by Morinville News Staff
Morinville – Two local non-profit organizations are currently looking for skilled board members to assist them with the work they do. The Midstream Support Society and Morinville Community Library Board are both currently looking for members. The former is looking for up to four new members, the latter is two short of a full complement of 10 board members.
Midstream looking for help
Midstream Support Society President Susan Swanson said profits from their thrift store, located on 101 Street across from Vintage Petals, benefit the community. That funding goes towards emergency relief in the form of financial aid, transportation, the annual Santa Store, and classroom fruit baskets.
The Midstream Support Society has been in Morinville since 1995 and now that the Helping Hand Store has decided to close after their lease was not renewed by the building’s owner, the Midstream anticipates more requests for assistance will come to them.
“We’ve already seen an increase in donations and customers coming in,” Swanson said, adding the Helping Hand began referring people to Midstream just prior to the 100 Avenue shop closing.
The Midstream Support Society currently has a board of six members, but Swanson said they are hoping to add as many as four people to their number. “Because of the anticipated increase on our resources and the growing needs of our community, we feel a larger board with diverse skills will help us serve the community more effectively,” Swanson explained, adding the society would like to see new board members coming forward with a combination of education and experience in business, philanthropy, compassion, and time. “As a board member you are spending probably no more than three to 10 hours per month.”
One of the tasks the existing and new board members are likely to tackle is expanded thrift store hours, a situation that will be prefaced by expanding the society’s volunteer pool.
Those interested in learning more about the opportunity can contact Susan Swanson at 780-554-1979 or at the Midstream Support Society store at 780-939-3953. They can also contact her at s_swanson@shaw.ca.
Library looking to fill some spots
The Morinville Public Library Board is currently down two members from the full complement of 10 that it has enjoyed in recent years. Board Chair Stephen Dafoe said the library recently lost two members when one member stepped down due to time commitments, and another took a job with the library and had to resign as per board policy.
The library board is currently looking to fill the vacant spots with members as dedicated and talented as the ones they lost.
“Over the past couple years our library has been challenged with providing expanded services to an expanded community while being good stewards of the monies we receive,” Dafoe said, adding the board has met those challenges well. “We are currently working on our next Plan of Service, which will guide the library for the next five years. Our current and new board members will be actively involved in continuing our mandate of providing the highest quality services to our patrons.
For information on becoming a library board member, visit the Library or contact Library Manager Isabelle Cramp at 780-939-3292.
