Above: Linda Krauskopf is the new president of the Midstream Support Society.
by Stephen Dafoe
stephen@morinvillenews.com
Linda Krauskopf is the new president of the Midstream Support Society. The non-profit organization recently held their annual Annual General Meeting (AGM), and Krauskopf took the role over from outgoing president and board member Susan Swanson. The board now consists of some familiar and new faces. Jaki Luker serves as secretary, and Elsie Stang is treasurer. The society has four board members at large, including Joyce Preeper, Helen Hupe, Sherron Wehrhahn, and Liz Heinrich.
Krauskopf said with the organization’s new board in place; there will be a restructuring that follows.
“We realize that times are changing,” Krauskopf said, adding she has some ideas to make things different. “I think one of the first things we are going to do is sit down and decide where should we be going. Where is the best benefit for the money that we make?”
Currently, the organization is involved in a variety of charitable activities, including assisting schools with lunch programs, helping those in need pay their bills, and running a thrift store on 101 Street in downtown Morinville.
That organizational refocus could involve a narrowing or widening of the Society’s scope, but just what direction they go will be determined at the board level.
Krauskopf said plans may include putting some money aside to prepare for a day when they may not have a facility rent free as they do now.
“I think we need to start thinking of the future, and because of the economy, is our business practices the best way?” she said.
The Midstream President will be putting together a committee at the end of January to address just where the society’s priorities are and should be.
Her own thoughts are to continue with the school lunch program that she sees as vital to student success. “As the economy gets worse, people are going to have no food,” she said. “And the prices of food are going to go up. So that apple [we provide] may be the only thing that kid has gotten. We’re giving some money and getting a bigger bang.”
Staples will stay
Although some priorities and focus may shift, Krauskopf said the thrift store and Santa Store will continue as has been the case for years.
The Santa Store provides an opportunity for those in need to obtain one major and one minor gift for their children at Christmas time. The Annual Santa Store Auction is the majority funding source for the Santa Store. That event saw a drop in revenue in 2015 as many charities experienced.
Anticipating that 2016 could result in less revenue coming in, the society is planning to be proactive in its thinking and planning to do the most with what they receive.
Some of what the organization receives come in through the back door in donations to their thrift store and out through the front in products sold at good prices.
The Midstream Support Society’s store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the volunteer-run shop is in need of additional volunteers.
Those interested in lending a hand on a small or large scale can drop into the store at 9922 101 Street for an application. They can also call the shop at 780-939-3953. The Society has also recently started a Facebook page.
