Hello GMC Members!
We made it through half of 2020! July is here. It sure has been a rough year for all of us. No matter what your situation, none of us in this business has had an easy time in 2020. Who could imagine six months ago we would be in this situation? It is here, however, and we are adjusting and dealing as best as each of us can.
One of my earlier COVID memories is watching Michael Jordan’s Last Dance. It was such an inspiring series. Many of us remember the Jordan days and how much fun it was to watch him, and the Bulls achieve greatness. Michael’s drive to succeed was incredible. I love quotes from Michael. Here is one that I think is relevant for today and the current climate in which we find ourselves.
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
At GMC, we are doing just this. We are trying to figure out how to get through this challenging time and work around how to keep pressing forward. Your GMC Board of Directors has an amazing attitude of not giving up. The people that you have elected to the Board have truly inspired me this year. You should be very proud of these people and their collective vision to keep GMC climbing higher and moving forward even in the worst of time. Hats off to our team as we navigate through this bizarre period.
There are a few key highlights for July I want you to be aware of as a vested member. These include:
1) Bylaw Change and July 15th Town Hall Meeting
On July 1, your Board of Directors initiated a GMC Bylaws Change and a voting process. You should have received the vote by email. Members in good standing can vote. Student, Emeritus and Associate members are not eligible to vote however, we encourage you to understand the changes as we value all members.
Simply put, the goal of these changes is to make GMC more nimble and create more rewarding volunteer experiences. Changing the current bylaws gives us more flexibility and an ability to rapidly shift when changes are needed.
Your President-Elect Molly Witges explains the “WHY” In the video below to help you fully understand the reasons these changes are recommended.
If you have questions about these changes, we invite you to attend the July 15 GMC Town Hall Meeting designed to answer all questions. Click here to register. This session will be moderated by John Folks, former GMC President. Molly and I will answer your questions so everyone feels informed and confident when casting a vote.
2) Call for Volunteers Updated Process
If you are interested in becoming a GMC volunteer, we first say – YEAH! Thank you for your service. Second, you should know that we modified our volunteer process. The goal is to create efficiency making sure it is a simple process for our volunteers. For the past several years, we kept the Call for Volunteers open all year. It became very confusing and frustrating for many including leadership, staff and the volunteer.
The goal is to have our 2021 leadership team (Board of Directors and Committee Chairs/Vice Chairs) in place before our reimaged Leaders Day on October 15. My goal is to set Molly and the 2021 team up early to get new ideas flowing and plans in place.
3) Important Dates for the next 6 months
Mark your calendar for remaining 2020 key dates.
- July 1 – Bylaw Changes Distributed to the membership via email
- July 15 – GMC Town Hall Meeting
- August 1 – Bylaws voting closes with results shared the following day
- August 1- 30 – Board of Director Nomination Process
- September 1 – 15 – Committee Chair Application Process
- September 10 – Quarterly Meeting (virtual)
- September 15 – October 15 – Call for Volunteers
- September 24 – Lunch ‘n Learn (virtual)
- October 15 – Leaders Day via Zoom (Invitation will be for those in leadership positions of Board of Directors, Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs.)
- November 5 – Signature Event
- November 19 – Quarterly Meeting & Annual Business Meeting
- December 15 – Holiday Mixer
4) We LOVE GMC Campaign – It’s a wrap! Thank you to Immediate Past President Doug Dvorak and his volunteer team for making this happen. We raised around $7,000 to help GMC through this difficult time. True, our goal was a bit more ambitious; however, YOU made a difference while having fun and engaging members in this meaningful way. Thank you to all that supported and participated. All prize winners and donors have been contacted. Thank you!
5) Happy Hour – Hope to see you at the Happy Hour today at 4pm. Please remember these are moved to every other Thursday for the summer.
Check out our website for all things GMC! https://greatermidwest.pcma.org/ and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Thank you for your time and dedication to the Greater Midwest Chapter. Enjoy the beautiful weather we are having and please reach out if we can help.
Be Well,
Rachael Riggs – 2020 GMC PCMA Chapter President
