Members Night
The 2007 Annual General Meeting and Dinner (Members Night) was held at the Windsor Forest Clubhouse on October 30. Over 30 members attended and were rewarded with an excellent feast. Our by-laws were revised, and new board members were elected. President Howard Topp noted the good progress the Society is making in attracting new members. His presentation was noteworthy, and it is reproduced here:
"I am delighted that you are here for the Annual General Membership meeting for the St. Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg, and have fulfilled the obligation of the membership in approving the revision to the bylaws and in electing people to take office as board members for a four year term in January.
"One of the obligations of a society like ours, recognized as an IRS 501 (C) (3) organization, is that it must hold an Annual General Membership meeting … usually called an AGM … and inform the membership of it’s status. One of the components of our society’s AGMs in the past was a short “State of the Society” to inform the membership of what had occurred since the previous AGM and offer a look into future endeavors. Over the years this part of the AGM slipped away. Well, I’d like to reinstitute the practice, starting tonight.
"In my first message to you in the winter newsletter last January I warned that over the years the society ran the risk of stagnating and of losing a sense of direction and vision. Well, your board accepted the challenge and committed to a program to reenergize the society. At the January Board meeting your directors began to implement changes that will insure that the society remains a vibrant organization. The key element was the increased involvement of the general membership members in the planning and decision making process for our activities and events. A committee system was put in place that featured rank and file participation, along with committee leadership drawn from the board. We’ve not had across the board success in our efforts, but there has been steady, accomplishment in most cases. The revision of the bylaws is just one example of determination to improve the way the society does business. We have endeavored to have activities that could help our Society to grow in a way that raises awareness of our objectives among the general population of the Williamsburg area and increases our membership. Perhaps one of the most stunning results of these efforts has been the dramatic increase of applications for membership.
"We have endeavored to create events and projects that are meaningful in promoting Scottish heritage. We began the year with our Burns Nicht, always our best attended event. In March we celebrated Tartan Day at William and Mary’s Swem Library. It was the best attended Tartan Day since the society began celebrating the event. We also had an excellent turnout when we joined with other Scottish organizations in this region for the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans at Christ Church in Kilmarnock. Again, the participation of our lads and lassies in these sorts of events has a direct impact on the success of the St. Andrew's Society of Williamsburg and our goal of sharing our Scottish heritage and culture with others.
"Our “back to the future” activity, the St. Andrew’s Society Family Picnic and Ceilidh in June, was an unqualified success, far exceeding our wildest expectations. The Queens Lake Clubhouse was packed to overflowing with nearly ninety people in attendance. Many of our members took this opportunity as a means of sharing Scottish heritage and culture by inviting friends and family. The food was delicious, Bill Darrow’s traditional Scottish ballads were enjoyable, Bridget Boswell’s students also provided us with exciting Highland Dancing, and of the Williamsburg Pipes and Drums got the blood flowing with rousing pipe tunes. The agreement among all present was that this was only the first annual St. Andrew’s Society Family Picnic and Ceilidh and more will follow.
"Later in the summer we had a well attended Quarterly Luncheon in Yorktown and in September we were represented along clan row at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival. The participation of our lads and lassies in this wonderful event gave us the opportunity to join in fellowship and immerse ourselves in “things Scottish” and also to successfully recruit new members for our Society. Even though we had a “super-sized” tent for the event, the consensus was that we needed to get an even larger 20’ X 20’ tent for 2008.
"Have you noticed a common thread through all this? … “Increased participation?” “… Greater numbers attending our events?” This …. And the increased numbers of people wishing to join our society are the most gratifying result of the efforts of your board has made in revitalizing the society. …. Oh, and we aren’t done yet. The board will address a stack of new applications at the next board meeting and next month we will have our society Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans at Williamsburg Presbyterian church. This will be followed by our Quarterly Luncheon in December and the Burns Nicht committee is well on the way to finalizing the event for 2008, sure to be a most spectacular occasion.
"Next spring we will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of our Society. It is difficult for me to realize that nearly forty years have passed since that day in the spring of 1968 that we met in the board room of the old Peninsula Bank to formally found the society. In the years that have followed we have grown in size, but more importantly, we are recognized as the voice of the Scottish community in our area. What do we intend on doing for 2008? Well, we intend on building on our successes from 2007 and in an ever increasing the involvement of our membership in the conduct of the society’s business. We must all dedicate ourselves to accomplishing something of critical importance: that our Scottish identity and the heritage and culture of the Scots will not be lost, but remain relevant to the generations that will succeed us. Thank you."
Members renew acquaintances at the AGM
President Howard Topp addresses attendees at the AGM
