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Minutes Of The WCPCA Board Meeting, October 8, 2012

Location: The home of Dorothy Soper

Attendees: Miriam Aiken, Keith Beyer, James Cloutier, Josette Green, Maggie Keenan, Dale Morse, and Dorothy Soper

  1. Welcome

  2. Review of recent activities:

    1. Book Club: Patty MacAfee held the first meeting of the West Cascade Book Club. Meeting will be held every 2 months and selected books will be by Peace Corps authors or about the Peace Corps. The first 4 books were selected.

    2. John Hofer has offered to establish some meetings to discuss foreign affairs.

    3. The Health Justice Survey has been distributed to NPCA membership and to the WCPCA membership through our newsletter. Felicia Kenney was instrumental in organizing this survey to determine the types of health problems encountered by PCVs while they served as well as impact of these problems when they returned. So far about one thousand responses have been received.

    4. The chloroquinine study by Baylor College of Medicine is still pending.

    5. 20 people signed an indication of interest in receiving the WCPCA newsletter at the Eugene Celebration. So far, two have joined.

    6. Dorothy showed us articles in the October Boomer and Senior News featuring WCPCA members, as well as an article in Dash.

    7. The Peace Corps taxi that has been in so many parades is no longer operational. It has been dismantled and parts are now nailed to the wall of Wayne Thompson’s barn.

    8. We received a post card of thanks from the PCV in Vanuatu who receive the $1000 donation from WCPCA for his water project.

    9. Patty MacAfee asked for an indication of interest that WCPCA members would help prepare food boxes for Food for Lane County. Volunteers meet once a month to pack boxes and work in small groups packing boxes. James moved, and the motion was seconded by Dale to participate.

  3. Financial report: Dale

    We are in good shape financially, though we are a bit behind in the receipt of dues revenues.

  4. Coming activities:

    1. U of O Street Fair: Hannah needs about 4 more people to help at the Peace Corps recruitment stand on October 10, 11, and 12. This was announced in the newsletter.

    2. Dorothy suggested that we start an outreach to newly returned PCVs to get them to come to the potluck on October 12.

  5. Funds for humanitarian project:

    $500 was awarded to a Peace Corps Partnership Project in Costa Rica, organized by PCV Rachel Huguet of Portland, OR. The project will build a classroom to house 18 new computers for computer classes in a rural coastal area. The name of the project is: Bridging the Gap: A Computer Classroom in Costa Rica. (Project number 515-239)

  6. Sale of tee shirts and calendars:

    1. 65 calendars, out of 200 ordered, have been sold or promised for sale. James agreed to contact retail stores in Eugene. Dale took some for Swahili Imports. The following price structure was established: $12 for single calendars; $10 each for 5 or more; $8 each for 20 or more; and, $8 each for retail.

    2. Tee shirts: 20 shirts have been sold so far

  7. Amending the WCPCA Constitution:

    1. Based on the consensus reached at the September 20th board meeting (see NOTES), in keeping with Article X of the constitution, the board agreed to propose an amendment to reduce level of activity for the board and for group activities.

    2. The proposed amendment will be to Article VII. Meetings. The following sentence needs to be replaced: “All other Board meetings will be held monthly." The replacement sentence agreed upon by the board is as follows: “Board meetings shall be held as necessary and are open to the full membership.”

    3. This will be presented at the potluck on Friday, October 12th.

  8. Review of the process to nominate and elect board members and decisions for this year.

    1. Jim Beyer will be asked to continue in his capacity as the nominating “committee”.

    2. The potluck will be used an opportunity to ask other members to run for the board.

    3. We should have names in hand by mid-November so that the slate can be sent out in advance to the membership.

  9. Board meeting dates

    1. November 12 (so as to follow the October potluck and vote on changes to the Constitution)

    2. December 10 (so as to follow the December potluck and election of officers).

NOTES

Consensus from September 10, 2012 board meeting on changes to the Constitution

Attendees: Miriam Aiken, Keith Beyer, James Cloutier, Dale Morse, and Dorothy Soper

Guests: Vince Ceccacci, Ginny and Randall Donohue, Patty MacAfee, and Howard Schuman

The following is the consensus of the discussion on the topic of how to organize activities and leadership of WCPCA in 2013.

The goal was to identify a structure for which the organization can identify adequate leadership. The understanding was that the current level of activity is greater than we can sustain. With sufficient support more activities might be added to those listed. That would be a board decision.

Starting in 2013:

Quarterly board meetings; Quarterly potlucks; Quarterly newsletter to members and mailing list; emails to members; and, Mailing list in the other months or as necessary.

Maintain the following as board responsibilities:

  • Financial organization including reporting to governmental agencies NPCA affiliation fees and reports

  • Technical matters: maintain the website, membership database, annual membership directory, other tech support

  • Membership support: renewals, welcome to new members; NPCA contacts

  • Fundraising: tee shirt design and sales; calendar sales

  • Fund humanitarian projects using distributions of the endowed fund and proceeds from fundraising

  • Outreach activities: support U/O recruiter including sponsoring an annual NOM party and staffing the PC booth at U of O activities; Eugene Celebration parade and booth; supporting local charities Overall organizational responsibilities: prepare for and convene board meetings, record and distribute minutes of board meetings, correspondence, follow-up on board decisions, prepare the organization’s annual report

  • Check the P. O. box and distribute mail as necessary

  • Attend regional RPCV group meetings

The above would be basic responsibilities of the board and possibly others who are not on the board. Organizing in this way will require a few changes in the WCPCA’s constitution and bylaws. Possible board meeting months: January, April, July, and early October

Possible potluck months: February, May (NOM party), August (picnic), and late October to welcome newly returning PCVs

In addition, there was interest in maintaining and/or initiating the following activities. Each activity requires or would require one or more individuals to organize it. These activities are not overall board responsibilities.

Respectfully submitted, October 10, 2012

Miriam Aiken, Secretary