Minutes of the Meeting of Board of Directors
July 27, 2008 - Kailua-Kona
Members Present: Randall Rupar, Nancy Emery, Barbara Moore, Julia Fairchild, Denise Janelle Salomie
Apologies: Marcel Hernandez, Evelyn McCarthy, and Helena Johnson
Approval of the Minutes: Minutes of the June 22, 2008 meeting were read and approved
Treasurer's Report: Evelyn McCarthy was out of town, and unable to report at the meeting. She will do so by email, and those notes will be included when received in these Minutes.
Telephone: No messages.
PO Box: No mail.
Comment: I am not going to recommend changes to telephone service
until we have a "concrete" web site. There is not enough money to pay
Joyce...What to do?
This is what I would like to see done:
1. In regards to board meetings, concerns, etc. I want an email just from one person so I can follow up. I get confused with emails answered by "reply" by various people, since mostly I cannot find them when I search, etc. Each email ought to stand on its own.
2. Barbara suggested a tax accountant. I asked her to make the introduction...she emailed back with saying that she left a message for him. I would like for her to talk to this person, explain our situation, get his approval to be our pro bono accountant...and for him to either email or call me, so I feel comfortable explaining things to him and I'll gladly do all the follow-ups with him.
Checking Account: $66.12 (Telephone bill paid on July 24 - $34.10)
Old Business:
1. Regarding rescue of our HIWTA.org website/URL, Julia Fairchild reported that she has finally been able to iron out the kinks with the hosting company and past administrative contact/password/etc. issues to get the website UP and RUNNING! It should be active within the next 24-48 hours from Monday, 7/28/08.
2. At our last board meeting, Helena Johnson was nominated, seconded, and unanimously approved as our new Vice President. Since that meeting, Helena's life and plans have changed significantly, and she is moving off-island before the end of this month. In light of this information, Denise Janelle Salomie was nominated, and unanimously approved as our new Vice President.
In speaking with Helena on Monday, 7/28/08, Julia was asked to tell the Board and members at large that she is happy to have served on the board, and will continue to be a member at large, and offered her best wishes and congratulations to Denise for her willingness to fill the position.1. Website maintenance - Denise Janelle has spoken with Shiloh in Waimea, who is willing to volunteer his services to keep our website maintained for the present. Now that we have the website URL back again, Denise will give Shiloh the CD received from David Gaynes, and we will go from there.
2. Membership Drive - Now that we have the website up again, and the HIWTA Member Forum site is also finished, Barbara Moore will craft a letter to the membership at large, launching the new Member Forum website, and asking for people to renew their membership. She will also encourage them to support HIWTA with their ideas and proposals for ways that we can all work together for the support and best interests of all.
Board Assignments from June 22 meeting:
Evelyn McCarthy -
- continue getting tax info sorted out - Evelyn was not present, and will report separately
- verify paypal account for MemberForum website - Done!
- Submit balance sheet to be included in Minutes of Meeting - Coming
- Sort out the phone answering/message process - Done!
Julia Fairchild -
- Prepare Minutes - Done
- Post minutes on the Member Forum Website - Done
- Write a letter to the membership, introducing the new officers, new Member Forum website, and asking for membership dues to be paid. This letter is to be approved by all board members before being sent out. - Barbara Moore doing now that we have resolved the website problem.
New Business:
Newsletter:
- It was proposed that a monthly newsletter be posted to the Member Forum website, where members can post their healthy links, articles, proposals, and other supportive and encouraging things that benefit HIWTA membership.
- In addition, it was agreed that HIWTA shall subscribe to ByRegion.net, and that HIWTA members can post their events through our account as members of HIWTA.
- For a nominal fee per listing, it was proposed that Julia Fairchild post member events to the region of their choice (as well as to the HIWTA Forum Calendar of Events to be created on the member forum website).
- By-Region.net is a good "deep portal" which many members already know of, and if not, they could join from our site, if By-Region has an affiliate program. In this way, we can benefit each other by promoting and using the services of the Directory for healers and artists.
- These improvements will be implemented as member dues begin to fill our account.
Holistic Hawaii Wellness Expo:
At the moment, HIWTA does not have the funds to rent a booth at the expo. However, as we attend the expo, we can have materials and membership applications ready to share with fellow healers who are also in attendance. It was suggested that we make sure we have those materials printed, and ready to present to potential members wherever we meet them.
Proposal by Joyce Marvel-Benoist:
Joyce submitted a proposal to team with HIWTA in presenting a class to Hawaii restaurant owners to help them to provide gluten-free cuisine to health-conscious or allergic travelers. A copy of that proposal is attached herewith, and can be reviewed by anyone who wishes to read it. In general she proposed that HIWTA, in coopration with Joyce, contact all island food establishments and related businesses. Big Island Visitor's Bureau may also be willing to assist in spreading the word. Press releases and promotional fliers must be created and spread at least one month in advance. Registration could also be through HIWTA website, since it will involve members as well.
The Board was excited about the opportunity to support and be supported by a member's expertise and project. This is the kind of support that HIWTA is about, and we look forward to having these opportunities to support one another.
The participating restaurants can also join HIWTA and be listed as participating healthy eating establishments for the discerning, health-conscious traveler. More and more people are seeking gluten-free
Big Island Visitor's Bureau:
One of the major benefits of HIWTA is association with Big Island Visitor's Bureau. They have always been supportive of us, and Barbara Moore was encouraging all members to attend the upcoming meeting of BIVB. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient time to notify HIWTA members for this specific meeting. She would like to encourage HIWTA members to join BIVB as well.
Reimbursement to Joyce Marvel-Benoist for paying to switch servers on our website. The invoice will be given to Evelyn, and reimbursement made to Joyce as soon as possible. The amount is $95.65.
HIWTA General Membership Meeting:
It was decided to hold a general membership meeting in Waimea on the last Saturday in August from 3-5 p.m. We chose a place that is free of charge, and will ask members to bring potluck pupus. The idea is to invite Jessica from BIVB to re-ignite our assocation, and to address the idea of how to get more business from the countries that seem to be better equipped to travel these days, with the stronger dollar in Europe, Japan, China, etc.
Members who are not able to attend will be invited to contribute via the website for ideas and suggestions to be presented at the meeting.
Meeting Adjourned: 3:00 p.m.
Next Meeting: General meeting Saturday, August 30, 2008
/s/ Julia Fairchild,
Secretary, HIWTA
Click here to print MSW.doc
