It was with great joy that we welcomed 150 members and guests in our space for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) last Thursday, March 26th. The AGM is the time of year when Santropol Roulant’s volunteers, clients, donors and staff elect members to the board of directors, thus influencing the governance of the organization. It’s also an event that brings all of us together around food, community engagement, and conversation.
Evening Overview:
The evening started off with mingling and conversation while enjoying some tasty bouchées prepared by a team of chefs and volunteers in the kitchen. Once all guests were seated at their tables, the Roulant team shared some of the highlights from the past year, as well as plans, hopes and dreams for the coming year. Lindsay Wigington, a member of the board of directors, then introduced the other current board members before passing off the mic to the 16 candidates in the running for 6 open seats this year for a quick speech. For the next hour, candidates circulated around the room, visiting the different tables to talk with members and answer their questions, a new and enriching discussion format at this year’s AGM. Many participants emphasized how exciting the energy of the room was at this point and how they appreciated the richness of the conversations.
As the votes were being counted, David McNeil, Treasurer of the Board, presented an overview of the 2014 financial statements, answering questions along the way, followed by a presentation of staff members. As everyone waited for the final vote count to come in, Campbell Stuart, a former board member who was instrumental in making the board membership model what it is today, spoke about the importance of the democratic process, and emphasized the courage of the losing candidates, without whom there would be no democratic process.
Congratulations to the six elected candidates at the 2015 AGM:
- Bernie Shalinsky
- Marc Nisbet
- Judith Colombo
- Sylvain Thériault
- Vani Jain (re-elected)
- Wayne McIntyre (re-elected)
We are delighted and touched to have so many community members who are engaged in the Roulant’s activities and inspired to be active in the community.
A few figures from the AGM
- 150 people present at the AGM
- 120 of whom were voting members
- 16 candidates running for 6 open seats
- 146 votes, 27 of which were votes from a distance (from our clients with reduced mobility)
A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the event and made this an evening to remember:
- Our gourmet partners DLiche Cupcakes and Juliette et Chocolat
- Moog Audio
- Rise Kombucha for the delicious drinks
- And of course all of the wonderful volunteers who cooked, served bouchées, picked up and accompanied clients, counted votes, and so much more. Without you this evening would not have been possible!
Click on the photos below taken by our lovely volunteer photographers Alex Tran and Louise Verdone to have a glimpse of this magnificent evening celebrating organizational democracy! Thank you again and see you soon!
