What has happened at the Peace and Justice Center since the November General Assembly
Many folks attended the November 10 General Assembly at which time the Steering, Ad Hoc, and Education Committees brought folks up to date on the Center. Several serious stressors and possible solutions were addressed: the finances of the Center, the need for volunteers to help out, the staffing and space at the Center, the organizational structure of the Center. People listened and made commitments to participate in teams and to help raise funds for the Center. They were very clear about the value of and need for the Center’s work, the desire to have full staffing, and, as long as financially feasible, maintain the space we have on Harlow Street.
With that encouragement, those who brought the issues forward reviewed the ‘I can Help’ forms that people filled out, looked at the immediate needs of the Center, and have been developing the structure to move forward.
Finances: Folks listened and have responded. Our membership and donor revenue is now slightly above where it was last year at this time. If this continues, it is anticipated that we will be more fiscally solvent than we have been in the past and that the work of the Center will go forward. The Steering Committee is reviewing this on a monthly basis and will let you know if the situation changes. A Fundraising Team has been established to look for creative ways to broaden our income stream, with Samantha Le as chair. Those who expressed an interest in fundraising at the General Assembly have been invited to join the work group. If you have an interest in this and haven’t been contacted, please contact Samantha (Samantha2020le@gmail.com).
Staffing: At the time of the General Assembly, Karen Marysdaughter and Desiree Vargas were the staff members at the Center, Karen working 15 hours/week and Desiree working 10 with a focus on the A.J. Muste grant. Karen has decided to reduce her work time to 5 hours a week as of the end of January, and will step down in June. A committee was established to hire an interim program coordinator until June. We are pleased to announce that Desiree will be the interim coordinator, starting 1/16/19. Karen will be available to train Desiree and help in the transition. Desiree brings experience in community organizing and a wealth of energy and ideas for the ongoing work of the Center. She will work 20 hours a week. We anticipate that the Center will develop one more 10-hour position to be hired toward the beginning of March. That person will work closely with Desiree and will focus on coordination and organizing in the community.
Program Development: Many expressed interest in helping to develop and coordinate programs at the Center, such as the film series and panel discussions. They have been invited to join the Education Committee.
Membership development: This work group is under development. More information will be available about that group in the next newsletter.
If you are interested in helping out at the Center, please give a call to Desiree at 942-9343.
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