AMCA Wants You!orWe Still Need Some Help! 
If you have followed the recent By Laws changes, you will note that the annual meeting is to be held in conjunction with the host district's Big Sing for the year. NYP District fulfilled this for 2005 and the Executive Council enjoyed the opportunity to be there. I have made a separate report on this (previous article), but omitted the Council decision to hold the next annual meeting in the Upper Midwest District, at their Big Sing the end of April, 2006, so members in the area should put that on the calendar. Now remains a few hanging issues. All members need to start a steady communication process within their own choruses, to include;
The new process took some initial discovery, and extension of our comfort zones, in the Executive Council, which we need to exercise to gain understanding and confidence. It is not difficult, just takes effort to adjust it to your schedule, and benefits all of the chorus, the district, and the AMCA, eventually. I will have as much trouble as anyone, I am not personally a good scheduler. I have discovered the idea of publishing articles on a regular basis to the website both tedious and a diversion, making it a challenge in a hopefully productive way - please, may I improve with experience. My intention is to communicate some of the issues of which the Executive Council struggles to control cost but make continuous progress for the AMCA. So please do exercise your expressions in return. Another item to reemphasize is our need for volunteers to fill posts within the AMCA. During this holiday time we find little extra time to grant any assistance to another cause. The Association is not another cause, however, it is our cause, one to which we have already volunteered. I am aware of many talents within the NYP District, but until I meet folks through AMCA meetings/ gatherings I must depend on some reports or discussions to gain any indication of capable folks working in other districts. Likewise, the other Executive Council members and committee chairs are faced with the same situation. So it remains up to the individual members to step up and ask what they can do in their district. Once you have offered assistance anywhere, the officers will respect your efforts and most likely ask you to aid some project further. So if we volunteered already, why not offer all we've got and make the most out of it!? A benefit to any who become actively involved is your enlightenment about the business works occurring within the organization. We often have reluctance with people unfamiliar with the history and the current status of an issue when we reveal a cost associated with it, and costs seem to be a prevalent problem these days. Those involved in district activities are more often current with scuttlebutt of an issue and capable of assisting others with the pros and cons of benefits to cost priorities. They also serve to educate the officers with feedback from members. On behalf of the Executive Council members and appointed officers, I extend to all members, individual and chorus, associate and affiliate, officers and committee volunteers, the warmest of holiday wishes for you and your families for peace, good health, and happiness. Enjoy a very Merry Christmas, and if you do not celebrate Christmas, enjoy the day off with someone anyway,.. Happy Chanukah and all the rest of the greetings I do not phrase herein. May all be blessed with a prosperous Happy New Year. Speaking of the new year, I plan to cover some of the new By Laws, more by segments than by each section, starting in January. I have received questions about items and misunderstandings of phrasing. I would like to hear from any of you who would like any issues clarified or at least addressed for intent and content. Send your comments along.
Best regards |
