Revised 3/06
Red Hats on Wheels Chapter Guidelines
The Red Hats on Wheels Chapter was registered with the Red Hat Society on April 17, 2005, and had its first luncheon/meeting on May 22, 2005.
Full regalia (red hats/purple attire or pink hats/lavender attire for members younger than fifty) are required at all events. The exception to this is it is optional for guests.
Children over 7 years old may attend a luncheon; provided permission is granted ahead of time by the Queen Mother and the child is well mannered. There should be no more than 2 children attending a luncheon on the same date.
Activities may include teas, lunches, dinners, train rides, visits to plays, places of interest, etc. – anything that would be fun and interesting. Chapter members may take turns planning events; and/or notifying members of events they learn about. There may be more than one event per month.
The Lady of the Luncheon will be a volunteer member for each month. The Lady of the Luncheon will determine the place of that month’s luncheon. She will inform the Queen Mother which restaurant she has chosen and this will be communicated to the members.
News of events will be communicated to members via e-mail in most cases and regular snail mail. Members, who have e-mail, or the Queen Mother, will deliver information to e-mail-less members whom they see regularly or it will be mailed to the members. It is suggested that non-e-mail members could supply the Queen Mother with stamped, self-addressed envelopes to receive all invitations and to make sure communication is swift. An alternative would be to supply stamps to the Red Hats on Wheels Treasury via the Queen Mother.
We do have dues. Each member pays a $15 membership fee per year which is used for Red Hats on Wheels expenditures. The dues may be paid over a period of time. Once per year the Queen pays the registration fee ($35) to Red Hat Society Hatquarters. A red hat may be passed in subsequent years to provide funds for additional events or expenses, which the members have decided to support.
This chapter may be closed after a maximum of 25 members. Members who miss three consecutive meetings without contacting the Queen Mother will lose their places on the roster. This guideline will be administered with discretion so that if members stay in touch, confirm a continuing interest in the Red Hats on Wheels, and have a good reason for missing an event, they will remain members in good standing.
The members of the Red Hats on Wheels chapter have decided to share with each other the listings of members’ e-mail and snail mail addresses. Remember: These are not to be used for the purpose of charities or businesses. Sharing of your birthday month and year is optional.
Guests at Red Hat on Wheels Events:
1. Members may bring guests to Red Hats on Wheels events with the permission of the Queen Mother. There may be occasions when the size of the group must be limited so the hostess must be contacted before a guest is invited.
2. It is the responsibility of the member bringing the guest to explain to her that she will not be able to join the Red Hats on Wheels if our chapter is closed. Contact Queen Mother to determine whether or not there are openings and/or to have a name added to the waiting list. Openings may also be filled from a waiting list kept by the Queen Mother.
3. A guest may only attend two events in one year, no matter who brings that guest. In other words, a guest may not come twice as one member’s guest and two more times as another member’s guest, etc. Since our chapter began in April, the Red Hats on Wheels’ year runs from April of one year through March of the next year.
Members have asked what is expected of the person who volunteers to pick us a restaurant? This volunteer will now be known as “Lady of the Luncheon,” for that month
The Lady chooses a restaurant, checks it out for food tastes and how it is served, space for us, and the welcoming presence of the people working there.
If you think it will suit us, I would introduce myself to the manager and inform them of the date we expect to attend. Give the manager, or assistant, your home phone number, or mine, in case they have any questions or problems for us. Then notify the Queen Mother. It is also helpful to be at the restaurant ½ to one hour early to check with the people at the restaurant that a place has been set up for us.
The members prefer to have separate checks. Please try to arrange this for us. This needs to be negotiated with the restaurant manager, if it is not possible, we need to know ahead of time, as many choose to pay by credit card, etc. Let me know of any restaurants you think would be good for us or put your name down for “Lady of the Luncheon” and pick your favorite place or a place you have wanted to visit.
Revised 3/06/mea