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(from left to right) Donna Coble, FCC president and
her husband Richard Jarrett, son
Brandon Richard, daughter Lea Dejin
by Donna Coble,
President
On Saturday, January 18, 2003, members of the FCC-St. Louis board for a three-hour "retreat." This meeting gave the board an opportunity to suspend the usual board meeting agenda and devote some time to discussing our vision and goals for the near future. Although there were frequent interruptions from our children - this is, after all, a kid-friendly volunteer-based organization and FCC children are always welcome at our meetings - we did manage to get a lot accomplished!
Elements of Our Vision
The board began to identify the characteristics of the future FCC-St. Louis - five years or so down the road. Here is what we listed:
* There is a strong "waiting families" program in place.
* FCC has an excellent array of programs and activities to benefit all ages of its membership, from infants/toddlers to pre-teen/teens to adults.
* The membership has grown and the organization meets members' needs in a professional manner.
* FCC has increased funds available to meet the needs of members.
* A solid volunteer network is in place to ensure excellence with producing programs and activities.
* FCC partners with other organizations when appropriate to produce programs of interest to its membership.
* There is increased awareness of FCC in the community; i.e., adoption agencies, Chinese-American community, general community, etc.
Goals for 2003
After spending some time thinking about elements of our vision, the board members discussed goals for each of their areas over the next several months.
Membership
* Develop targeted marketing materials to recruit new members.
* Host an annual membership meeting in August of each year. Distribute new directories at that time, along with tentative program schedule for the next year.
* Update the FCC brochure; new photos, member quotes, membership benefits.
Outreach
* To enhance FCC visibility with adoption agencies, join the multi-agency group that meets every other month. Continue telephone contact with other agencies.
* Develop and implement a Waiting Families program.
* Work with Program Committee to produce a "New Members" FCC event at least once per year.
Programming
* Produce a yearly schedule and distribute to members each year. (See below for more on this).
* Create new programs as needed to meet the changing needs of member families.
Communications
* Revise the FCC web site , www.fccstl.org, and make full use of its capabilities; i.e., calendar, online newsletter, etc.
* Develop ways to increase email information list participation.
Chinese-American Community Relations
* Develop an advisory council comprised of leaders from the local Chinese-American community. This group will advise the board on program planning and provide expertise regarding Chinese-American issues.
* Continue to provide input to the English section of the St. Louis Chinese-American newspaper.
Finance/Administration
* Complete the not-for-profit tax designation requirements.
* Develop a plan for administering the Julie DiCarlo fund.
What's Next?
During the board meeting in February, we will again discuss these goals and begin to develop strategies and timelines for accomplishing the tasks. As we move into the Year of the Ram, look for continued and enriched cultural programs for our children.
The following is the schedule of events for 2003:
March - New member meeting
May - Chinese horticulture adult workshop, Chinese festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden: FCC sponsored children's activities workshop
June 21 - FCC Chinese Culture Day
July - Adult Chinese cooking class, Children's Chinese cooking class
August - FCC annual member meeting
Oct.-Moon Festival hay ride
Nov.-New member meeting
We invite members and non-members to volunteer at any of our several events planned throughout the year.
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