Silicon Valley/San Jose Chapter

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Archive for the ‘President’s Message’ Category

A Gift That Won’t Be Forgotten

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

This continues to be the time of year when we think most about giving. Once December arrives, out come the wish lists followed by a panicked rush to the malls. This year I encourage you to add the gift of service, which may be the best gift of all. With minimal effort, each of you can make a big difference in someone else’s life. According to Alma Powell, Colin Powell’s wife, “When you give to others, you get something back yourself.” If you find yourself away from family and friends this holiday season, consider volunteering to serve meals to the homeless. A multitude of local community organizations can use our help during the holidays.

I have been a witness to the gift of time and financial resources in our own chapter during the past month. First, I would like to thank those of you who participated in the Oct. 31 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk. Our group of 16 walkers included CalCPA members, friends, colleagues and families. We definitely stood out in our orange “CPAs Care” T-shirts, and the team raised more than $1,600, which will help support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fund research, increase public awareness and provide free programs and services to people impacted by breast cancer. Thanks again to all who contributed and especially to those who participated in the walk.

More than 420 attorneys, bankers and CPAs visited the Humane Society Silicon Valley Nov. 10 at the ABC Fallfest. The Humane Society staff provided tours of the impressive new facility that includes doggie daycare, a grooming and boarding facility, a pet store and a dog park. Several tour group members abandoned the tour once they entered the cat or dog condo areas. We know for a fact that a few fortunate attendees ultimately left the facility at the event’s conclusion with a new pet in hand. We also heard reports that several attendees made appointments to return in the following days. Giving a new home to a deserving cat or dog and supporting the Humane Society is another great example of how we can give a gift that will not be forgotten. I believe we all enjoyed this wonderful venue, and I want to congratulate Howard Loomis, Renée Hazel and the dedicated ABC Committee for all of their hard work in planning this stellar event. Howard tells me that this was one of the best-attended ABC events in recent history. As you know, the net proceeds from this event go toward funding the scholarships we will award in January and are another example of CPAs giving to others.

Following the successful ABC event at the Humane Society, we ushered in the first ABC Night in the Santa Cruz area Nov. 18. More than 120 professionals attended the gathering at The Swenson House on the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos. The culinary school provided hors d’oeuvres, and a local winery and brewery donated beverages. The event was well-received by the community, and plans are already under way for a similar event to be held next spring. Our thanks go out to the planning committee for its hard work and vision in providing a networking event for those in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas.

By now you should have all recovered from your Thanksgiving holiday and are planning for the Christmas holidays. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone (408) 287-7911 if you have any questions or comments.

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Give Thanks with Giving

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

Daylight savings time has ended, football season is in full swing the World Series is nearly complete—and our Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs Fallfest is just around the corner. There is still time to register for the Nov. 10 event. Of course, this also is the time of the year when we think most about Thanksgiving. Many of us look forward to spending time with family and friends and enjoying the typical feast which, for some reason, takes 12 hours to prepare, is consumed in 20 minutes and takes four hours to clean up.

Though the economy is beginning to recover, requests for help continue to grow at many nonprofit organizations that provide sustenance for people in our community. As food requests for individuals and their families increase, many organizations are challenged by a decrease in donations from large manufacturers and retailers who are tightening their belts.

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I am asking CalCPA members to consider donating a frozen turkey, stuffing mix or cranberry sauce this month to one of the many organizations that provide meals in our communities. You may already be aware of organizations in your local community, but here are two that you may want to consider:

Loaves & Fishes was founded in 1980 to help meet the needs of our local community’s families and seniors. It is committed to providing free, nutritious meals and support services in a dignified, safe and caring environment. The organization serves five meals each week at several South Bay locations to an average of 200 guests per meal. Donations can be dropped off 9:30 a.m.-noon, Monday-Friday, at InnVision’s Montgomery Street Inn; 358 N. Montgomery St.; San Jose.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has provided services to the community for more than 35 years. This organization provides food to an average of 207,000 individuals each month. In addition, it operates community nutrition programs and a multilingual, toll-free hotline where callers can learn how to access the food programs in their neighborhoods. The organization takes pride that it can provide two nutritious meals for every $1 donated. Donations can be dropped off at the distribution center at 750 Curtner Ave. in San Jose.

Thank you all for your support and for helping me to give thanks with giving. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
— Donna Bumgarner, CPA

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Walk to Make a Difference

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

In last month’s chapter Bulletin, you may have seen a notice titled “Community Outreach: CPAs Who Care.” In that article, we announced that we were forming a team to participate in the Bay Area American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The 5-kilometer noncompetitive walk is being held Saturday, Oct. 31, and begins and ends at the Arena Green. The course travels along the beautiful Guadalupe River Park trail and winds through downtown San Jose. This is the second year that the walk will be held in San Jose. It will provide us with an opportunity to honor those who have been impacted by breast cancer and will raise both funds and awareness to help end the disease.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is more than just the name of a walk; it describes the progress being made to help people stay well, get well, find a cure and fight back. You’ve heard it said that every donation makes a difference, and it really is true. Here are a few of the ways our donations will help save lives:

• More people in our community will have the information and tools they need to help prevent breast cancer or detect it early.
• More people with cancer will have a place to turn for help during treatment, whether it’s a free ride to their treatment, a place to stay or just talking to someone who has “been there.”
• More women like our own mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers will have access to lifesaving mammograms and the treatment they need.

I know that the economic environment is difficult for many of us, but any amount donated will make a difference. The walk does not require a registration fee or minimum fund-raising amount, and people of all ages are welcome to participate. Each of us has our own reasons for caring about the fight against breast cancer. I participated in the San Francisco event for several years, both as a walker and as a volunteer, in memory of my parents, who both succumbed to cancer. Now that the event is in San Jose, I hope that we can join together to help raise dollars and awareness. I invite you to join the CalCPA Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter’s team either as a walker or by making a donation. Sign up early so that we can order enough CalCPA T-shirts for our walkers!

Hope for a cure starts with one walker and one dollar at a time. You can reach our team page online.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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Supporting Future Generations

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

One of the nonprofit organizations I show up for is the American Cancer Society. For the past several years, I have been a member of the selection committee of the California Division’s Young Cancer Survivor Scholarship program. This group awards stipends of up to $7,500 for educational expenses to college-bound pediatric cancer survivors who need financial aid.

Applicants must be college-bound or college-enrolled students who are cancer survivors diagnosed at 18 years of age or younger (age 25 or younger at the time of application); demonstrate financial need; and be California residents who plan to attend a two or four-year accredited undergraduate institution in California. This year, each selection committee member reviewed approximately 10 applications from the 75 received. In addition to assessing financial need and basic academic requirements, the committee reviews each applicant’s educational and career plans, life philosophy, motivation and determination by evaluating three short essays.

Once students are accepted into the program, they are required to serve a minimum of 25 volunteer hours with the American Cancer Society and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. Applicants are eligible to receive up to four years of scholarships. The committee was able to approve renewal applications for 24 returning students and award new scholarships to another 26 students.

I welcome participating in this activity every year, and I continue to show up because I care about the cause. By awarding scholarships to deserving young students, I feel we are helping future generations.

So how can we all help future generations? One easy way is to financially support accounting students by attending our chapter’s Annual Golf Tournament. This event is just around the corner and raises money for our chapter’s scholarship fund. The Golf Committee (co-chaired by Perry Forschino and Andrew Bader) is working hard to bring us another quality tournament.

This particular event is a great opportunity for CPAs to network with each other, as well as with attorneys, bankers and various other business owners. The tournament will be held at Coyote Creek Valley Friday, Sept. 18. I encourage you to consider being a tournament sponsor or playing in the tournament. Invite your colleagues, clients or business associates to join you at this quality event. Find additional information and the registration form online. Hope to see you there!

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Supporting Future Generations

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

One of the nonprofit organizations I show up for is the American Cancer Society. For the past several years, I have been a member of the selection committee of the California Division’s Young Cancer Survivor Scholarship program. This group awards stipends of up to $7,500 for educational expenses to college-bound pediatric cancer survivors who need financial aid.

Applicants must be college-bound or college-enrolled students who are cancer survivors diagnosed at 18 years of age or younger (age 25 or younger at the time of application); demonstrate financial need; and be California residents who plan to attend a two or four-year accredited undergraduate institution in California. This year, each selection committee member reviewed approximately 10 applications from the 75 received. In addition to assessing financial need and basic academic requirements, the committee reviews each applicant’s educational and career plans, life philosophy, motivation and determination by evaluating three short essays.

Once students are accepted into the program, they are required to serve a minimum of 25 volunteer hours with the American Cancer Society and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. Applicants are eligible to receive up to four years of scholarships. The committee was able to approve renewal applications for 24 returning students and award new scholarships to another 26 students.

I welcome participating in this activity every year, and I continue to show up because I care about the cause. By awarding scholarships to deserving young students, I feel we are helping future generations.

So how can we all help future generations? One easy way is to financially support accounting students by attending our chapter’s Annual Golf Tournament. This event is just around the corner and raises money for our chapter’s scholarship fund. The Golf Committee (co-chaired by Perry Forschino and Andrew Bader) is working hard to bring us another quality tournament.

This particular event is a great opportunity for CPAs to network with each other, as well as with attorneys, bankers and various other business owners. The tournament will be held at Coyote Creek Valley Friday, Sept. 18. I encourage you to consider being a tournament sponsor or playing in the tournament. Invite your colleagues, clients or business associates to join you at this quality event. Find additional information and the registration form online. Hope to see you there!

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Showing Up

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

Bill Gates Sr. recently released a book titled “Showing Up for Life.” In the book, Gates says he was inspired to pen this work because he believes in the combined power of men and women who “show up” for the people they love and the causes they believe in. He shows up because he cares about a cause, because he cares about a person or maybe because it irritates him when other people don’t show up.

As CalCPA members we are asked to show up for many reasons. We show up at work to earn a living, we show up at our place of worship for our beliefs and a sense of community, and we show up for community service events because we believe in the mission of the organization. And, I have asked you to show up at various CalCPA events.

I recently attended a meeting of the San Jose North Rotary Club and had the privilege of introducing the guest speaker for the day, Chris Finn. He spoke to the club about a nonprofit organization, the Federation International de Powerchair Football Association, of which he is vice president. Chris was an avid sports player while growing up and his specialty was soccer. Unfortunately, during his senior year in college, Chris suffered a spinal cord injury that left him confined to a motorized wheelchair.

Several years ago, Chris became involved with power soccer. In fact, he was the head coach of the 2007 World Cup Champion USA National Power Soccer team. His presentation at the Rotary Club included a short video showing how the game is played. It is a fast-paced sport, designed for people with disabilities using power wheelchairs. It’s played on a basketball court with two teams of four players each. A cage is attached to the front of each wheelchair that is used to bat an oversized soccer ball through the goal. It was inspirational to see the joy in the players’ faces while they participated in a sport designed for them. Chris tells us that the sport has been in existence since the late 1970s, and the United States got involved in 2005.

The new U.S. organization is looking for a volunteer to assist them in setting up their accounting. I am reaching out to our members to see if any of you may be willing to “show up” for this opportunity. Please e-mail me if you are interested and I will put you in contact with Chris.

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Celebrations

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

More than 75 Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter CPAs, friends and family members attended the June 12 San Jose Giants baseball game at Municipal Stadium. Just prior to the first pitch, past president David Veyna took the opportunity to gratefully recognize the service of our prior year’s chapter officers and board—while a sheriff’s helicopter was landing on the baseball field. As this year’s president, I received the chapter’s gavel and then introduced the new slate of officers. As part of the event, we enjoyed a delicious barbecue dinner on the VIP Deck and cheered on the Giants as they defeated the Modesto Nuts 5–3. My thanks to those who attended this installation celebration, especially to the members of my firm who showed up in full force. On behalf of the chapter, I also want to thank David and all of last year’s chapter leaders for their contributions to the many successes our chapter enjoyed during the 2008–09 year.

The CalCPA Annual Members’ Business and Council meeting was held June 18–19 in San Francisco. More than 100 California CPAs attended the meeting. We were addressed by a legislative panel led by Assembly members Fiona Ma and Mary Hayashi, who summarized the status of several bills in the Assembly. CalCPA is sponsoring SB 691, which is co-authored by Assembly member Ma and will require that all candidates entering the profession after Jan. 1, 2014, meet the 150-hour educational requirement (a total of 150 units with a bachelor’s degree, including at least 24 units in business and 24 units in accounting). The success of this legislation is essential to allowing current and future California CPAs to represent the needs of their clients with interests in other states. Ma indicated that our voice in Sacramento is stronger than ever due to our increased membership, which now exceeds 35,000, and to the vigilant services of Bruce Allen, CalCPA’s government relations director.

The meeting’s final event was a gala dinner and dance held in the grand ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill in San Francisco. Several hundred CalCPA members and their guests were dressed in their finest, and there was an enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor throughout the evening. It was a fitting conclusion to our celebration of CalCPA’s 100th anniversary.

By the way, have any of you had the opportunity to attend that extra chapter event yet? Please take this opportunity to accept the challenge I shared in May in my first “President’s Message.”

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Going Back to School

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

Did you know that April was National Financial Literacy Month? It seems appropriate since many Americans were focused on filing their income tax returns (or at least thought about filing them) last month. This time of the year also leads many of us to thoughts of our financial well-being: how to care for our family and plan for the possibility of retirement.

CalCPA established a financial literacy initiative a few years ago to address the fact that, at that time, 40 percent of Californians reported carrying credit card debt every month and 58 percent reported not saving any fixed amount of their monthly earnings. I imagine that those percentages are even higher in today’s economic climate.

As part of the financial literacy initiative, CalCPA offers a Dollars & Sense program to bring CPA experts to workshops hosted by local legislators, community groups, schools and businesses to help improve Californians’ financial literacy. CalCPA’s website provides a multitude of topics with PowerPoint presentations that CPA volunteers use to present workshops to a variety of groups. At the end of these presentations, workshop participants take away valuable information that meets their specific financial needs and helps them to build financial security.

Presentation topics include: The Sandwich Generation, Home Ownership, Retirement, Small-Business Owners and Life Crisis. The Life Crisis section covers unemployment and bankruptcy that are widely relevant topics now. If you know of any groups that could benefit from one of these presentations, contact Crystil Turner, CalCPA’s community outreach manager, or me.

As a member of CalCPA’s Financial Literacy Committee, I have had the opportunity of presenting modules on Careers in Accounting to local community colleges and high schools. My most recent visit was to Saratoga High School in late April, where I participated in the school’s annual Career Day. I used a terrific DVD provided by CalCPA to start my presentation to the two classes of students. This presentation definitely grabbed the students’ interest by showing CPAs who are in senior financial positions with movie studios, record labels, major league sports teams and the FBI, as well as in public accounting. The video was followed by a discussion of what it takes to become a CPA, including education and work experience. I really enjoy these visits as they give me an opportunity to connect with youth, tell them my personal story and share the rewards of being a CPA and a CalCPA member. Who knows, there may be a future CalCPA member among the students.

I hope many of you had the chance to attend the recent ABC event held at ACM Aviation in San Jose May 13. This wonderful event provided lots of opportunity to network with attorneys, bankers and fellow CPAs. We issue our congratulations to Howard Loomis and the ABC Committee for putting on another quality event and offer our gratitude for the generosity of all the event’s sponsors.

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Changing of the Guard

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

As Past President David Veyna mentioned in his final “President’s Message,” we are beginning our new fiscal year. As your new president, I look forward to navigating with you through the ups and downs of our economy over the next 12 months. Most of us practicing in the income tax arena are likely recovering from busy season. Those emerging from year-end financial reporting deadlines may feel similar relief. So now is the time to straighten up our work areas and move any items placed on the back burner to the front burner.

For the chapter, my priorities for the coming year will focus on two questions:

1. How can we inspire more chapter members to attend chapter events and perhaps benefit from taking on leadership roles?
2. How can we participate in uplifting our communities during these rocky financial times?

As assets on our chapter’s balance sheet, we have many hardworking and dedicated officers and directors on our leadership team. In addition, our committee chairs work diligently throughout the year to put on quality education and networking events. We are also supported by the high-powered team at CalCPA’s Redwood City office. However, our tremendous continuing education and networking events will only continue to exist if they area attended by chapter members and their guests.

I find great value in the events that I have attended, and so my challenge to each of you is to attend at least one additional event during the coming year. That kind of response would equate to more than 2,600 additional attendees! I always feel that it is a good day when I learn something new, make a new acquaintance or reconnect with someone I haven’t seen in a while. All of these outcomes are guaranteed to happen if you attend our chapter events.

A recent article in the AICPA News Update stated that now, more than ever, our country is looking to our profession for financial expertise. CPAs have volunteered in their communities to ensure that individuals, families and businesses have the information they need to weather the current financial crisis. We can provide an objective, rational voice to advocate that all individuals be personally accountable for their financial future. One way that CalCPA is assisting in this mission is through our Financial Literacy Program. More to come on this subject in future “President’s Messages.”

—Donna Bumgarner, CPA

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The End

By David F. Veyna, CPA

Another administrative year is coming to an end for our chapter, and I can’t help but think about what has been accomplished—and what I wish had been accomplished. There were some memorable moments, as well as some that I hope to forget over the years.

My most memorable moment came while tracking down the history of the gavel, which has been handed down from chapter president to president over the decades. Thanks to Bob Stringham’s response to an inquiry in one of my “President’s Messages,” I was able to put my hands on some documented history of our chapter’s first 25 years. I hope to share some of these interesting documents next year by having them scanned and posted on our website.

My most disappointing moments unfortunately came almost every month, as I would run up against—and usually past—deadlines to submit my “President’s Message” to our Bulletin editor, Steve Grimaud. Thank you, Steve, for your patience and for giving me extra time and words of encouragement.

There were numerous things I wish I could have accomplished or moved forward on, but unfortunately there just was not enough time. Thankfully, being president is not a requirement for continued involvement in our chapter, and I hope to follow through next year on a few key items that I was unable to accomplish during my term.

As this is my final “President’s Message,” I would like to recognize a few individuals for their outstanding contributions. I apologize to those who deserve to be named, but are not specifically mentioned.

My Rookie of the Year Award goes to Mike Lorilla for kicking off the Santa Cruz Discussion Group. His first meeting attracted more than 60 attendees, which is a huge success by any standard.

Most Improved Award goes to those responsible for the many significant improvements to the CalCPA website. You can tell that a lot of work and thought have been put into making the site more interactive and much easier to use.

Unsung Hero Award goes to Stephanie Stewart, our program associate. Stephanie is the true professional who ensures that we volunteers don’t run amuck and that all of our members are taken care of.

My Most Valuable Award has to go to the three chairs of our two most successful social events this year. Net proceeds from each event went directly into our scholarship fund. Howard Loomis and Renee Hazel, as co-chairs of our Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs mixers, netted more than $32,000 from their events. Perry Forschino, chair of the chapter golf tournament, netted more than $12,000 from that event. Because of these chairs and their committees’ hard work, our chapter was able to award more than $40,000 in scholarships in January.

Our First Team All Americans are the chapter’s officers and board members. These are the first people that we go to in a crunch, regardless of whether it is drumming up attendance at an event, attending special functions or making presentations. Their commitment to CalCPA is much more than just a single breakfast meeting a month. Thank you to our board and officers for being involved and committed to running our chapter.

Honorable Mention goes to everyone else who has chaired or participated on a committee, met with a legislator or otherwise volunteered to help at an event or meeting. Without your help and dedication to members and future members, we would not be as successful of an organization as we are.

Finally, thank you to you, our members, for this past year. I have thoroughly enjoyed being your president. As part of a never-ending relay, I was handed the baton and ran with it. It was an honor to follow in the footsteps of our previous chapter presidents, and it is exciting to see the quality of members who are finding their way into leadership positions. Donna Bumgarner, our incoming president, is already hard at work developing plans for this next year. I am sure she will do an outstanding job, and she knows she can count on my support.
— David F. Veyna, CPA

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