Volunteers are what make QSCM go. June and July is one of our busiest times for catching up on paper work, and this year more than ever. June is all about the AGM where we review our previous year's accomplishments. Then we must submit the annual CRA report. Being a registered charity means we can issue tax receipts. Operating under the oversight of the Canadian Charities Directorate. Each year requires annual reporting on how we have met our mandate, and how we did it in terms of collecting "gifts" (donations) and how we spent those funds. Happily, the report was completed, submitted and accepted. We are good for another round!
Until this year that job was handled competently and efficiently by our Secretary Treasurer Diana Bonter. Diana took up the post in 2016, saw us through the incorporation process in 2017, and then held my hand as we applied for Registered Charity Status. For seven years she has made our administration work, quietly keeping track of what mattered, guiding me gently to let go what didn't. This year Diana stepped down from the board and resigned her position as secretary treasurer.
QSCM would not be what it is today, would not have achieved what we have, without her. To me Diana remains and always will be the model of community service and volunteer agency executed with competence, kindness and at all times grace. Diana: I have learned much from you. For that, as much as all our work, a life-debt, and much gratitude.
It took a while, but we did find someone ready, willing and able to step if not into Diana's shoes, to put her own boots on the ground and get the job done. Please welcome new board member and QSCM secretary treasurer, Tara Chamberlain. She is shown above with winning prizes with her dog. She is also a blue ribbon candidate for organziational skills as well as patience. The Secretary-Treasurer works closely with me as chair. Believe me, she needs a lot of patience!
Tara has already left her mark, organizing and digitalizing our operations along with making other countless contributions to decision making and getting the work done. During the tranistion period, long standing board member Cynthia Young took on the role, similarly doing excellent work keeping us on track. We work as a team. We learn together from what Diana left us, from each other and we move forward, using everything we can to make QSCM efficient, effective and fun.
In sharing the details of what goes on behind the scenes at QSCM I hope to bring to light the amazing experience it is to be involved with all we do. For me, it is about learning - learning from working with these women at the core of our administrative team, learning from working with our musicians to present programmiong that is exciting, inviting and forward looking, learning from all of you - the Friends of QSCM who come out to events, support us finacially and with volunteer acitvity, QSCM is an acronmy with the word "Society" in it. Society means people coming together to enjoy a shared interest, acheive a common objective. We do that and so we see, Chamber Music is about friends making music together, whether we are playing an instrument, putting up posters to let people know it is happening, telling a friend and bringing them along for the experience and most of all, just listening.
QSCM 2024 is not what I imagined it would be when launched in 2015 at least not entirely. Instead it is so much better! This is because every single individual who joins us and helps out leaves a mark, shapes our way of doing things, and develops our possibility. Most of all, meeting, working with and listening to all of our volutneers over the years, I have grown as a person, been enriched by discovering friends, and develping a deep and abiding respect for the way all our volunteers not only for their work, but how they do it.
Please know: when you sign on to QSCM as a volunteer you do not work alone, unless you want to! Even then, we have your back. Always. Together we not only survive, we thrive!
A lot more is happening behind the scenes that I wish to share with you. Volunteer Julianna Yau has spent endless hours sorting out the problems in our web site and email interface. Her contribution is entirely virtual - I met her in Ontario, she moved to Vancouver and now she lives in Spain. Yes - you can be a highly effective QSCM volunteer and not live near. I will tell you more about that kind of business as work on our on-line profile evolves.
Another process we are undertaking is a review of our by-laws and other aspects of our organization to ensure ONCA compliance: QSCM is an Ontario Not For Profit Corporation. Legistation that comes into full force in October means making sure we are up to date. I have handed leadership of that task over to a new volunteer, Nate Meakins. Nate has just completed his first year at the Univesrity of GUelph, studying in the Criminal Justice and Public Policy program. Welcome to QSCM Nate. We look forward to your insights and contribution.
The work is getting done! If you want to help out with any of it, to any extent whatsoever, do be in touch. Over the next while I will try to share more of what we do, introduce you to all the people behind the scenes. It really is quite an adventure, this QSCM journey. Next year we mark 10 years with our boots on the ground! Moving forward into the next decade we need new ideas and different ways of doing things even as we hold on to what works and build on our successes. I invite each and everyone of you to be a part of that. So stay tuned - check out the web site often. More soon - there will always be more!
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