Linda Bono
At the time of the deadline for this article, the decision had not been made yet as to whether the July 14 annual meeting would be live in the clubhouse or virtual on Zoom. By now, that decision has been made and announced in the HOA online announcements and posted on the GroupWorks Friends of the Library (FOL) site. FOL members are strongly encouraged to attend the annual meeting, whether it’s held in-person or virtually. Important things happen at the annual meeting! If you’re an FOL member who has somehow missed the announcements about the annual meeting, sign on to GroupWorks or contact an FOL officer for meeting details.
The new normal created by COVID-19 is ever-changing. Our Friends of the Library officers are very much aware of that fact as we’ve planned the annual meeting and our upcoming book discussions and activities. The safety and well-being of our members is of the utmost importance, and we’ll always be mindful of health concerns as we make plans to bring people together. We’ll pay close attention to the news and CDC announcements about the virus, and always adapt our programs as prevailing restrictions and requirements dictate. When a virtual meeting seems like the better choice, we’ll meet on Zoom. When a live meeting seems appropriate, we’ll plan for social distancing, as necessary. We encourage members to share their opinions on which of the two formats is more comfortable for them, as well as other concerns.
If our annual meeting is held in the clubhouse, it will be a traditional meeting with announcements on things we want to share with members, like plans and programs FOL is working on. But if we host a virtual meeting on Zoom on July 14, we will present an abbreviated meeting, attending to only the required business.
Our charter and by-laws indicate that an annual meeting of the membership is required each year in July. Certain annual requirements are stipulated, and we plan to fulfill those on July 14. That is why holding a meeting, even if it is done virtually, is vital. We’ll ask for approval of the minutes from our 2019 annual meeting and of our financial report. And it’s time for the election of officers! Alan Albarran will move up to chair, Ann Madigan will start her second year as secretary, and we have excellent candidates for vice chair and treasurer to be approved by a membership vote. Marsha Scholze is our nominee for vice chair, and Jim Ryerson is our nominee for treasurer. Nominations from the floor will also be accepted. Additionally, we have made revisions—housekeeping type items—to the FOL Charter and By-Laws, which need to be approved by membership. These items or information on them are posted on the FOL site on GroupWorks. Please peruse them there and be prepared to approve and vote on July 14.
We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during these uncertain times!