VALTHORNET DISTRICT LODGE LAKE MICHIGAN NO. 8
April 2009
District Master’s Message The District Executive Board met in the Chicago area in February. The Finance Committee met on Friday afternoon to formulate the budget for 2009 – 2010. The new budget was shared with the rest of the Executive Board on Saturday. Combining the Finance Committee with the regular meeting saves the added expense of a second meeting, although it creates additional challenges for the District Treasurer. Every effort was made to reduce District expenses in all areas for the coming year due to the discouraging economic climate. A significant savings has been realized related to annual conventions through a conscientious effort related to delegate transportation. The Southside Scholarship Fund requires additional explanation. The Southside Scholarship Fund was established with money donated by the Southside Chicago Lodges many years ago upon the sale of their meeting facility. Scholarships cannot be awarded if the principal in the Fund goes below the specified amount which is the case due to the financial conditions this year. This will explain why you will not be seeing a collegiate scholarship awarded this year. During this recession the Board reminds you that the District continues to function without collecting District dues. The District Board suggests that you consider making long time members who are suffering financial hardship Honorary Life Members thus allowing them to continue their membership in the Local Lodge without paying dues. The District Convention will be held in Indianapolis hosted by Svea Lodge, No. 253. The dates are May 29 – 31. This is not Memorial Day weekend as there are five weekends in May. Indianapolis hosts the Indianapolis 500 Race which makes hosting a convention there in May very challenging. The convenience of five weekends in May this year made it possible for them to hold the 101st Convention. The theme of the Convention will be, “Nordic Innovations”. Attending a convention helps you understand the functions of the District. Delegates are given information and ideas to take back to their local lodges. Attendees also have the opportunity to build and renew friendships within the District. As District Master, I would like to encourage all delegates to seek an active role in the District by considering running for a District Office. You will receive guidance and support from others on the Executive Board to help you be successful. All members of the District Board look forward to hearing suggestions for improvements. One of the major items to be voted upon at this year’s Convention will be the new set of Bylaws the Executive Board is proposing. The Grand Lodge has commissioned all District Lodges to format their Bylaws into the same template as the Grand Lodge Constitution. Entirely rewriting Bylaws, keeping and updating the required information yet cleaning up the many problems discovered, became an extremely ambitious project. Hundreds of hours have gone into the creation of these new Bylaws to make them more timeless, and I strongly encourage delegates to vote yes on this proposal. A Policy and Procedure Manual has been created to define processes. Delegates will receive the set of new Bylaws prior to the Convention to study so the anticipated acceptance procedure can progress smoothly. I would strongly encourage you to bring your white handbook making sure the Bylaws were revised in 2005. You will find that information on the bottom right corner of every page. Your white handbook is your textbook for this project. It will be used for comparison during the presentation of the new Bylaws. The new Bylaws are easy to follow so all members of the District will fully understand each article but the difficulty will be presenting these changes since a major reorganization of the document had to be done. An attorney, familiar with DL Lake Michigan No. 8, was contacted for support and legal advice. His professional suggestions have been interjected into the new document. The Bylaw Committee is prepared to answer questions related to the changes. The process for the approval of these Bylaws starts with approval by the District Board. This was done at the District Executive Board Meeting in November. Some revisions were required which were done and the revised Bylaws were approved at the February meeting. These Bylaws need approval by 2/3 of the membership at the District Convention. After approval they will go to the Grand Lodge for review and approval, as District Bylaws cannot contradict the Grand Lodge Constitution. The Bylaws go into effect upon approval by the Grand Lodge. I am looking forward to seeing many of you in Indianapolis at the Convention in May. In Truth and Unity Sheila Lundquist District Master