All volunteers and officers of committees and local sections are invited to the State of Affairs breakfast, but everyone is welcome. Be sure to attend this free event in the future to see what your association has been up to. It is also a great opportunity to meet and speak with the AIHA Board. In the meantime, keep abreast of these activities through , your new online community. Excellent speakers presented on a variety of topics each day in the Hub, which was in the exhibit hall at the convention center. Although these sessions were not technical, they provided useful information. Tim Walsh, AIHA’s financial advisor, enlightened attendees about opportunities to donate to their favorite charity (think AIHF) and minimize tax burdens. One opportunity is a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD. At age 70.5, you are subject to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules for your IRA. If you donate your RMD directly to a charity, it will satisfy your RMD, and neither you nor the charity will have to pay income taxes on the amount of the distribution sent to the nonprofit. If you receive your RMD, it is reported as taxable income to you and included as part of your Adjusted Gross Income. AGI is the basis used for determining the taxability of Social Security benefits and the 3.8 percent Net Investment Income Tax. So, the QCD approach can save you not only the tax on the RMD, but perhaps provide additional tax savings as well. Mr. Walsh presented other strategies that benefit both you and your beneficiaries, and he will discuss this information in an upcoming article. Local Section Council Chair John Moore reviewed the roles and responsibilities of local section officers and discussed ways to enhance engagement among local section members. If you missed this session, plan to attend the quarterly training sessions about local sections and the roles and responsibilities of local section officers conducted by AIHA staff and the Local Sections Council. Officers will be emailed in advance with the date and details for each training session. Volunteer group secretaries and the presidents of local sections and student local sections are also invited to attend our annual Leadership Workshop, which conducts interactive training and education on leadership techniques. This year’s leadership workshop occurred in July, and next year’s is being planned for the autumn of 2019. For more information or assistance, local section officers and their members should email or . These are only a few of the offerings at AIHce that extend beyond the typical conference program. Be sure to look for them next year.