2012 Annual Meeting Minutes

Kol HaLev 2012 Annual Meeting

KHL Room / Brown Memorial Woodbrook

June 10, 2012

 

10:14am: call to order

  

Quorum verified

 

Welcome and Opening Remarks / Rabbi Geoff

• Blessing for this expression of holiness / to engage in the needs of the community

 

Call for approval of minutes

• Moved and a second unanimously approved

 

President’s Report / Susan Gewirtz

• Thank you for coming today and showing your commitment to KHL
• Assessment of goals from last year
  
  
  
  • Community that owns itself / responsibility to our community
    
    
    
    • More volunteers this year / broadening in scope
    • Hard working Board
    • Developing leaders and habits
  
  
  • Creating a community of a whole
    
    
    
    • Large / multi constituency Hanukkah and other events
    • BL kids interviewed members of KHL community / fall event to show videos 
  
  
  • Sustainable community /infrastructure
    
    
    
    • Joann Schoenfeld / administrative assistant / 1st paid staff
    • Shul Suite / database to serve members and friends better 
      
      
      
      • Interactive website for members
      • Integrated system / efficiency / launch date August 1
    
    
    • Barbara Bluestone as Treasurer / consistency of technical aspects of KHL

• Excited as starting year 2 as President
• Vision statements from strategic planning
  
  
  
  • Economically viable succeeded this year
  • Thriving programs for all generations
  • In a great Jewish Space
  • All to feel welcome to our community

 

Call for approval of minutes

• Moved and a second unanimously approved

 

Budget Report / Barbara Bluestone (Treasurer)

• See attached budget
• 1st year to end with a modest surplus due to generosity of Board donations
• Beit Lev has amazing year 
  
  
  
  • Projecting 50 kids and B'Nai Mitzvah program for 2012-2013
  • Goal to break even this year and have BL pay for itself / raise tuition
  • Secured a $5000 grant for Jewish education as well

• Goal to expand membership
• Need to build a fund for the future

 

Development Report / Keiren Havens

• Grassroots feel to our community but can only go so far with dues / progression to go from grassroots to being sustainable
• Need to create a fund to become forward thinking and Philanthropic priorities
• Shul Suite to head with Development process

 

Membership Report / Lysh Lorber and Lila Shapiro-Cyr

• Growth in last year / grassroots growth / strength in members bringing members into the community
• 80 membership units as on now / goal is to reach 100 membership units 

 

Beit Lev Report / Liz Baker

• Beit Lev, our newly created child and family education program, had a breakthrough year.
  
  
  
  • The number of children enrolled more than doubled to 40. 
  • With the help of a hired teacher, song leader and truly dedicated and generous volunteers we created a strong foundation to Kol HaLev’s Family programming

• In FY 2013 we expect to add not only another 10 children to Beit Lev, but also to begin a B’nei Mitzvah group for our 11 and 12 year olds under the leadership of Rabbi Geoff. 
  
  
  
  • Fee structure will increase in order to hire new teachers, expand programming, and cover administrative and rent costs / Instead of asking families to pay only $125 for one child and $225 for two children, we will ask families to pay $275 for the first child and $400 for two children.  

 

Solicitation of new Board members / Lila Shapiro-Cyr

• Introductions of Board Members, welcome John Bowman
• Active Board with ongoing opportunities to add members during the year

• Meetings are open, agenda should be sent to the community ahead of time/ seeking greater representation of the community to the Board

 

Board/Officer Elections / Susan Gewirtz

• Members remaining: Liz, Lila, Barbara, Lysh, Keiren, Susan G, Art S.
• Stepping down: Billy and Susan E
• Motion made, seconded and approved 

 

Bylaws Amendment / Lila Shapiro-Cyr

• See attachment form By-Law Amendment
• Need to establish flexibility in by-laws for delegation by the President / Need for clarity in by-laws in order to continue our forward momentum
  
  
  
  • Suggestion to revise officer clause to value interfaith families

• Question about requirement of Jewish president arose with further discussion
  
  
  
  • Self identify as Jewish is important
  • Face of community / 
  • Developing ways to structure leadership in a variety of ways / not want to discourage people from taking a leadership role
  • By committing to be part of the board, one is committing to participate in a Jewish organization in a Jewish way
  • Need to celebrate commitment made by the Board
  • Question of what it means to be Jewish / recon definition

• Agreement to welcome non-Jewish members to the Board
• Proposal that by-laws welcome non -Jewish members to the Board
• Motion to vote on the amendment, second and approved as written / 1 opposed as written (need to add majority members and officers be Jewish)

 

Recognition of Valued Volunteers / Lysh Lorber and Lila Shapiro-Cyr

• Chefs: Bud Marks, Roneet Malin, Stuart Martin
• Beit Lev Superstars: Susannah Wolf, Toni St. John
• Community Building: Amy Steinly-Marks, Ricki Henschel, Jane Guyer, Alan Gold, Carin Feldman
• Presentation of Volunteer of the Year Award to Susannah Wolf

 

Community Conversation and Discussion

• Steve Silvern commented on his search for a Jewish Community in Baltimore and a need to put Kol HaLev on the Baltimore radar / volunteer to help with this effort 

 

• Vikki DeFries commented on need to see committed to environmental and health sustainability / volunteer to be a part of this effort

 

• Art questions relationship with Beit Tikvah
  
  
  
  • Moving Forward - Susan; Rabbi Geoff

 

Presidents' Closing Remarks  / Susan Gerwitz

• Our perspective at time to examine idea of a singular Recon Community in Baltimore
  
  
  
  • Timing was awkward for BT / hired an interim rabbi / participating in smaller efforts / we will meet again with BT June 27th

 

Rabbi Geoff’s Closing Remarks / Rabbi Basik

• Invite input and invite agenda for the upcoming year / Community Discussion:
  
  
  
  • School curriculum
  • Continue Jewish Growth
  • Put Israel on the agenda / int’l Jewish project that we need to be a part of
  
  
  • Music - Incorporated / singers, instruments
  
  
  • Steering Committee with Brown Memorial Woodbrook
  • Social Action
    
    
    
    • More needs to be done / perhaps establish a relationship with groups
    • Idea... Forum with BT and churches to discuss current events in October
    • Mitzvah Day / Carin Feldman
  
  
  • Post B'Nai mitzvah kids / curriculum and involvement
    
    
    
    • Women 
    • Social action
  
  
  • Conversation around community norms / practice
    
    
    
    • Food / resources
    • Sabbath / value in conversation to community identified norms
  
  
  • Holocaust / story circle / Gina Danziger

 

 

Motion to adjourn, second and unanimously approved 12:00 pm