All American Club Award
Pieces made by Heidi Wetzel in silver casting classes at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts, Image Credit: Marty Hart
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All American Club Award Program
The All American Club Award was established to encourage clubs to share their activities and expertise with other clubs within their respective regions and with the clubs of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. This was done by the seven regional federations and the AFMS in 1967. It was also meant to provide an organized approach to an historical record of a club’s activities, and provide a means for national recognition of these exceptional clubs.
The Award focuses on the efforts of each club to be a good neighbor, support other clubs and government initiatives, and provide an avenue of learning and growth for its members, among other things. Each report is read and judged for completeness and quality, as well as inclusion of those activities thought to make a well-rounded club. This is not a competition between clubs, but rather a competition of each club against a ‘national standard’, established by a committee of judges and regional chairmen.
The Award is broken into two categories: large clubs (100 members or more) and small clubs (less than 100 members). Junior clubs with five or more members can also submit entries. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are given, based on a point-count system.
2023 - What you need to know about the All American Club Yearbook
IMPORTANT! – the very early deadline for entry in the AFMS contest is March 31, 2023, Your regional chair may have a different deadline. Please send your entry to your regional chair – and they will pass it on to the AFMS.
The All American Club Award is given to the individual club Yearbook, highlighting a club’s activities for the past year, including group activities, individual member participation, workshops and shows. Credit is given for attendance at regional and national shows, participation at meetings, holding officer positions on various committees, writing to state representatives, and involvement in ALAA - all these activities reflect an active club that makes membership worthwhile for everyone. The AACA awards are recognition of these activities, with bronze, silver and gold levels and an overall 1st place gold award.
Take a look at what your club has accomplished this past year, and give credit where credit is due!. The more members contribute to the yearbook, the more completely it can serve as an historical document for the club, as well as an excellent tool to encourage prospective members. Canvassing members for any missing documentation, letters, flyers or other materials to fill in some gaps just might make the difference between a good club and a great Club Yearbook entry.
Take advantage of the guide (that is on this page) written by John Washburn. “An All American Club Yearbook: A Guide for Preparation.” This gives an explanation of each section, and what judges look for in rating the entries. It also highlights areas that are usually the weakest for many clubs and offers suggestions to improve those areas, as well as hints and tips for organizing the book.
Remember – you can get credit for activities such as participation in Competitive Displays, Junior activities, and for club members volunteering as Judges for AFMS contests.
PDF entries are welcome as it saves a lot in postage. Page limit is 150 single pages for the pdf, and 100 double sided pages if printed.
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Silver Jewelry
Lost wax casting involves making a wax model that is then used to make a mold. The wax is melted out of the mold and thus "lost". Melted silver (or other metal) is poured into the mold. After the metal has a cooled, the mold is removed. The resulting piece must be finished by cutting and grinding away temporary supports, then polishing it until it is smooth and shiny. The beautiful jewelry in this picture were made by Heidi Wetzel in a silver casting class during a federation week at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, Georgia.
Image Credit: Marty Hart