Welcome Back to Progress!

By Juanita Soutar
National President-Elect 

Fellow Progressians, 

I trust you’ve all been enjoying your summer, and are starting to get back into “Progress” mode.  And, of course, our National Convention is just a few short weeks away.  I know that our friends in the Alberta North Zone have been working very hard organizing another memorable convention for us all.

As with all of our conventions, an important component is the slate of seminars and guest speakers, and Brenda Mahoney, our national Director of Education, and the Convention committee will again deliver in spades!  The lineup this year will certainly serve to educate, motivate, inspire, and entertain all of us for the benefit of our Progress and day-to-day lives.  I encourage you to take full advantage and attend as many of the seminars as possible.

One of the “must attend” seminars for all members at the convention is titled Setting the Standards of Progress.  As announced by Past President CJ MacMullin in the July 2004 edition of The Progression, your National Board has drafted 8 minimum standards, which we strongly feel will provide the blueprint to help all of our clubs grow and flourish and ensure that the Canadian Progress Club can continue as a viable and successful organization for many more years to come.  Each club has been asked to review the 8 standards, evaluate to what extent the club is meeting each of the standards, and identify where there are opportunities for improvement.  Your Zone Governor and National Vice President will work with you over the next few months, providing guidance and access to the resources you might need to improve the operation of your club now and for the future.  Club Presidents, please remember to bring your club’s evaluation to this seminar, where further information on this concept and the process will be discussed.

Additional items on our “to do list” for the upcoming year include completing the modifications to the “Blue Book” and securing a location for our new National Office.

Your National Board has worked hard this year to meet the increasingly challenging needs of the Progress organization and its members.  But, we can’t do it all without you. Your ongoing input, feedback and involvement is essential and encouraged—we’d love to hear from you.  As your incoming National President, I look forward to continuing to work with you and the new Board to build on our successes and deal with the challenges our club faces.

If you’ve haven’t yet registered to attend the convention in Edmonton, there’s still time.  I look forward to seeing all of my Progress friends again very soon and getting to know those of you who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting—either at the convention or during my travels this coming year.

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood . . . Make big plans, aim high in hope and work.”

–Daniel H. Burnham