Registration rates and online processing are now available for the 2008 NFCC Annual Leaders Conference. The Member Rate is $600 per person, the Non-member Rate is $700 per person. NEW in 2008 - there is a special conference rate for Counselors to attend this year's meeting. This rate of $250 is available for all NFCC-certified counselors to attend the scheduled events. To be eligible for this special rate, the attendee must not only be an NFCC-certified counselor, but also must predominantly do counseling within their role at the agency. Additional rates apply for sports, golf, and tour excursions. Non-member registration forms are found here and on the NFCC Web site. Online registration is now available for all Members with an iMIS sign-on and password. Those needing assistance with iMIS information, including Counselors, may contact Pam Carter, director of member services, at (301) 576-2518 or via email at pcarter@nfcc.org.

The NFCC will hold its 43rd Annual Leaders Conference at the Tremont Plaza Suite Hotel and Tremont Grand in Baltimore, MD from September 8-11, 2008. This historic site provides a unique backdrop for our event, is central to Baltimore's cultural district, and is near the city's entertainment hub, the Inner Harbor.

The 2008 Conference will include topics about the current economic environment including where the American consumer is with outstanding debt and increasing losses; housing and asset preservation; the opportunities and potential risks of reverse mortgages; consumer financial education-intervention and prevention; new regulatory guidance; and a host of other technical topics.

Sponsor and Exhibitor Registration is now open. Full details are provided in the Sponsors and Exhibitors' Prospectus which is downloadable here and we look forward to partnering with your organization this year. Registration and Exhibitor Kit Materials will be emailed direct to exhibitors upon receipt of their completed registration form and payment. See the Prospectus for full details. Please contact Mary Ann Reott at mreott@nfcc.org or (301)576-2513 to tailor a package for your organization. The NFCC appreciates the demonstrated support of our many sponsors.

Accommodations for this year's conference are provided through the Tremont Plaza Suite Hotel in downtown Baltimore. Full reservation details are provided in this issue. The room block and special discounted rate are only available until August 8 or until the block is filled. We look forward to seeing you in Baltimore this Fall!

Peter Bell is President of Dworbell, Inc., a Washington, DC-based advocacy and communications company that manages the National Aging in Place Council (NAIPC) and National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA).

NRMLA is an association for lenders involved in the origination and servicing of reverse mortgages. Reverse mortgages are a financial instrument that enable homeowners to convert their equity into income. Reverse mortgages are used to help cover the costs of “aging in place.”

Mr. Bell has served on numerous housing industry committees and HUD task forces and frequently testifies before Congress. He is treasurer of Homes for America, Inc., an Annapolis, MD-based nonprofit developer of affordable housing. He is a Board member of the National Housing Conference and on the Editorial Advisory Board for Housing & Development Reporter.

The NFCC is pleased to share details on workshop content that will be offered to all attendees in Baltimore. Thanks to the many members who responded to the June, 2008 Member Workshop Poll, the NFCC has been proactively working to secure the most requested and relevant topics that are pertinent to your agency’s success. Workshop Sessions are scheduled for the following areas:

• Succession Planning
• Innovative Agency Programs
• Staff Motivation & Development Best Practices
• COA Update on new FEC Standards
• Partnering Financial Social Work & Credit Counseling
• Localizing National Partnerships & Initiatives
• 990 Preparation and Updates
• Counselor-specific Sessions
• Building Client Referrals and Services through VITA Outreach

Efforts are also underway to provide workshops on Disaster Preparedness, Media Training and/or Grant Writing and Funding Practices.

Hotel Reservations at the Tremont Plaza Suite Hotel are now being accepted! Visit the Tremont Hotel Web site at www.tremonts.com and then click on the top left link for RESERVATIONS.

Once there, scroll down to the center Group Reservations section for the Tremont Plaza and click on the word here to link to the group section.

Once in, enter the group code for our conference which is NFCC2008 and proceed to make your reservations.

You may also call for toll-free reservation assistance to 1-800-873-6668.

The special discounted room rate of $169 per night (plus applicable tax) will be offered through August 8, 2008 or until all rooms are filled - don't wait to make your arrangements!

Ride the Ducks Tour
Tour Historic sites in downtown Baltimore while enjoying the scenery riding in an amphibious vehicle! Join this privately-chartered fun event exclusive to NFCC Conference attendees, where guests will be picked up at the Tremont Plaza Hotel at 4:00 p.m., taken on a full land AND water tour, and dropped off in the Harbor to enjoy dinner and site seeing at your leisure. Guests may register for this unique outing within the registration process. The $30 fee covers the 90 minute tour, pick-up and drop-off, and gratuity. Visit www.baltimoreducks.com for more details on this unusual and quite memorable guided tour. Just sit back and enjoy the ride... features your very own keepsake duck bill horn as well!

See an Orioles Game
Join fellow NFCC Conference guests in a group block of seats to watch the hometown Baltimore Orioles take on the Cleveland Indians at Camden Yards at 7:05 p.m. Visit the home of former Oriole legend and Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken Jr., and catch a bit of Bird Land Fever on Wednesday night, September 10. Camden Yards is also just minutes away from the Babe Ruth Museum located in downtown Baltimore. Guests may register for this sports outing within the registration process These reserved seats will go fast at $15 per person - don't wait to secure your spot!

Play a Round of Golf
The 2008 NFCC Golf Classic Scramble is set for the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10, at the Woodlands Golf Course. Guests will be picked up at the Tremont Plaza Hotel at 1:00 p.m. and transported to and from the outing. Full registration details are found here as well as on the NFCC Web site. Secure your spot now to play on the links! Questions may be directed to Rick Tuman at (352) 867-1591 or at rick27@mindspring.com.

Watch the Ravens Season Opener
For football fans, the Baltimore Ravens play in their season opener on Sunday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. Find more details at www.baltimoreravens.com.

Since the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor in the late 1970s, Baltimore has set the standard for urban renewal and is now a major travel destination welcoming 12 million business and leisure visitors each year.

The crown jewel of Baltimore is the Inner Harbor, a scenic and popular waterfront area with dozens of retail stores, restaurants and attractions. This, combined with Baltimore's easy accessibility, makes the city unique. What most people don't realize is that most sites and neighborhoods are within walking distance of each other, and this makes Baltimore an ideal place for business as well as pleasure.

The fun and festive atmosphere of the Inner Harbor is enhanced by street entertainers, open-air concerts, fireworks, parades, paddleboats, and cruise boats.

But there's more to Baltimore than is seen at first glance. Charming historic neighborhoods surround the Inner Harbor, each offering their own character, history and cuisine. Little Italy is a pasta lover's paradise with outdoor movies on summer weekends, festivals of San Gabriel and St. Anthony, and two bocce ball courts. Fell's Point is the oldest section of Baltimore and still has the feel of an old English neighborhood with cobblestone streets, unique shops and plentiful pubs and restaurants. And, there's Harbor East, a bustling waterfront stop with its own attractions, retail shops and restaurants.

The best view of the city is from the top of Federal Hill on the south side of the Inner Harbor. The surrounding neighborhood has a variety of boutiques and restaurants and one of the city's most popular markets. Mount Vernon, the cultural center of the city, was the address for the rich and famous during the 18th and 19th centuries. Their legacies include the first architectural monument to George Washington; Peabody Conservatory of Music; The Walters Art Museum; and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption, the first Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. And don't forget about Canton to the east. There you will find one of the city's hottest neighborhoods, where old factories have been converted into a thriving retail and entertainment hub.

Baltimore has restaurants to satisfy nearly every craving. Dining options include elegant gourmet cuisine, ethnic foods from around the world and plenty of fresh seafood from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is known for its fabulous crabs, and dining at one of the city's many seafood restaurants or crab houses is a must for all who visit.

Baltimore is a dynamic city that continues to evolve while holding on to its maritime heritage. Since 1600, Baltimore waterways have been a passage for ships carrying commercial cargo and new citizens. It lies farther west than any other major Atlantic port, a point that endeared its harbors to shippers. More than 30 million tons of cargo pass through the Port of Baltimore every year.

Established in 1729 to serve the economic needs of 18th-century Maryland farmers, the town of Baltimore gradually began to take on a life of its own. Baltimore played a crucial role in the War of 1812, when soldiers, stationed at Fort McHenry, successfully held off a British attack on Baltimore. That victory for Baltimore was commemorated in a poem by Francis Scott Key and is now our national anthem.

When the war ended in early 1815, Baltimoreans resumed their vigorous foreign trade efforts and Baltimore grew into the second largest city in the United States. Baltimore's overseas trade was principally with the Caribbean Islands and South America, regions undergoing economic and social changes. At the same time, the American frontier was pushing even farther west, threatening to leave Baltimore behind in its economic wake. The state of Maryland concentrated its efforts on completing the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, designed to link the Potomac and Ohio River valleys, but the city of Baltimore supported an overland link in the form of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Although the two competed for routes and freight, to the eventual ruin of the canal and the financial embarrassment of the state, Baltimore's railroad reached Cumberland in 1842 and, by 1874, stretched to Chicago.

The canning industry was also an important economic engine for Baltimore's future. Canning became key as the riches of the Chesapeake Bay began (for the first time) to be preserved and shipped to other parts of the country. Older industries, such as shipbuilding and transportation, remained industrially strong, and the city continued as an active port of entry for European immigrants and rural residents from the upper South. In 1904, however, the city's progress suffered a rude setback when a fire consumed most of its business district, including a number of historic structures. The devastated area was rapidly rebuilt, perhaps even stimulating economic life, and Baltimore prospered through the First World War and into the 1920s. The Depression, however, was too great an obstacle for local initiative to overcome, and physical developments in the city were retarded, first by economic distress and then by controls imposed by World War II.

After the war, Baltimore's economy continued to thrive as people spent heavily on consumer goods. As their standard of living increased, city residents were attracted to new housing developments beyond Baltimore's borders, and many people left. The city, which had grown in popularity every year since the mid-century, actually began to shrink as adjacent counties experienced tremendous growth.

Much to everyone's delight, the city began to come back strong in the 1970s. The city encouraged a redoubling of efforts from the municipal, business and volunteer partnerships, and tapped into ambitious federal programs for urban renewal. The municipality managed to revitalize the downtown area, where dilapidated wharves and warehouses were torn down and replaced by restaurants; attractions such as the Maryland Science Center; and retail in the form of Harborplace, which opened in 1980 to tremendous fanfare. The National Aquarium in Baltimore and hotels soon followed.

Baltimore's growth continues today. Development is moving both east and west of the Inner Harbor with more projects on the way. Baltimore is currently enjoying a second renaissance with more than $1 billion in new development planned.

Provided courtesy of www.baltimore.org

A Reminder—The Making the Difference Member Award voting window will close on Friday, August 8.

The NFCC wishes to recognize the 2008 Annual Leaders Conference Steering Committee. This group of individuals represents a broad cross-section of our Member Agencies from across the country and they have been instrumental in the planning of this year's event. A series of monthly conference calls have provided a platform for this team to share feedback, advocate for Member viewpoints on content, and organize the schedule of events. The NFCC appreciates their tremendous support in making the 43rd Annual Leaders Conference a success.

Jolene Bach, CCCS of Montana
Winchell Dillenbeck, CCCS of the North Coast
Ann Estes, ClearPoint Financial Solutions
Doug Horst, CCCS of Central Alabama
Jim Frannea, CCCS of Orange County
Jim Godfrey, CCCS of Maryland and Delaware
Ken King, CCCS of Sheboygan
Libby Rogers, CCCS of West Florida
Sharon Taubert, CCCS of Nebraska
Joy Thormodsgard, CCCS of Santa Clara & Ventura County
Rick Tuman, CCCS of Mid-Florida

Attention, NFCC-certified Counselors. Due to the positive response to our special $250 rate, the NFCC is planning a couple of counselor-specific sessions during the conference. Registered counselors are being solicited to provide input for these sessions, take advantage of this great opportunity to network and gain valuable industry insight by attending this years conference. Register today! There will also be an extensive offering of workshops for all attendees, a full listing is found in this issue which now includes a 990 preparation and update session.

Also please note the change on Wednesday, September 10, the day will begin with the Creditor Breakout Sessions followed by the NFCC Advisory Council Meeting.

There are still seats available on the Ride the Ducks Tour outing as well as the Orioles Baseball game on September 10 yet they are going fast. Be sure to secure your spot today!