CARP Fredericton
Annual Report
June 13, 20013
It is with pleasure and enthusiasm that I submit to you my report for 2012-2013.
A few months after being elected as Vice Chair in June of 2012, at the request of Chapter Chair, Gordon Wilson, and with the agreement of the Executive, I took on the role of Chapter Chair and Gordon Wilson took on the role of Vice Chair. (We switched roles).
My first task, along with the existing Board members, was to fill vacancies on the board.
We held monthly meetings from September to December, but faced some challenges finding committed members. The next step was to hold an initial strategic planning session to give ourselves and our membership a sense of direction with clear short and long term goals. The outcome of this session is included in the section below under “Ambitions”. I feel that with a sound structure in place, we will be able to focus on our goals and objectives and achieve our chapters’ goals for all of you, our members. There will be future strategic planning sessions and we will be inviting your input.
As Chapter Chair, I do feel it is important that I share with you the following guiding principles. This framework gives us our values and ideologies and sets the stage for success.
Vision
A society in which everyone can live active, independent, purposeful lives as they age.
Mission
CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canada, promoting social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination. CARP seeks to ensure that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of Canadians as they age and provides value-added benefits, products and services to our members. Through our network of chapters across Canada, CARP is dedicated to building a sense of community and shared values among our members.
The ABC’s of CARP
- Advocacy – CARP is first and foremost an advocacy organization with a social mission, functioning as a national non-profit, non-partisan association advancing and protecting the interests and rights of Canadian Zoomers.
- Benefits – In addition to the satisfaction that comes with supporting the social mission, it is important to provide value-added benefits and discounts on productrs and services with membership in CARP;
- Community – Building a strong sense of community (local, national and international) through a network of committed and engaged chapters is key to the success of CARP.
CARP Fredericton
CARP Fredericton’s role is to facilitate communication with our CARP National Office and keep members informed and involved in the creation of policies and priorities of the organization. We also provide a means for members to get involved in CARP’s mission through programs, events and activities and provide a way for our members to put their talent, creativity, energy, knowledge and sense of community-spirit to work in the service of our community. We can advance CARP’s mission in a range of ways, including advocacy, leadership, communication, education, community services and fellowship.
Impact and Value
CARP Fredericton Chapter’s success will involve activity in key areas. First, it is important that our membership feel heard and participate in the achievement of our goals. We feel that one of the key components in our programming is to provide creative programs, topics and guest speakers related to our mission, our membership’s identified needs, and to partner with other like-minded organizations. We need to identify service opportunities and initiatives that are of value in our community and we need to provide opportunities for membership’s skills and talents, with a focus on teamwork, to be utilized in the service of our Chapter.
Ambitions: short and long term strategies
A strategic planning session was held with the executive on May 1st, 2013. The theme of this session was: “How do we survive as a Chapter” We felt in order to thrive as an organization we needed the following:
- Local structure: need more board members and set up sub-committees;
- Networking: advocate to policy makers/politicians; publicize CARP Chapter in media; develop phone committee; communicate with members regularly; develop Newsletter; and liaise with like-minded organizations;
- Community interests: survey members on what their concerns and issues are and identify people/communities with special interests;
- Education: educate members on social programs/benefits and have sessions on senior rights, pensions, health, etc;
- Other: plan social events as well as business meetings; increase Chapter membership and involvement; and increase benefits for NB members.
Upcoming events
CARP Fredericton intends to take part in CARP’s National Flag Raising ceremony in honour of National Seniors Day in Canada on Tuesday October 1, 2013. The mission of the Flag Raising ceremony is to pay tribute to older adults across Canada who have helped build our country and continue to make valuable contributions to Canadian communities, workplaces and society. We hope you will all attend this significant celebration.
Nominations for Board Members
I am happy to report that CARP Fredericton’s Board is composed of a group of people that hold a variety of knowledge and experience. In order to be effective in carrying out our mission, it is essential that we have the right expertise around the table to deal with critical issues and potential challenges. As a group, we are synergistic, focused, integrated and committed. Two new members are joining us tonight. We would like to welcome and present to you for approval, Mr. Wayne Walsh and Mr. David Cowperthwaite. Below noted is a short bio for your consideration.
Wayne Walsh: Wayne is a professional Engineer and was born in Campbellton, NB where he graduated from the Assumption Academy High School. He studied Geology at Loyola of Montreal and later graduated from Geomatics Engineering at UNB. He has lived for most of the past 30 years in Fredericton. He has a son and a daughter. Wayne is an avid traveler.
Wayne has lived and worked nationally and internationally including in Australia, New Zealand and Egypt. He has worked in several government departments and retired from government in 2006. He currently has his own consulting company.
Some present and past associations Wayne has been part of include:
- Member of the Professional Engineers of New Brunswick
- Advisory Committee Member on Workplace Violence and Abuse (Workplace Bullying) Team
- Organizer and Conference Director for an international conference, Digital Earth 2001
- Chairman of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (Fredericton Branch)
Wayne has been a Technical Advisor and Steering Committee member of several national and international Committees.
David Cowperthwaite: David is a semi-retired independent consultant in the field of health care information systems. His work has focused on strategic planning, relationship management, and project delivery. He has worked for a several New Brunswick government departments and agencies, lastly at New Brunswick Health. He was also a consultant to the British Columbia Ministry of Health and several federal government departments.
David, and his wife Catherine, are life-long residents of Fredericton. They have 3 adult children who live in Ontario and Alberta. David is keenly interested in gardening, financial management, and travel as far as his budget permits.
Departure of Vice-Chair
Gordon Wilson: Last, and certainly not the least in regards to our Board, we must note the departure of Gordon Wilson, who has been in the past few years, CARP Fredericton’s Chair and Vice Chair. We want to extend our special thanks to Gordon for his time, dedication and commitment to this organization. Your leadership and contribution to CARP has been instrumental in keeping the Fredericton Chapter alive.
“Have Your Say…Get Involved”
In order for CARP Fredericton to be effective and relevant, it needs to respond to the needs, issues and concerns of its membership. “Have Your Say…Get Involved” is my theme and it is meant to urge you to communicate with your Board. We want and need to hear your voice on issues that are important to you and your family. You can do this by coming to our scheduled meetings, participate in our events and activities or simply by sending us an email to [email protected] and letting us know what we can do for you. We look forward to hearing from you. And do not forget to visit CARP’s website at www.carp.ca to get updates on what is happening at the national level and in your region.
Respectfully submitted
Suzanne Maltais
Chapter Chair,
CARP Fredericton
