May 6th is the SILG Yard Sale. If you have items to donate, contact Pat ASAP. If you can help at the sale, hours run from 6am-12noon, but you don’t have to be there the whole time – Pat will take any hour/s you want to come help – the more the merrier! From 6-8am is set-up, the sale begins at 8am and runs until 12noon.

The Breakfast Committee is putting together two raffle baskets in honor of our Breakfast anniversary. One basket has a “spa” theme, the other is “gardening.” If you are interested in donating, contact Andrea Waldrop.

A huge thank you to club members who attended today, and to those club members who emailed feedback on today’s topics – both were helpful & appreciated! We pulled tables together, rolled up our sleeves and hit it hard! See the recap below…

Meetings – Discussion around how many per month, what time of day. Also, attendance (optional, mandatory) and how to improve attendance, especially on days with guest speakers. Understanding that some club members are not able to attend, others choose not to attend, it IS challenging to host speakers if there are only 3-5 members in attendance. Simply put, it’s embarrassing. Hopefully the Club Assessment going out soon will help club leadership figure out the reasons behind low attendance, in an effort to resolve some of them, if possible.

Meeting Topics – A lengthy discussion about how to make meetings meaningful for club members, if topics are not interesting or relevant, it may be one reason members are not attending regularly. Members expressed frustration with the process, and brainstormed many, many meeting topics for next year and years beyond! The goal is also that whatever the topics, this info is communicated out in plenty of time so members can plan around it and even bring guests. It was great brainstorming!

Politics – Discussion around political topic/issues versus candidates. Consensus today was that candidates can get sticky, while issues may be important to our committee. President Ashley will be moving some language around this topic to the Board and possibly Bylaws Committee to consider adding to our Procedures.

Nominating Committee – President Ashley will forward a suggested revision for the Bylaws to that committee, also.  The Bylaws and our actual practices are not quite in sync. Also, the slate of officers for next year has been filled and is moving to Board next week.

Committees – President Elect Tori began circulating Committee Sign-ups for next year. Sign-ups will circulate at club and eventually online. If you have a specific committee on which you wish to serve, please let Tori know ASAP. Suggestion was made (and received applause) that committees MUST have designated chairs for optimal club efficiency.  This needs to be reflected in the new club directory, too. In general, there was not a feeling that we needed to decrease or increase our number of committees/functions.

Club Directory – A club directory went around for corrections, as we begin to look ahead to next club year. It will continue to circulate at meetings. If you have corrections, you can also send to Tori.

Club Assessment – A club assessment will be going out via email so that club members who could not attend today, and/or will not be at the May Business Meeting (Part Two of Spring Cleaning), will have a chance for input. It is important that we hear from all club members, so please take time to do the assessment!

Membership Invoice – Patty walked everyone through our membership invoice and answered questions. One suggestion was to include some of this info in our Directory, or for members to keep their invoices handy just to be more aware of how it works.

Scholarship Committee – Rebecca indicated that the Scholarship Committee has met and is in action! A blind review committee is set up, to keep our process fair and unbiased. Results will be shared with club soon.

Breakfast Committee – Andrea  shared that she is putting together two baskets for raffles, a garden basket and a spa themed basket. If members have donations, please email Andrea.

Boots & Socks – Discussion that Bealls, JCPenney and Payless still have boots that we could be buying for boots & socks.

Yard Sale – Pat still needs help at the Yard Sale, May 6th 6am-12noon. You do not need to work all those hours!  Please let her know if you can come for an hour or more during that window of time. 6-8am is set-up, the sale is 8am-12noon. Also, if you have donations give Pat a call to arrange pick up or drop off. Thanks to club members who helped with clean out  of the storage unit!

Community Grants – This committee received 26 applications and is working through their process. They will move their recommendations to the Board, then club.

Wowsa, we covered a lot today! Hope you all fill out the assessment when you get it, and plan to attend the May 11th Board Meeting for part Two of SILG Spring Cleaning!

Tressa

Don’t be surprised if the mailman delivers you an SILG Invoice for dues this week – yes, it’s that time of year! Shirley, wearing her Financial Manager hat, has generated the 2017-2018 Membership Invoice and put them in the mail today. Not email, although she will send you one via email by request if you so desire! Questions? Contact Shirley or ask an officer.

Many of you know about Patty’s grandson Kyle, and his medical condition. Patty is helping with a fundraiser to defray their expenses, see below for more detail. If interested, contact Patty or see her at club this week. The deadline for this fundraiser is May 2. Reach Patty at gooderhams@frontier.com or 541-963-6257.

Butter Braid Pastry – $12 per. Flavors: Cinnamon, Cherry, Apple, Cream Cheese, Raspberry, Caramel and Blueberry Cream Cheese. 1 lb. 6 oz. pastry will serve 11 people, icing included. Frozen, allow to thaw, bake and eat! (May contain egg, wheat, soy, milk).

…In April of 2015, Kyle (28 at the time) was diagnosed with ESRD (End Stage Renal Failure), a genetic condition. Kyle does dialysis 3 days/week, 4-5 hours each, which is not practical to make a living. To not rely on a machine to keep him alive, have a better quality of life, and go back to work, he needs a kidney transplant. Kyle’s on the transplant list at OHSU and because of his blood type, the wait’s about 5.4 years to receive a deceased donor kidney…so, we have been on the search for a live donor.

Kendra (Kyle’s fiancee) and Kyle made a decision to go through the testing to see if Kendra is a match –  she’s an excellent match! There’s a little more testing, but the compatibility match was a huge hurdle. The family’s preparing for upcoming medical expenses/ unforeseen situations through this process. Kyle’s looking at a month+ of staying near OHSU after transplant surgery.  Kendra is looking at about 2-3 weeks of recovery with some paid leave. There is a chance something can come up during/after surgery and possibly more time off work for Kendra.

Donations accepted – any help is greatly appreciated!!  We also have a listing on Give Forward at https://www.youcaring.com/kendravancleaveandkyleforkan-799488

Crockpot Ranch Mushrooms – Full recipe below serves 18.  To downsize it for 1-2,  use mini crockpot, one package mushrooms, some butter (¼ cube?) and about a tsp of each mix. Melt the butter in crockpot, add the mixes, taste/add more mix, stir in mushrooms. It’s great cause if you have company you can set up and not need to think about again for 3 hours!  Optional: right before serving add a little fresh chopped parsley. Yum!

The SILG Spring Yard Sale will be Saturday, May 6th from 8am-12noon at the Storage Unit. Pat will be leading two clean-up/sort opportunities on April 18 and April 20 at 5pm.  The sign-up sheet for helping at the sale will go around/be emailed out in the next couple of weeks, too. While there is still quite a bit of stuff in the unit now, it’s always great to have new items for the sale so keep that in mind as you commence with your spring cleaning! You can bring items to the unit on either of the sort days, or make arrangements with Pat to connect at another time prior to the sale day.

From Jacque Harvey, SILGer of almost 2 years…Sitting on the board is an invaluable experience for understanding how SILG is run, what challenges we face and how we overcome those challenges.  I’ve never been a part of an organization, let alone sat on a board, but in doing this I’ve overcome a lot of insecurities about being involved.  I ask a lot of questions.  If you don’t ask, you may never know the answer.  And, you’re not always the only one wondering.  SILG members are genuine, caring, and dedicated to teaching from their experiences and time with the organization. Knowledge of the organization comes through attending board meetings where you: listen, ask thoughtful questions, and occasionally offer advice and volunteer time/experience.  It also exposes you to how people at very different levels think and how they approach different issues.  I care deeply about and personally identify with the mission of SILG. I’m also very interested in how the organization runs, and enjoy learning and contributing to it. The beauty of serving on a board is hands-on experience and insight into the organization without having to actually be in charge of the organization!

If you are interested in serving SILG as a board member or Club Secretary, please contact Tori, Tressa or Di today!

From Shayla H., first-time Board member:  Being a board member has allowed me so much insight to how the club works. As a new member I didn’t understand much about the meeting structure and what I was supposed to do. This opportunity has given me knowledge about the history of the club and how much everyone does for the club. It helped me find a direction with in the club I wanted to go. Also, being on the board has provided information about what is going on within the community. 

If you are interested in becoming a board member or Club Secretary,  contact Tori, Tressa or Di today.