President’s Report
It is a tremendous honour to become the new President of the SSAC. The Centre is well positioned to move forward to fully provide those activities and services mandated in our constitution.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the past Board of volunteers, which was led by President Gillian Smith, for stabilising the situation at the SSAC. We now are fortunate that she provides her wealth of knowledge and expertise to us as the Centre Manager. I would like to thank outgoing board members, Sylvia Hockley, Jim Quirk, Viktor Kiss, and Ken Legge for their tremendous work. I have put an organisational structure in place where all the aspects of our operation have been assigned to individual board members, who will give detailed reports monthly to the board. Important information will be quickly disseminated to our Centre members. One of my main goals will be to rectify all our communication issues.
We are fortunate, for continuity, to retain our invaluable board members, Vice President Roy Wren, Treasurer Alison Kowalewski, Secretary Val Galat and Past President, Doug Smith. The new board brings with them a variety of expertise. Andy Koberwitz with his past experience in owning building construction companies brings a wealth of expertise and connections to his role as Maintenance Director. Bert Carswell, our latest lifetime member, will be updating our Policies and Procedures manual for Board approval, Lisa Brown will coordinate special events and Gwen Austen will oversee the volunteers.
The combined Audio-Visual and Information Technology backgrounds of Mark Garland, Alister Blair and John Keller mesh perfectly with our need to acquire, install and implement use of all the new Audio-Visual and computer resources funded by two recent successful grant applications. A grant of $15,000 was received from the Sunshine Coast Community Forest Legacy Fund for audio-visual equipment and we have just learned that the New Horizons for Seniors Program has awarded us $22,900 for computer equipment to be used in enhancing computer literacy in seniors. Over the next year there will be bi-monthly workshops offered on various topics relating to computer literacy. Please let us know if there are any particular topics you would like to see covered such as email, windows operations, internet searching, computer security issues etc. There will be a box next to the main reception where you can complete and deposit suggestion sheets.
We are in decent shape financially, owning the building with a small manageable mortgage in place. At the recent AGM, treasurer Alison Kowalewski presented a proposed budget with a positive bottom line. It however does rely on achievable growth in some of the revenue streams. Revenue from activities is increasing as participant numbers increase, along with the number of activities offered, as we are emerging from the effects of COVID. My hope is to hold firm on no activity fee increases and even in the right financial climate be able to reduce some activity fees. There will, however, be an increase in the membership fee to $35 on July 1st, which was voted in by the previous Board. Revenue from rentals of the auditorium, craft room, Farrish room and dining hall, is also increasing. Thanks to equipment purchased through the recent audio-visual grant, we will be able to offer additional features for room rentals, such as computer technology and video conferencing.
As a non-profit, seeking funding through grants, sponsorships and donations is vital. Our grant writer, Helen Ward, has had three successful submissions for funding for the dishwasher, audio-visual equipment and computer technology and will continue to seek out opportunities for grant funding. We are deeply indebted and grateful to those who have sponsored or donated in the past. As we move forward and show that the SSAC is well run, we will pursue targeted sponsorships and donations for programs that will improve the Centre and the well being of
our members.
Over the next months, we plan to initiate a process of Strategic Planning. This is vital for us to set year by year goals to be successful in fulfilling our stated mission whilst maintaining financial stability. I look forward to leading the Board by creating effective, cooperative, and transparent governance. Fostering even more enjoyment for our community members, whether by participating in activities, or just socializing and enjoying the delicious meals offered by our amazing cook, Emily and her fabulous crew.
