Message from the National Director Member Services:
Awards Information

By Liam Pollock
Director Member Services
 

"Like all of my predecessors I am challenged
to continue making improvements in how the
submissions are administered and judged."

When I was called up to receive my mentorship award in Saint John’s last September, I paused to think about how far I had come as a Progressian. I joined CPC Halifax on November 7, 1997 just as I was getting my professional career under way and little did I know at the time, but I was about to embark on what have been some of my most challenging and rewarding experiences to date.

As with all new members of CPC Halifax I was assigned a mentor for my first year. That mentor was responsible for setting me up on an event committee, showing me the ropes and generally get me settled in to CPC Halifax. My mentor, Todd Barnard, instructions were brief and to the point. “Buddy, find something you can do and get it done.” Before I long I had “volunteered” to work on our Spring Auction and do some other tasks as need and directed by Todd…

Since then my network of formal and informal mentors within progress has grown, but I am still following Todd’s advice. But as I sat down at the CPC Halifax table it dawned on me that perhaps I had grown a little more within progress than I thought I had.

One of the first things I was involved in CPC Halifax was working on the national awards submissions and thus began my association with the National Awards program. This year I stepped forward to become the National Director of Member Service and I began looking over last years awards program and identify where I thought it could be tweaked and/or updated. What was fairly clear to me right away was that I wanted to recognize the work all Progressians do in communities of all size in our shared name and cause.

The goal of the 2007 National Awards and Recognition Program is to recognize the outstanding achievements of clubs and members of our organization. A secondary goal is to share information on the success of Clubs across our organization. Many clubs are challenged each year in finding new fundraising events or ideas to revitalize their existing events. By studying the success of other Clubs, sometimes inspiration can be found and tired members revitalized in new pursuits.

A personal goal, as a person who has worked on the presentations in the past, is to make this an easy process to contribute to and administer.

Like all of my predecessors I am challenged to continue making improvements in how the submissions are administered and judged. Like last year, no one judge will have a single submission to judge. Each submission will either be reviewed by at least two people or for submissions with multiple components, broken up and evaluated by separate judges. I will also commit to randomly reviewing a sample of submissions to ensure consistency and accuracy to the assessment guide is maintained. Furthermore, this year’s awards package will include an assessment guide so that each club will have a copy of the assessment process for each award at hand as they prepare their submissions.

"This program is designed to recognize
outstanding achievements made by clubs
and members within our organization."

As in previous years, former National Presidents and current members of the National Board and Zone Governors will be asked to contribute to the assessment of the awards submissions prior to the National Convention.

These changes are a continuation of the growth and maturing of the National Awards Program as the National Board seeks new ways to recognize and reward the work all Progressians.

I know that many Clubs debate the relevance of participating in the National Awards and Recognition Program. Some think that only the “super” clubs will win or have other ideas about its relevancy and administration based on previous experiences. I challenge those assumptions and ask that all Progressians review the 2007 Awards and Recognition Program for themselves and see that there are entry points to all awards for all members and Clubs.

I am also committed to posting all winning submissions on the national website following the National AGM and Convention because this is a continuation of the learning and information sharing process that the Awards and Recognition Program supports.

It is important that we do not let the spirit of this program be overshadowed by our natural competitive spirit (CPC Halifax is due for a return to the National Presidents Award!) because that is not what these awards are about. This program is designed to recognize outstanding achievements made by clubs and members within our organization; so their successes and achievements are just as valid and meaningful as our own.

On March 23, 2007 the National Awards and Recognition Program will be posted on the National website. I hope you will have the chance to look it over and find an award that you feel strongly about and take the opportunity to recognize the contributions of someone in your club, or perhaps the achievements of a your club as a whole.

If you have any questions about the National Awards and Recognition Program, please drop me an email or phone call and I would be more than welcome to talk to you about the 07 program.

Yours for Progress,
Liam Pollock