As I sit here writing my monthly message, we are one day past the latest Provincial mandatory public health measures which returned us to Step 1. As a result, our plans to have an outdoor AGM on April 24, including a small outdoor party, were squashed. We are required to hold an annual meeting by April 30 each year, where we present our audited financial statements for member approval, elect directors, report on our year’s activities, and deal with any other business that needs attending to.
New provincial legislation, and our bylaws, permit us to hold our AGM online, so by the time you read this, we would have likely held our 2020 annual meeting. This is not at all what we were hoping to do, but to ensure the health of our members and take no unnecessary risks, a virtual AGM is the best decision for all.
I try to report on our activities throughout the year in my newsletter messages, so there were no surprises in my AGM report. Our AGM PowerPoint is also available on our website, our financial statements were published in the last newsletter (and available through the office), and our social media is quite active, so I think we have been doing a pretty good job of keeping our members informed.
I am still looking for my replacement, but with a great staff and many new and active directors, I can start to “mail it in” a lot more! We still have many roles on our board that need to be filled/replaced, including treasurer, social, membership, funding, volunteer coordination, and others, so if you did not raise your hand at our AGM, when you are finally free to circulate and re-engage, consider community involvement as a great way to jump back in!
We continually have a shortage of directors, and any resident member who is interested in joining is normally acclaimed in the role. We can also accept directors at any time during the year, so if you have any interest at all in participating in your association in a meaningful role, please send me an email. You are welcome to join, spend some time getting to know the lay of the land and understand what is required and what interests you, build some rapport with each other, and then have some fun doing great stuff!
If being a director is not your thing, but you are still interested in getting engaged in your community, we are trying something new by undertaking many tasks at a “volunteer committee” level. This makes you free to spend time with people who have similar interests and accomplish some great things without the board commitment.
A committee of one is how we have been operating (and many of your board members have been multitasking in covering the vacant roles), so hopefully we can get a few more volunteers involved this way, as many hands make light work!
In challenging times, a community centre can become a focal point for support and spirit. That becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, when our operations are so limited. However, we hope to continue communicating our support and comfort through our social media platforms, and when we reopen, I look forward to us being the community gathering place for functions and activities that we can’t wait to provide.
In the meantime, it is only through the efforts of all of us that we will turn these waves into ripples.
Stay well.
Don Boykiw
