Peggy Haw Jury 2005-2006 MACPA Chair of the Board

From my perspective, it’s not love, or money, or food or music. It’s
volunteers – people – that really make this world go ‘round.

As a member of MACPA for 30 years, and now as Chair of the Board, I’ve been witness to countless examples of our members generously giving of their time and talents. On a national scale, our members have stepped up to provide aid to victims of recent natural disasters. The enormity of those disasters called us to respond out of our basic sense to sustain human dignity.

Closer to home, though, and with less dramatic motivation, our members volunteer in their communities and within our profession day after day. Just a few examples that highlight how you are making a big difference include:

Serving as AICPA Chair for the next year, Michigan’s own Leslie Murphy brings vast expertise in “people” issues to the AICPA leadership team. As our profession seeks to reverse increasing turnover trends stemming from the workload pressures of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, attract more minorities to the profession, increase the number of accounting PhD’s to counter the trend of an aging/retiring professor population and seek new, creative work/life balance strategies, Leslie is the incredibly talented volunteer leader who is capable of moving us forward. I urge you to read her inspiring inaugural address and learn more about the issues she will focus on this year.

Leslie’s husband, Terry, is a CPA and volunteer on another front. For years, Terry has been reading to Detroit school children and collecting books for them. Terry’s work sparked new ideas of how others can serve. Terry is looking at opportunities for retired CPAs to get involved in the school districts as he has. In addition, the MACPA’s New Professionals Task Force was inspired to conduct a book drive this summer. This group, along with the MACPA staff, collected nearly 8,000 books! Just think of all the children who will be affected by the work of these generous volunteers. And they haven’t stopped. This month, the New Professionals are collecting Toys for Tots.

The MACPA has a big agenda, with our priorities outlined by our volunteer leaders in our strategic plan. And without many additional volunteers, we would never achieve our lofty goals. Our task force chairs and vice chairs and members champion our causes and spend countless hours strengthening our profession. Hundreds of you – whether you work in public accounting our business and industry – take time from your personal and business lives to talk to students through our Accounting Blitzes or our Speakers Bureau. During tax season, you man the phones to answer consumer tax questions or spend your day at Focus:Hope to help with the Accounting Aid Society Tax Assistance Program. You support our legislative agenda with your PAC dollars and by working with government officials to strengthen our profession and to solve complex financial issues facing every level of government.

The chronicle of your volunteerism could go on and on. It’s no surprise that public surveys show a high level of trust in CPAs. You are out there every day making a difference in our world.

While you’re not doing any of this for recognition or financial gain, you certainly can look back on each day knowing that you have contributed. As more is needed, you give more and find new ways to serve. Because of committed volunteers, this profession will continue to make great strides and enhance the communities in which we live. I thank you for that.