16 NOMINATING, SCHOLARSHIP & RECOGNITION COMMITTEE Submitted by Dave Ladd, Chair As chair of this committee, I would be remiss in not recognizing the people who make this work. Committee members Star Poulin, Dick Jewett, Patty Companik, Merritt Budd and Curt Marechaux did a great job sorting through the various applications and nominations to make some very difficult, but thoughtful decisions on scholarships and awards. We are grateful for the able assistance we received from Executive Director Cindy Locke, President Tim Mills and Trails Coordinator Matt Tetreault. Cyndy Jones was there for us at every step, sending us website generated nominations and providing the clerical help we needed. Thank you all. We were so pleased to award $1,500 scholarships each this year to two outstanding young people. Alex Desjardin of Uxbridge, Mass. is a member of the Lunenburg Polar Bears, and will be pursuing a career in criminal justice. Alexis Allen of Chelsea, Vt. is a member of the Frigid Frost Fighters. She will be attending the University of Vermont majoring in early childhood education. We wish them well in their studies. Seventy-one nominations were received for 12 annual awards. Each was reviewed by the committee members and appropriate officers/staff according to the guidelines in the policy manual, and selections were made to the best of our ability. Thank you to all who took the time to submit nominations. During the course of the year, 14 more men and women were recognized with Trailblazer Awards for 25 or more years of volunteering. Some have served their club, county and VAST since the beginning of organized snowmobiling in Vermont. Some of the plaques and trophies given to award recipients will have a new look this year. With a larger selection available to us, the committee updated some of the awards of the past. The committee was very pleased to have the VAST president, vice president and recording secretary all running for reelection this year. As of this writing, a nominee for the office of treasurer is still being sought. We expect to have at least one qualified candidate in time for the election at Annual Meeting. LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT Submitted by Mark Reaves, Chair The Long-Range Planning & Organizational Goals Committee is charged with developing a vision for VAST’s future and crafting a strategy that allows the organization to work toward that vision.  As noted in last year’s report, our committee has started to examine the planning process to determine if the method used adequately addressed VAST’s needs.  To that end, we have held two events dedicated to this process.  The first was an open question and answer forum held during the Spring Construction Seminar in Barre.  This forum was our method of receiving direct feedback from VAST’s members regarding their ideas for the direction of the organization.  Our second initiative was a Board Summer Summit, held July 22, 2017.  The Summer Summit was held to develop a strategy to meet the challenges that face the organization, using the input we received at the Q & A forum.