For many associations, it’s easy to get caught up in the marketing efforts associated with attracting new members. But as important as membership growth is, renewal is key.

Herndon, VA – Volkswagen of America, Inc., today announced that the Golf was named AutoPacific’s 2015 Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA). The Golf ranks as the Best in Class in the compact car segment for the second year in a row and for the fourth time in the past six years.

“This award is further proof of the Golf’s all-around excellence,” said Mark McNabb, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “The Golf has been performing very well for us and we are really happy that new car buyers surveyed by AutoPacific agreed with the automotive writers who have given the Golf so many great awards since its introduction in 2014 as a 2015 model.”

Howard Ballou works his way up pitch 2 toward the missing section to assess the damage.

This summer, Yosemite Valley gave the climbing world a sharp reminder that the rocks we climb aren’t permanent when the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome fell off. Not the whole route, but a key section of pitches 11 and 12, rendering the classic line impassable. Less than a month later, California natives Joshua Reinig and Howard Ballou reconnected the dots. We spoke to Reinig about the experience.

Kalyan Gurung (right) and Raju Gurung taking a break in 2008.

I met Kalyan Gurung in 2008 during a trek in Nepal with my wife and a friend. He had been assigned to be our guide; his young cousin Raju Gurung was our porter, carrying three overloaded duffels in a wicker basket suspended from his forehead with a tump line. We started our trek in Solu, in the hilly farmlands five days’ walk below Lukla, where most Everest treks begin. Half a day to the east was Meidel, Kalyan’s childhood village. 

Volunteers are the backbone of most organizations. They help with fundraising, administrative tasks, and word-of-mouth marketing. Sure, they tend to do it out of the kindness of their hearts, but it’s still important to make them feel appreciated.