Minutes of the Meeting of the Staying Put
Board of Directors January 7, 2008
A meeting of the Staying Put Board of Directors took place at 4 PM on Monday, 1/07/08 at the New Canaan Library.
President Tom Towers opened the meeting. He announced that he and Bob Witt are meeting to further clarify the Getabout - Staying Put relationship as well as to work out a taxi voucher system similar to what already exists in Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich.
The subject of insurance for volunteer drivers was also discussed. Volunteers will be driving their own cars but should check their personal policies to assure that they are covered. Director Jane Nyce noted we have 30 Volunteer drivers and that Volunteer training is being worked out in a number of areas. Barbara Johansen is working with Jane to get out a Manual for Staying Put Volunteers.
Tom Ferguson reported on the status of SP fundraising. The total amount donated and pledged to date is $175,000 of which $110,000 has been collected. We need to pursue further foundation funding. We're underway, the "buzz" is positive and growing and we should follow through on the wide publicity and goodwill that is being generated for SP. New brochures have been ordered and the 1/13 Kickoff Celebration invitation response is very encouraging.
Maru Brown advised that we seek additional ways to enroll volunteers through Newcomers, the Young Women's League and other town organizations.
Jane Nyce reported that she has moved into a wonderful temporary new office generously donated by Bentley and Farrell at 45 Grove St. We are up to 116 memberships making a total of 167 members. We have 4 need - based memberships and are hoping to enroll at least 10 more. We have completed paperwork from 10 service providers who cover 28 separate services. Board members are urged to send her recommendations of providers they have used and found satisfactory.
David Brown reminded the group how important the sense of community is for all individuals at every stage of life. As we proceed from childhood to adult life the number of our personal communities is steadily increasing until the time we start to age. And then those communities begin to "unravel" - the circle of family and friends begins to shrink and separations, illness and death take a fierce toll.
In response our Staying Put effort is attempting to stem the tide of community loss for individuals and build a new community available to all of us as we grow older. To augment and enlarge this new community David proposed that he would form an individual friendship with each of 15 of our new members - by calling to say hello, offering to come and visit, taking care to nurture a new relationship with each of these 15. David suggested that those of us who wanted could use a similar approach with 10 or 15 SP members who would each become our special SP friends.
Tom Towers welcomed David's suggestion as a great opportunity for our group to make a difference in the lives of our fellow elders and ourselves. We can plan to go forward with David's suggestion in the next few months.
As this New Year Board meeting concluded, we were looking forward to our first all member gathering and the Staying Put launch celebration next Sunday.
Respectfully submitted
Eleanor O'Neill, Secretary.
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