Minutes of the Meeting of the Staying Put
Board of Directors March 3, 2008
Minutes of the Staying Put Board Meeting
A meeting of the Staying Put Board of Directors was held on Monday, March 3, 2008 at 4 PM at the New Canaan Library. Pat Stoddard, Vice President, chaired the meeting.
Treasurer's Report: Tom Ferguson gave the Treasurers Report. In response to our recent grant request, a generous grant has been awarded to Staying Put from the Barbara Benton Davis Advised Fund of the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
Benefit Concert: Judy Bentley announced that a Staying Put fund raiser has been planned for this spring. Judy and Dave Bentley have arranged for the Four Freshmen - a very popular and entertaining group - to give a Staying Put Benefit Concert on Saturday April 26 at 4 PM at the New Canaan Country School. The Four Freshmen started in the sixties and have been performing ever since - with a series of retirements and talented replacements over the years. They are accomplished musicians who sing and play a mixture of old favorites and new music - some a cappella, some four part harmony and some with instruments which they play themselves.
Tickets will be available at $35. each for members, $50. each for general admission and $100. each for patrons. Patrons will be invited to attend a special post concert wine and cheese party in the school library.
Pat Stoddard suggested that each Board member try to interest four or more friends in purchasing tickets and that the member invite those friends back to their home for a casserole supper that evening.
Directors Report: Jane Nyce announced that our membership now numbers 198 individuals from 137 households. Five of these are Special memberships. The office has received 37 calls for services - of which 2/3 have been filled by volunteers and the remainder by recommended service providers.
Our afternoon at the Stamford Symphony was attended by 15 members, many of whom carpooled for those who were hesitant to drive themselves.
And we have 27 member reservations for "A Time to Dance" on April 6- a program we are supporting together with the Lapham Center.
Pat Stoddard has agreed to head up the Program and Events Committee for which we have a good list of potential volunteer helpers.
Two volunteer driver training sessions have been set up with help from Barbara Johansen. Experts from Nursing and Home Care and the Red Cross are participating.
Hope Hetherington has continued her skilled work on the SP Database which is now being used by Jane and Donna. Office volunteers will soon be receiving training in the use of this long awaited tool and time saver for our organization. Cheers and thank you to Hope!
Grant Requests: We recently revised our NCCF grant request for additional office equipment. Jim Malling had met with Jane and given advice on streamlining our office setup for greater efficiency and technical effectiveness.
Bentley and Farrell continue their generous loan of office space and use of equipment.
Pat Stoddard and Tom Ferguson have submitted a grant application to the United Way for help on our community outreach to potential members and volunteers.
Services: Tom Ferguson reported on Service Providers .We are amassing a good list of vetted providers but we still need to keep at the follow-up to be certain these services return all the necessary forms. With spring approaching, window washers and gardening help will be especially needed.
Staying Put is also getting excellent service from our volunteers in response to simple but important member needs.
New Ideas: John Engel suggested that we try to get a regular BRIEF column-box in the Advertiser outlining a service recently performed for an SP member by an SP volunteer - a sort of short Staying Put to the Rescue story. John agreed to check out the Advertiser on the possibility of publishing this kind of regular SP news.
This coming summer John proposed that we plan to have a Staying Put seating area at some of New Canaan's outdoor events. He envisioned a large oblong banner displaying our name and logo where members would gather to share the program and each other's company.
John also suggested that the Board learn about using a Googledoc connection for arranging meeting dates or sharing information. John will let us know further about this possibility.
Finally it was decided that our Annual Meeting be scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 at 4 PM. All SP members will be invited and after a brief regular Board meeting we will vote on any proposed changes to our By Laws and Board and Advisory Council memberships.
This meeting will be followed by a reception and social event with refreshments.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Eleanor O'Neill, Secretary
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