacy as a voter at the voting booth.
For
information, call Elections at 915-546-2154.
Texas has more election laws and regulations than we can
pos-
sibly cover here. Most are well known, but if you have any
questions of any type, please see the El Paso County
Elections
website at https://epcountyvotes.com or call them at
915-546-
2154.
HAPPY VOTING!!!
Joe Barbe, EPRTA Legislative Chair
-
5
EPRTA AWARDS 2019 – 2020
In September 2019, EPRTA started with great expectations for
another successful year. Suddenly, everything
changed with the onset of the COVID pandemic. It would have been
easy for EPRTA to close down, as many
organizations and businesses have done. Fortunately, because of
the efforts and skills of three individuals, we
continue to function. The Awards Committee has chosen to honor
these three members for their extraordinary
service to sustain EPRTA in the 2019 – 2020 year.
JOE BARBE is our constant communicator of all things that affect
us as active EPRTA members. He makes
us aware of the actions and inactions of the Texas Legislature,
including meetings and notices from our state
and local representatives. Currently, Joe is providing detailed
information regarding the upcoming election in
November. He monitors and alerts us to the latest TRTA and TRS
actions. Joe has a love for our El Paso
community and serves it well. Included in his extensive
community service is his active participation in the
huge El Paso effort to provide food to those in need and his
encouragement for us to do what we can to help
EPRTA has greatly benefitted from the experience of JAMES
LAMONICA. He has served as our President
for the past four years, while participating in related
activities at the district and state levels of TRTA. His
continuing efforts, with the assistance of his wife Mary Jean,
to create, edit and distribute the GRAPEVINE,
our monthly newsletter, has provided a central unifying source
of information to keep us on track and moving
forward. He has also willingly shared his technology skills
enabling EPRTA to greatly improve communica-
tion and record keeping. His extensive contacts within the El
Paso educational community have provided ad-
ditional information making board and luncheon meetings
informative and worthwhile.
If you have a question about anything concerning our EPRTA unit,
everyone in EPRTA knows to ask LILA
MURPHY. If she does not know the answer, which is rare, she
somehow knows where to find it. She has
been and is our technology guru. She is even teaching and
encouraging the reluctant among us to use ZOOM.
As our new President, she and James have worked together to make
a smooth transition under obviously diffi-
cult circumstances. She has dedicated herself to diligently
working to ensure the continuing success of EPR-
TA. Her ever-present enthusiasm is contagious and leads members
to follow in her footsteps.
Among these three, we have all the ingredients for success.
Together they have maintained, informed and
moved EPRTA into a new mode of existence.
The Awards Committee, on behalf of EPRTA, recognizes JOE BARBE,
JAMES LAMONICA and LILA MURPHY as the 2019-2020 recipients of the
highest award given by EPRTA, THE EL PASO RETIRED TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION HONORS AWARD. Their names will be engraved on the
plaque to join the
names of all past recipients since 1985, when the award was
first given.
TREASURER’S REPORT Beginning Balance on August 27, 2020 .....
$16,156.41
Income
From Member Dues .................... 425.00
Dividend (August 31, 2020 ........... 2.04
Expenses
TRTA Connect State Dues ............. 630.00
Newsletter Printing ................. 138.00
Ending Balance ........................... $15,815.45
Each month, we will provide you with
a brief report on our income and ex-
penses for the month with the corre-
sponding balances. Reports will be
updated and presented at each of our
monthly meetings.
Carlos Martinez, Treasurer
-
6
COMMUNITY SERVICE
WHERE CAN I VOLUNTEER DURING THE COVID-19? There are some safe
ways and places to volunteer, but remember to wear a mask and
sanitize your hands. Here are some ideas for volunteering:
1.Shopping for groceries or medications, or running errands for
family and friends 2.Volunteering for child care for the family
3.Providing health care for family or friends 4.Volunteer services
you perform for other organizations, or your church.
Volunteering does make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Just remember to report your hours on the calendar provided on page
7 of the newsletter - no matter how small or large the numbers. We
will ask for your total hours in January. In El Paso Retired
Teachers Association, let’s be a committed and dedicated group.
Jackie Morgan Tomko, Community Service Chair
MEMBER BENEFITS
Senior discounts are one of the few truly great perks that come
with growing older. You can even start collecting senior discounts
at age 50 from some stores, so you could save big long before you
even qualify for retirement! To help you keep track of all the
deals, click here for a senior citizen discount list.
Be aware that for many of these businesses, the senior citizen
discount varies by location; brands may let individual franchisees
decide whether to provide the perk. As a result, one of your local
res-taurants might give you a higher percentage off than the same
chain would across town.
Before heading out on a shopping spree, check with your local
store about the discounts for sen-iors on offer. Senior Citizen
Benefits Are Disap-pearing
Senior savings have been around for decades, but
it seems like retailers are slowly phasing them out.
In some cases the stores are allegedly changing
tactics to provide better savings all around. How-
ever, other retailers have simply dropped their
senior discounts altogether.
Information provided by:
Elizabeth Harper,
DealNews Contributing Writer
https://www.dealnews.com/features/discounts/senior-discounts/https://www.dealnews.com/c377/Home-Garden/Food-Drink/Restaurants/https://www.dealnews.com/c377/Home-Garden/Food-Drink/Restaurants/https://www.dealnews.com/features/discounts/senior-discounts/
-
7
Calendar
for each
month is Volunteer Hours
January
calendar Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa JAN Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa APR
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30
Februar
y Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa FEB Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa MAY
1 1 2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31March
calenda Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa MAR Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa JUN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
29 30 31 28 29 30
Year is
auto
updated in
cell at
right.Third
quarter
calendars Volunteer HoursJuly calenda Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa JUL
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa OCT
1 2 3 4 1 2 3
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
26 27 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August
calenda Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa AUG Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa NOV
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 30
30 31Septemb
er Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa SEP Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa DEC
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 27 28 29 30 31
Annual
Total
2020
2020
Impo
rtan
t
Num
bers
Write your hours next to each date thoughout the year. In
January of 2021, mail your total to Volunteer Chairperson,
EPRTA, PO BOX 973164 El Paso, TX 79997
Teacher Retirement System of Texas 1-800-223-8778TRS Web site.
www.trs.state.tx.usTRS Health & Insurance benefits
1-888-237-6762TRS-Care Aetna Claim and Healthline
1-800-367-3636Humana Medicare Advantage 1-800-320-9566CVS Caremark
Customer Service 1-844-345-4577
-
8
El Paso Retired Teachers Association
PO BOX 973164
El Paso, TX 79997
NON-PROFIT
ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
EL PASO, TX
PERMIT NO.2182
Return Service Requested
CHECK US OUT ON
SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: http://localunits.org/elpasorta
Email address: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPRTA
TRTA website: https://trta.org/
http://localunits.org/elpasortamailto:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/EPRTAhttps://trta.org/