About

The Vigo County Retired Teachers Association (VCRTA) is an organized group of retired teachers and administrators who taught and/or live in Vigo County, Indiana.

VCRTA was organized February 15, 1954 and is an affiliate of the Indiana Retired Teachers Association (IRTA).

VCRTA is a non-profit, non-partisan association that does not endorse candidates nor have a political action committee.

Mission

The Vigo County Retired Teachers Association has a mission to support our members, support education, and to enrich our lives by supporting the community. Our specific mission goals include the following:

  • Promote and sponsor local education initiatives.
  • Promote legislation in the best interest and protection of retired teachers.
  • Improve, through serving others, the quality of life for the retired.
  • Unite members in social fellowship.

Membership

The Vigo County Retired Teachers Association (VCRTA) membership is open to any retired teachers or administrators who taught and/or live in Vigo County, Indiana. We want to welcome you to our association.

Newly retired teachers and administrators are granted a complimentary one year membership so that you can begin to enjoy everything VCRTA has to offer.

The VCRTA membership year is from June 1st through May 31st the following year. A retired teacher or administrator may join any time during the year.

Annual Membership – $10.00 (effective June 2018).

** A Lifetime membership for any current member will continue to be respected; however, no new Lifetime memberships will be offered. **

Select this Membership link if you are interested in joining VCRTA as a new member. You will be directed to our CONTACT page where you can make the appropriate request or ask for additional Membership information.

Dues for VCRTA are separate from those of the IRTA. We encourage all retired teachers to join both organizations. The IRTA advocates for all retired teachers at the state level and lobbies for cost of living adjustments (i.e. COLA’s), a “13th” check, and other legislative issues. The larger our membership, the stronger voice we have with our state legislators which control state spending for education, retirement, and COLA’s.

Select this IRTA link if you are interested in joining the Indiana Retired Teachers Association or wish to understand the many benefits that IRTA membership provides.

Officers

The Vigo County Retired Teachers Association has four primary officers including a President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

The primary officers, in addition to the immediate Past President constitute the Association’s Executive Committee.

President

Paul Lockhart

President-Elect

Karen Webb

Secretary & TreasuRer

Ann Bartley

Past President

Brenda Walls

Committees

The Vigo County Retired Teachers Association currently has seven committees that perform specific tasks for the association. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please contact an association officer.

Communications Committee

This committee, or “Calling Committee”, is responsible for contacting VCRTA members for the purpose of confirming luncheon reservations or as needed to quickly disseminate information to our members.

Committee Chair – Helen Joseph

Community Service Committee

This committee is responsible for planning, organizing, and coordinating all association community service projects during the year. The committee also collects and reports the number of community volunteer hours for the association’s members to the Indiana Retired Teachers Association.

Committee Chair – Helen Joseph

Legislative Issues Committee

This committee is responsible for monitoring policies, procedures, and legislation occurring at the state and local levels of government that impacts VCRTA members or public/private education in general. This committee reports concerns to the association as needed.

Committee Chair – Julia Bonham

Membership Committee

This committee is responsible for increasing the membership of the association, collecting dues, and updating contact information for each VCRTA member. The committee publishes a Membership Booklet with contact information for all VCRTA members.

Committee Co-Chair – Karen Long & Janella Knierim

Association Membership – Jim Cottom

Necrology Committee

This committee monitors and records the passing of VCRTA members throughout the year and recognizes the departed during a special necrology ceremony during the December luncheon.

Committee Chair – Peggy Cox

Pre-Retirement Planning Committee

This committee plans, organizes, and conducts a retirement planning workshop traditionally in the spring to assist Vigo County School Corporation teachers and administrators that are considering retirement. With the assistance of IRTA representatives, the workshop helps individuals understand general retirement information, calculation procedures, potential pension options, and address general social security information.

Committee Chair – Teresa Hewitt

Publicity Committee

This committee is responsible for photographing or collecting photographs of members volunteering and/or participating in community events; writes articles for local newspapers that showcases VCRTA’s activity in the community, maintains a scrapbook of all association events, and reports information to the IRTA.

Committee Chair – Millie Vaughn

Ad-Hoc Committees

The VCRTA has three ad-hoc committees that have short term responsibilities. The ad-hoc committees include the Auditing Committee, Constitution and By-Laws Committee, and the Nominations Committee.

Service

Service(a) contribution to the welfare of others (b) to do something that produces good or helpful results or effects or that promotes well-being (c) to give assistance or support (Merriam Webster)

VCRTA members make significant and important contributions to the greater community. As teachers and administrators, VCRTA’s members taught the importance of helping others. We continue to put those lessons into practice today.

VCRTA members take to heart the cheerful readiness to do something to help others in the community. No matter if is volunteering to a number of worthwhile organizations and programs in Vigo County, providing monetary assistance to help the youth of Vigo County, or supporting state-wide efforts to assist our fellow retired teachers that are facing challenging situations, VCRTA members have a willingness to give and serve.

Members volunteer their time to worthy organizations, activities, and events in the community. Since 2005, VCRTA members have volunteered over 300,000 hours in the community. We are an association with service in our hearts.

In any group of volunteers in the community, it is likely there is at least a few retired teachers. Where do we volunteer? While this list is not exhaustive, it provides an example of the breadth of organizations our members volunteer: 

  • Salvation Army
  • Lighthouse Mission
  • Union Hospital
  • Regional Hospital
  • Susan G. Komen
  • League of Women Voters
  • Kids Hope
  • Wabash Senior Citizens Center
  • Vigo County Public Library
  • Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
  • Hospice of the Wabash Valley
  • A Point In Time
  • Covered With Love Diaper Bank
  • Crisis Pregnancy Center
  • Terre Haute Children’s Museum
  • Educational Heritage Association
  • Area Churches
  • Local Nursing Homes
  • Local Schools