From the Editor's Desk

By Sharon Ward
Director of Communications
  

I want to thank those club members who have filled in their profile information as requested in our MCS Database.  I also want to invite those who haven’t, to please do so as soon as possible.  This database is our club’s information communication lifeline.  We have invested in the process for the benefit of all club members.  All we ask in return is that you fill out your own personal profile and keep it updated as things change.  Especially email addresses!  I also want to thank Terry Clarke and Adrian Lomas for the immense effort both these gentlemen have expended in order to get this off the ground and running.  In addition, Terry has shepherded the system through some rough waters, when the firm hired to design and execute the MCS, Impact Blue, suffered a reversal of fortune and declared bankruptcy.  Terry held things together and the system is now being managed by another provider.

I’d also like to thank the regional reporters and the individuals who have submitted articles for The Progression this year.  Moncton continues to outdo itself every issue. Keep up the good work, guys.  And if any of you out there feel that there is not enough coverage of your area, please send off a report to me via email—I’d be happy to include it.  Don’t worry if it needs a bit of polishing.  Everything gets a trip down editing lane before it goes into the newsletter.

I’d like to know how the newsletter is serving your needs.  Please email me with suggestions, constructive criticism and comments. My email address is wards@eastlink.ca.

Our cover story this issue is so important that I want you all to read it twice.  Your Board has been doing a lot of housekeeping the last few years (amended and shortened by-laws; revised Blue Book in the works), and the Minimum Standards document is one more.  For this club to not only survive, but thrive, we need to pay attention to the things that make us successful.  We also recognize the diversity in the clubs, not only geographically, but also demographically.  We are all made from the same cookie dough but we are cut out with many different shapes and sizes.  If you examine each item in the Minimum Standards list and apply it to your own club, you will find that you already meet some of them.  Your Board is here to help you identify and begin the process of building success in your own areas of opportunity for growth, so I encourage you to embrace these standards with the positive attitude in which they were developed.  It is our business plan—our blueprint for success.

Since I’m in a thanking mood this issue, I want to also thank our webmaster, Barb Clarke, for all the hard work she has done and continues to do on our behalf.

One more issue before convention.  I’ll be looking for your summer highlights.  Ciao, SW.