| Canadian Progress Club Progression On-line |
September 2002 |
|||
On the Campaign Trail |
||||
Dear Fellow Progressians, I hope that you are having a very enjoyable summer and well-deserved rest from your busy working and Progress lives. With the National Convention in Canmore less than one month away, I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself and to advise those of you who are may not be aware, that I am running for National President-Elect. I was first introduced to the Canadian Progress Club when I joined Stampede City in 1994. I had moved from Saskatoon in the previous year and although I had been involved with the United Way of Saskatoon, the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, the Terry Fox Run and the Canadian Bankers Association, I really wasn't looking to join a service club. After attending just a few meetings and experiencing what it meant to be a member of my club and a Progressian, I was hooked. As luck would have it, my first National Convention was back in Saskatoon. It was there that I came to realize how special our organization is. Although the charities that we support locally may not be the same, the motivation and drive to better our communities through fund-raising and community service is strong and consistent throughout, and the friendships that are created can only be described as nothing short of "family". The following year, I became President of my club. Not only was it a learning experience serving my club members, but I also had the opportunity to work with the presidents of the other clubs in my zone. The teamwork in our zone was gathering momentum, so even after my turn as club president was over I continued attending zone meetings. While I was very actively involved with Bowl for Kids, my club's charity event for Big Sisters & Big Brothers, I wanted to do more. In 2000 I was elected Western Region Vice President. My goals were to work on sharing more information within the Region, improve interclub communication, and work on initiatives to improve the profile of the Canadian Progress Club in our community. To quote Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, "Setting the goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan". And so the work started. With the help of Terry Clarke from Calgary Bow River and Barbara Ennis from Calgary City Centre we ran a very successful workshop in the Pacific Region on membership, education and strategic planning. Having my family in Edmonton allowed me to make more frequent trips to Edmonton and attend North Zone club meetings and events. In Calgary we launched our first event geared to attracting media attention. We presented a cheque representing all of the funds raised by our Calgary clubs during the year to the Deputy Mayor and created a special Volunteer Award to be presented to one special member from each club in recognition of the "International Year of the Volunteer". We received good coverage in the Calgary Sun. This year we changed the venue and the time. On Global Television's Breakfast Show we presented Mayor Dave Bronconier with a cheque for $756,000. We received 20 minutes of total airtime from Global TV showcasing our various existing and planned events (chuck wagon races, singing Elvis's, and events involving our charities) as well as coverage on the noon and evening news broadcasts. Our success can best be attributed to the utilization of the energy and resources of our clubs and their members. During this time, your National Executive has been formulating its strategy for restructuring our National Board. The purpose is simple. We need to be more task-oriented to provide our membership with services that they value and we need to deliver them in a more timely manner. Having a more functional Board can do that. By having individuals specifically dedicated and accountable for functional tasks we can create and execute action plans to deliver the needed services to our members. We have your approval to embark on this path through your strong and decisive vote for our restructuring plan. Now it's time to implement. This year we expect to have new and energized individuals working on action plans to improve our organization's Communication, Public Relations, Education and Member Services. I would like to continue my involvement in this process by running for National President-Elect. Change is very important and we must continue to change and evolve to meet the needs of our Club and its members. But as Dale Carnegie so aptly put it, "If you want to gather honey, you don't kick over the bee hive". We can achieve our goals and still maintain the character and spirit that has made our organization what it is today. I look forward to your support at the upcoming Canmore Convention and hopefully in my upcoming years of service to you and the Canadian Progress Club. Yours for Progress,
|
||||
