2019-03-10 AGM Meeting

Welcome members of Elderberries to our 2019 AGM

The meeting came to order at 1:15pm at the Northwood Penthouse.

Order of business today:

The day actually consists of two meetings. The only function of this first meeting is to present the Annual Reports and to elect the new board. After that we have Pride hosting our Afternoon Tea and Round Table, and a special announcement from Dr Jacqueline Gahagan.

Does that layout for the day sound OK? Any suggestions for improvements?

Chair’s Report

Just a reminder, this is a report for 2018 even though we’re partway through 2019.

Similarly our Treasurer’s Report is for 1 January to 31 December, 2018.

If you ever want some info on what we’ve done with your money since then, or want more detail, just ask in advance, we’re happy to meet and give you the current state of affairs.

2018 Activities

• JANUARY: Patricia Martinson: reading from her poetry collection
• FEBRUARY: Scott MacNeil's publication launch, "Reflections In A Mirror Ball"
• MARCH: How I survived the winter
• APRIL: Lynn Murphy & Don Stevens: Art Therapy.
• MAY: Susanne - the El Camino Norte
• JUNE: AGM + Future Plans
• JULY: Elders Salon. Seven speakers: JJ, Robin, Mike Sangster, Barend, Laura, Eric Smith, and Lynn M, and about 100 participants.
• AUGUST: BBQ in Point Pleasant Park
• SEPTEMBER 9: Sherri Kasten from the Shaar Shalom Synagogue - a short lgbt history of the Shaar
• October: Allison reported back on attending the Canadian LGBTQS Leadership Summit in Saskatoon. And, assembled members discussed the future format and name of our events, in light of the Summit and as a response to our survey of last month.
• NOVEMBER: Patricia and Barend told personal and family stories of World War II, and we got an introduction to CARP, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, from Paula.
• DECEMBER: Roundtable introductions and White Elephant Gift Exchange! Which went surprisingly well!

We conducted a survey with quite a healthy response rate and your Board spent quite a few hours discussing the results and how that should guide us. One significant change we made as a result is a name change for this event and a slight change of focus. The event is now called the Second Sunday Salon, indicating the day of the month it's on. Also, our invitations have gently de-emphasized the need to bring food to the event as quite a few people indicated that it was onerous to them. The organization will be supplying some food from our operating budget, that is, from your generous donations.

In October, board member Allison Brewer represented the Elderberries at a federally funded summit in Saskatoon designed to bring together representatives from every province and territory to begin the work of setting up a national network of LGBTQ2 centres and/or develop greater opportunities for capacity-building and information sharing. While the Elderberries doesn’t have a centre or executive director as such, the organizers thought it was important to have input from organizations such as ours as the project moves forward. Kate Shewan, executive director of the Youth Project, attended the summit as well. The new Elders association is called Enchanté.

At some point in the year we will once again again be talking about future directions for the organization and future programming.

As always it would be great to get more people out to each event - you can see that about 5% of our membership comes to most of our events; we don’t see the other 95%.

Treasurer’s Report

Just a reminder, this report is for 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018

Income:

• We received 1025.16 in meeting collections, cookbook & mug sales

Expenses

• We spent 314.82 on getting the mugs made
• We spent 231.14 in meeting expenses – food & speaker's gifts
• We spent 54.55 on Society registrations and bank charges

Pride Salon Event

• We got 900 funding from Halifax Pride. Thanks, Pride!
• Spent 1014.54 on expenses for this event

Changes In Financial Position

• We received 310.11 more than we spent in 2018.
• Our opening bank balance was 630.07
• Our closing bank balance was 940.18

Motion to accept the Treasurer's Report. Seconded.

Discussion:

• Why don’t we have a membership fee?

Vote. Motion to accept the treasurer's report passed.

Membership Report

We had 55 new members in 2018, compared to 23 in 2017! As of end of year, we had 278 members; we've added three more since then.

We have ten members who have asked us to call them to notify them of meetings, and we never have. If anyone would like to volunteer for this, please speak up. Presumably people wouldn’t need to be called every month.

Election

Now, presentation of our slate of new board of directors. For our election, we propose to present to you a slate of directors, a motion to accept that slate, discussion and a vote.

Existing Boardmembers

• Dan: Chair / Secretary / Membership / Social Media
• Anita: Treasurer / Social media
• Barend: Boardmember / Newsletter
• Allison: Boardmember / Speaker's Bureau
• Lynn: Ex Officio
• Scott - Boardmember (via email & electronic contributions)
• Richard Crooks - Boardmember
• Mike Sangster - Boardmember

New Boardmembers

• Darlene Webber - Boardmember
• Ann Gorman - Boardmember

Allison moved that that the slate of boardmembers be accepted. Anita seconded.

Discussion

• Could we have a description of the portfolios? Sure. Note: we'll be figuring out the portfolios of the boardmembers at our early Board meetings.

Do we have any nominations from the floor? Yes!

• Paula Wedge
• Pauline Federick

Vote. Motion to accept the slate passed.

Thank you old Board, welcome new Board. This meeting is now ended.

Halifax Pride Afternoon Tea

Halifax Pride Exec Director Adam Reid and Patrick Maubert laid out an absolutely fabulous afternoon tea, and Adam gave a short informal presentation:

• How Halifax Pride is different in the last couple years - especially this year, w’re engaging specific parts of the community.
• Pride runs the big events; Pride needs to count on the community groups to produce events for themselves. There is funding available.
• At this time of year specifically we’re reaching out to the various groups and find out what events we’re planning.

Elders can get involved in several ways; one easy way by coming to a meeting - next one is Mar 21, at 5:30, at the Pride Office on Gottingen. The space is not accessible, and if anyone needs an accessible space, just ask.

Discussion:

• A definition of “Elder” would be convenient. But, we don't.
• Could the OWLs host an event with support? Absolutely.

Pride Events: what about time of day? Have we asked?

• No, but we very much take that into account.

What about the accessability of the Garrison Grounds? Where the Jazz Festival is, is better

• Historical. It’s a pleasant space Also, this works very well with the parade route.
• Also, Garrison Grounds really is OK with accessibility, say our experts
• It’s good to have a place separate from the Jazz Festival

Does Halifax work with communities outside the HRM?

• Absolutely. In the Fall we hosted a symposium of Pride organizers.
• We take part in Fierté Canada Pride, the national, and the international organization of Pride organizers.

Jacqui Gahagan

• LGBT Seniors Archive: funded!!
• We have an arrangement with the Dalhousie Chief LIbrarian to house the LGBT Archives.
• This is going to be the best LGBT librarian in the country!
• There will be the digitized library and interactive installations as a teaching tool too.
• Also we are starting up a project to look at queer folk in the military