Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Notaries4Alabama: The Saga Continues

I just spent the last couple of hours “getting the word out” about the June Notary Meeting. It’ll be our second group meeting.  I was pleased to see that in less than two hours of announcing the date, three notaries had confirmed their attendance.   To be honest, I wasn’t surprised. A lot has changed since my first blog post in April.
More than twenty notaries expressed interest in joining the new Birmingham group.  Sixteen indicated that they would attend our first meeting, on May 23rd.  I consider that a good sign.  Although we had a few last minute cancellations, notaries who did show up had no problem networking and making their interests/concerns known.  They made it clear that they wanted training and information that would help them feel more confident performing the duties of notary public.
Surprisingly, when the question was asked how much an Alabama Notary can charge for notarizing a document, four people offered four different answers. Their responses ranged from $1.50 to $10.00. I was blown away.  I did not expect that.  In a room with twelve notaries, only four answered the question (the others were unsure) and only one was correct.  And in case you’re wondering, as of February 28, 2011, the authorized Alabama Notary fee is $5.00 (http://arc-sos.state.al.us/PAC/SOSACPDF.001/A0008589.PDF).
I see this as another reason why a Birmingham Notary Group is necessary; not optional.  And, this is one reason why I believe it will be successful.
The challenge will be making sure meetings are scheduled in advance, communicated well, and cover meaningful topics.  Thankfully, several individuals have already offered to work with me in a leadership capacity to help ensure the group’s success.
If you know an Alabama Notary Public tell him/her about this blog and encourage them to connect with us at our monthly meetings.  More information about Notaries4Alabama can be found on Meetup.com, Birmingham365.org, and on www.facebook.com/Notaries-for-Alabama.
 The best news is that it was unanimous that Notaries4Alabama will host a community service event on November 7th, National Notary Public Day. Within the next 3-4 weeks, we should be able to provide more specific information.  If you have ideas/suggestions, or you’d like to partner with us, email me at notaries4alabama@gmail.com.   Let's do this, Alabama!

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment".
Jim Rohn

 

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