Last Updated: 12/4/18
2018-19 Board of Directors:
November 1, 2018 Meeting Minutes
Members Present: Walt Meyer, Matt Adams, Brena Anderson, Glen Brigham, Kathi Hoffer, Nancy Meyer, Patric Miller, Leslie Parker, Debbie Snow and Ted Stevens.
Guests Present: Audrey Chen, Grace Petrina and Jantzen Lloyd.
1. Call to Order: President Walt Meyer called the meeting to order at 5:33 PM. Debbie Snow introduced the “awesome” co-chairs of the South Eugene High School Interact Club, Audrey Chen and Grace Petrina.
2. Minutes of October Board Meeting: It was moved by Debbie Snow and carried (Glen Brigham and Leslie Parker abstaining) to approve the Minutes of the October 2018 Board meeting.
3. Lunch Committee Report and Recommendations: Pat Miller reported on behalf of the Lunch Committee. He indicated that the Committee has been working to resolve two issues of concern to some Club members:
(1) the use of paper plates and plastic utensils by our caterers, and
(2) the variety of food being served.
Pat reported that the arrangements with our current caterers are in place through the end of December and, as a result, the Committee sees this as a good time to explore ways of addressing members’ concerns.
To this end, the Committee has been in discussions with Pat McCallum, owner of Mac’s Catering, about ways the Club could use his dishware and cutlery for our lunches. Pat shared the results of these discussions. This report led to considerable discussion about how to address members’ concerns and whether the Club should enter into a new contractual relationship with Mac’s Catering. Regarding the latter item, it was moved by Glen Brigham and carried (5 “yes,” 3 “no,” and 2 abstentions) that the Club not enter into a new contract with Mac’s Catering for luncheon food services. Concerning the former issue (addressing members’ concerns), Pat and the other members of the Lunch Committee present agreed to continue to work to try to resolve them.
4. Consideration of Anita Weiss’ Request for a Leave of Absence: Walt Meyer reported that Anita has requested a leave of absence from November 16, 2018 to March 20, 2019. It was moved by Nancy Meyer and carried unanimously to grant this request.
5. Members in Arrears in the Payment of Dues: A report on late dues was forwarded to Board members in advance of the meeting. Assignments for individual Board members to contact specific members in arrears were made.
6. Board Members’ Pledges to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund: Walt Meyer expressed his strong desire that every Board member pledge to donate to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund. He wants these commitments prior to asking other Club members to donate to the Annual Fund. Pledge sheets were circulated to Board members in advance of the meeting. He asked that they be turned in to his ASAP, as he wants to begin the campaign with Club members next week. Ted Stevens asked for the name of the individual responsible for collecting donation checks. Walt responded that he will get an answer and will share it with Board members in the next few days.
7. Recipients for the 2019 Fundraiser Special Appeal: Various Board members expressed their desires for specific projects to benefit from the upcoming fundraiser’s special appeal(s). Specifically, Debbie Snow pitched help for the two Interact clubs being sponsored by Southtowne, Ted Stevens and Jantzen Lloyd pitched for extra funds for college scholarships, and Pat Miller indicated a desire for money for the Buyijia project in Uganda. After these expressions of desire, a broader discussion was held about ways to raise more money to support the Club’s many worthy projects. Pat shared his views that the Club should develop a second annual fundraiser, as well as embrace other strategies for raising funds for our projects, such as, “crowd sourcing.” He also urged the Club to look for ways to reach out to people outside of the Club for support.
At the conclusion of this discussion, it was the consensus of the Board that the following process and timetable be used to identify the recipients of the upcoming fundraising event’s special appeals:
(1) that the Fundraising Committee develop and circulate a brief request for proposals to all Club members within the next couple of weeks;
(2) that the Committee review these proposals and select one or more for presentation to the Club Board by the end of November; and
(3) that the Board consider and act upon the Committee’s recommendation(s) in early December. (This consideration may occur by email or, if necessary, during a special Board meeting.)
8. Literary Grant for OBOB: Walt Meyer reported that Southtowne submitted a grant request to District 5110 for $286 to help pay for additional OBOB books for the current year. Walt is waiting on a response from our Club’s Assistant Governor, Beth Sheehan.
9. Wi-Fi Hotspot: Walt Meyer reported that the Program Committee has requested that the Club purchase a wi-fi hotspot to enable presenters to show YouTube and related videos during their presentations. Matt Adams stated that most smart phones, with the appropriate application installed, have the capability of being used as a hotspot. He volunteered his phone when he is in attendance and, further, agreed to show other Club members how to install and use this app. These actions seemed to solve the problem and, as a result, no action was taken on the Committee’s request.
10. December Board Meeting: Walt Meyer announced that there will be no regular meeting of the Board in December, as he and Nancy will be in Europe on December 6, the date of this meeting. Given is announcement, the next regular Board meeting will be held on Thursday, January 3, 2019. At this meeting, Walt expressed his intent to put a discussion of the Club’s Emergency Fund on the agenda.
11. Adjournment: President Walt adjourned the meeting at 7:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Ted Stevens, Recording Secretary