We had an excellent turnout for our Fall Membership Meeting; thank you to all who attended. As president, I continue to be impressed with the commitment of our members to our Ethical cause. Our community is strong and we lean on each other for support in these turbulent times. Our committees are very active and we are working on increased exposure in social media to let people know the good things we are doing.
I presented the Preliminary Task Force Report created by David Bland, Lisa Hirschman, myself, Rolando Perez, and Lisa Schwartz. This is based on the online surveys that were completed in the spring of 2018. We still have several Talk Backs to complete, so the full report will be presented with that information at the May 2019 Membership Meeting. The recommendations of the Task Force are: 1) The final report will contain specific actionable statements for committees, Program Council and the Board; 2) Data that is specific to a committee should go directly to the committee by the Spring Membership meeting, with the final report; 3) Charge the Leadership Advisory Committee with creating an Action Plan for succession planning.
Janet Glass, as Finance Chair, reported on the highly successful Home Fires Campaign. We raised OVER our $50,000 goal, all thanks to your enthusiastic support. Janet handed out roses to those supporters present at the meeting.
Jim Norman reported on the state of the building and noted that some of the Home Fires Campaign money had been spent on some big-ticket items, e.g., repaving the parking lot, installation of a new entry fence, adding insulation to the attic, and putting up easy-to-clean paneling in the daycare areas. We still need to look at the main room and lobby flooring and replacing the main room chairs, as many are beginning to show their age and break down. We have hired a new handyman, Joe Trobunella, who has been very helpful in keeping up with the endless list of building chores.
After brief discussion, the membership unanimously adopted our 2019 budget of $278,303. I remain enthusiastic about this vibrant community and am proud to be your president.
Susan Lesh