Page 4 - Spring 2018 GMC Vintage RVing

THEGMC COMMUNITY!BY JANET FREY | 1976 PALM BEACH | MILFORD SQUARE, PAWhat is a community?When checking definitions on the internet or in a dictionary (remember them?), you will find:“a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common;” OR, and a more recent meaning: “Self-organized network of people with common agenda,cause, or interest, who collaborate by sharing ideas, information, and other resources.Virtual communities consist of participants in online discussions on topics of mutual concern, or of those who frequent certain websites.”Our president, Stan Edwards, mentioned the GMC Community at the most recent welcome meeting at the 2018 Spring Convention in Tucson, Arizona. He spoke of the way the members interact with and assist each other.In fact, the entire Convention promoted theideas of community – a group of people havinga particular characteristic in common (theGMC Motorhome). The more recent definition mentions a network of people with a common agenda, cause, or interest (like GMC owners) who collaborate by sharing ideas, information, and other resources (sounds just like the GMCMI Conventions!). A further detail of the definition states “virtual communities consist of participants in online discussions on topics of mutual concern, or of those who frequent certain websites”. Again, it sounds like Facebook and gmcmi.com.What makes our GMC Community so amazing!Our members have taken the “Community” definitions and embraced them. You cannot speak to another GMC owner without sharing information about the motorhome. It just cannot be done! The questions come rapidly – what year, what model, when did you get it, where did you get it, what did you do to update it or is it original? The innovations that are shared soon appear in other GMC Motorhomes. Have you noticed that many GMC owners are very clever? There are carpenters, mechanics, tradesmen of all kinds, and a very large number of owners with hobbies that allow them to restore, remodel, and repair these wonderful vehicles.Another part of the GMC Community is the vendors and suppliers who continue to assist all of us in obtaining information, parts, and HELP!Go to gmcmi.com for a growing list. In fact, GMCMI is a powerful source of information and resources that has continued to expand. The technical information and parts interchange by themselves are reasons to become a member. But there is so much more.Other chapters and members have websites that list valuable information. The willingness to share the information is priceless. More evidence of the GMC Community? How about the magazine you are reading. Again, go to the GMCMI website for a detailed history of the GMC Motorhome provided by our historian, Bill Bryant. Others have contributed too, providing a fascinating window to the past. Without these dedicated individuals, these precious details would be lost forever. More history is preserved with the GMC Registry, the online home where owners of a GMC Motorhome or GMC Transmode may register their names andthe coach’s TZE serial number (VIN).And for today? Go to the GMCMH Black List for help. Want to chat? Go to the GMCnet or Facebook pages. Want a GMC collectible to share with family or friends (or for yourself )? Go to theGMCMHstore.com.The GMC Community is what you want to make of it. You can absorbthe information on the website or in the magazine. Or, you can go to arally of your local chapter and meet and greet other GMC Motorhome owners. Or, you can really expand your horizons by going to a Spring or Fall GMCMI Convention. It will give you the incentive to travel to a new place, meet new people, and learn about the GMC (or RVing, or health and fitness, or EAT, etc.). The Community can be as expansive as you want it to be. But YOU need to be part of it. Hope to hear from you or see you at a rally or Convention soon!4 GMC VINTAGE RVING MAGAZINE | GMCMI.COM