Letter from the TOCNYS President

It’s great that New York State COVID restrictions are relaxed, especially as we are entering the summer season. After over a year of Zoom meetings with smiles covered and voices muffled, it is such a relief to be almost back to normal. Regions all around the State are kicking into high gear and events are being planned to get us together to talk Tesla.

I want to thank Stephen Pallotta, our club manager, as well as our team of Regional Organizers and Key Members. They have kept us engaged and excited about the Club, Tesla, and most importantly the mission and purpose of the club in promoting sustainable and renewable energy for transportation and to help keep New York State cleaner and greener.TOCNYS is not just a car club. We do have fun together as electric car enthusiasts, but we are way more than that. I am so proud to say that during the past year or so, in the middle of the COVID shutdown, our members stepped up and helped in many charitable causes and provided many educational opportunities. Knowledge and experience was shared about Tesla vehicles, traveling and living in EVs, and investing in companies that focus on sustainable and renewable energy, just to name a few. I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to highlight the achievements during the challenging COVID era.

We had held a total of 103 events. 31 of them are virtual MeetUps and webinars, 15 of them were educational in nature. We hosted 8 charitable events such as food drives for a food bank, a toy drive for Toys for Tots, and meal deliveries to homebound and at-risk individuals during the thick of the COVID. We have donated face masks and face shields to front line personnel. We even helped out at Tesla Mt. Kisco with their end of quarter delivery rush! I can truly say that TOCNYS has the highest quality people in the State of New York who care about both the environment and also care about humanity. We choose to not only talk the talk, we walk the walk. I am deeply humbled and am thankful for every one of you who served.

Another amazing feat is that during the COVID shutdown, TOCNYS still managed to grow membership from about 700 members then, to over 1,600 members today. Currently, New York State has about 26,000 Tesla vehicles on the road. Membership penetration is less than 7% and we hope to achieve 10% penetration by the end of 2022. Just like with Tesla, our strongest form of advertising is word of mouth. Let’s continue to spread the word and share your Tesla excitement with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors and invite other Tesla owners to join the club.

Lastly I would like to thank the Plaid, Ludicrous and Supporter level members for their financial support. Paid members constitute only about 10% of our total club membership, and we are hoping to grow the percentage higher so the club will become financially self-sustainable. If you are currently a Chill level member, please consider upgrading to a Supporter level member for $25 a year, Ludicrous level member for $50 a year, or best to become a Plaid level supporter for $100 a year. Every penny of your support goes back into the club to invest in our future generations of environmentally conscious vehicle owners and drivers, and to foster a better humanity.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Patrick Ho

TOCNYS President

patrickh@tocnys.org

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