WEST COAST HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY
Annual General Meeting: June 15, 2002
School of Theology, UBC
President’s Report
Our last AGM was held less than 8 months ago in October of 2001 and the Board that took office at that meeting was considerably different from the one that exists now. Only Tammy Colleton, Rasoul Slater, and Jo Twiss remain from that original slate of officers. Jesai Chantler and Judy Chorney were nominated to join the Board earlier this year according to the Society’s by-laws.
With this AGM, the Society returns to its traditional meeting date in June, which not only coincides with the end of our fiscal year, but allows a new Board to settle in gradually during the summer before tackling the big projects later in the year. Even with the shortened tenure of the 2001-2002 Board of Directors however, we can report some significant achievements:
• creation of the Public Education committee
• establishment of the Membership Discount project
• streamlining of membership procedures
• continued participation in the CCHM
• enhanced internal communications through regular e-mail announcements
Today we will be electing a new Board of Directors, which will face some of the same questions that the previous Board was grappling with last summer. At this time we have asked for member input on some of these issues, which will guide the new Board in its deliberations.
Most significant of these will undoubtedly concern the Society’s newsletter. Most of you are aware that our quarterly newsletter was costing approximately $25 per member per year and that last summer the Board decided to investigate a less expensive electronic format. Our first attempt was in the form of a 25 page e-mail, which unfortunately created chaos for some members with restricted e-mail accounts, for which we are sincerely sorry. In the meantime, Iain Marrs has decided to resign from his position as editor of the newsletter. The Board wishes to acknowledge Iain’s significant contribution over the past 6 years and to thank him for his hard work and dedication in producing a quality newsletter that all members can be proud of.
Now the Society finds itself in the position of having to find both a new format and a new editor. We hope that membership input will guide the new Board to create a new newsletter that best serves the interests of our membership. At the same time, decisions will need to be made about our website, which is often impossible to access due to problems with our service provider. All this may take awhile, but we are sure it will be worth the wait.
The new Board will also inherit – as all Boards have done for the past 5 years – the challenge of re-applying for charity status. Our first application was rejected years ago but there are compelling reasons to try again. We hope the next Board will make this a priority in the coming year.
Another inherited project – now nearing completion – is up-dating the What is Homeopathy? brochure. Various practitioners have been involved with editing a revised version – a new and improved version – that members can purchase at less than cost. However, to help pay for our initial printing, we are taking pre-publication orders now at 10 cents each for members, 20 cents for non-members. We encourage everyone attending this meeting to place a large order for these brochures – and to distribute them generously as the most effective way to spread the word about homeopathy and the West Coast Homeopathic Society.
Board of Directors:
Jesai Chantler
Judy Chorney
Tammy Colleton
Rasoul Slater
Jo Twiss