Dear Members of the Indianapolis Bridge Center (IBC):
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the owner of a bridge club on the West Coast. Our clubs are of similar size, and they’re facing the same opportunities and challenges we are. He reached out to me because he wanted to know “the secret of our success.” We had a few video calls to talk about the day-to-day operations that make a club thrive.
What I told him is that our success isn’t a secret. It’s built on the commitment of everyone involved: our staff, our Board of Directors, our amazing teachers, and our dedicated members.
Two recent examples of this commitment speak for themselves:
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The Longest Day Thanks to the tireless efforts of many, especially the leadership of Mary King, our fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Foundation surpassed our ambitious goal. We’re incredibly proud to announce that the Indianapolis Bridge Club raised the 3rd largest contribution among all ACBL clubs. You can see the final total on the thermometer posted on the north wall of our hallway. It’s also worth noting that the ACBL is the largest single contributor to the Alzheimer’s Foundation through “The Longest Day” initiative. Look for more on this in an upcoming issue of Bridge Bulletinmagazine.
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The Mentor Program Our incredible mentor program returns this week for the fall season. We have over 30 mentor/mentee partnerships, which is a testament to the commitment of both our experienced players who are willing to share their time and knowledge, and our newer players who are eager to learn and grow.
Speaking of commitments, the Nominating Committee is now forming to make suggestions for the 2026 IBC Board of Directors. If you are interested in one of the few openings, please feel free to contact Linda Cronkleton who is Chairing this ad-hoc Committee.
Monthly Recognition:
Our Player of the Month (POM) is Wagner Van Vlack, and our Novice of the Month (NOM) is Diane Dickman. Congratulations to them both!
Financial Health:
Our club’s financial health remains strong, with our Financial Committee reporting that we are ahead of our budgetary expectations. This is a direct result of your active participation in our many games, making them robust and well attended.
As you may know, we recently began accepting credit cards. Some of you have asked about the extra fee. This is a processing fee that our bank charges the club for each transaction. As a not-for-profit entity, we pass this fee on to our members. Many other organizations, like my community center, place of worship, and the charities I contribute to, do the same so they can receive the full benefit of every donation.
I initially wondered if the small extra fee was worth it, but after weighing the time it would take to go to an ATM or a bank, I concluded that the convenience of using a credit card made it worthwhile for me. We know everyone’s circumstances are different, so please remember that paying with cash is always an option.
Looking Ahead:
We have an exciting lineup of events coming up:
This Week
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Tuesday (09/16): Mentoring Program Kickoff
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Wednesday (09/17): POM Party for Maureen Clerkin
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Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Club Championships at all face-to-face games
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Saturday, September 20: Our annual Back-to-School Social. Wear your favorite school’s colors! Our superb grillers, Tony and Scott, will be cooking, and we welcome you to bring your favorite side dish or dessert to share. We’ll have a 0-750 game and an Open game. Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m., with play beginning at 6:30 p.m.
In the Coming Weeks
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Wednesday, September 24: Club Championships continue.
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Saturday & Sunday, September 27-28: ACBL Pop Up, with 50% Red and 50% Black points awarded.
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October 3-5: Indy NLM Regional. Details are posted on our bulletin boards. Gold and Red points will be awarded. (IBC will be closed during the Regional)
As always, the IBC board welcomes your comments and questions. We are here to serve you!
Larry N. Cohen, President
IBC Board of Directors