Minutes: January 22, 2019

VENUE: Atlanta Speech School
DATE: January 22, 2019
HOSTESSES: Caroline Davis, Duvall Fuqua, Edwina Johnson, Sarah Kennedy

WELCOME / CALL TO ORDER:
Our president Lindsey Sones welcomed everyone to the business meeting and the celebration of the end of our 9th decade. She thanked the hostesses and the Speech School for hosting the celebration: which included an anniversary cake, and gifts of Mimosa note pads. We had a record attendance with over 65 members present. Guerry Redmond took a group photo before the meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENT/MEMBER UPDATES:
Lindsey reported that sadly, Frank Redmond, the husband of our long-standing member Guerry Redmond, died on January 10th.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Guerry and her family. Mimosa will be sending a memorial gift to the Atlanta Humane Society.

Penny Nunnally has moved to Canterbury Court. Her coordinates have been updated on the website.

We received a lovely note from Trish Gross, Exec Director of Chastain Horse Park thanking us for our donation to their “Healing Through Horses” program.

We also received a note from Park Pride thanking us for the honorarium for Teri Nye’s butterfly presentation.

Lindsey asked if anyone attended the City in the Forrest presentation regarding the proposed changes to the Atlanta City Council’s tree ordinance. No one attending today’s meeting had been.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Jinny Keough motioned to approve the minutes from the October meeting which have been posted on the website. Esther Garges was second and all voted in favor. The minutes stand approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Dues:
Leslie Morgan indicated that we still have a few members who need to pay the $75 delinquent dues. She said she would contact those who are past due.

Treasurer:
Jo Phelps and Lindsey are meeting this week to disburse the party proceeds.

Speech School report:
Caroline Davis and Maggie Fischer are planning a garden work day / planting in honor of Mimosa’s 90th birthday.

Quarry Garden:
Lindsey mentioned that the Mimosa members planted 90 blue phlox in the garden at our Oct meeting, in honor of the 90th year.

Flower Show:
The amaryllis project was a huge success, as we saw in the photos, with about 20 participants.  A huge thank you to Sandy Jones for her leadership, along with Esther Garges and Jinny Keough.  It was so much fun!  Agape will host the Amaryllis project at the end of November next year.

Website:
Lindsey thanked Margaret Glenn for doing such a wonderful job on our website which is most needed and valuable behind the scenes work.

Programs:
Jinny Keough led the collection of household items to donate to Agape’s bingo games.

Mary Ella Hill told us that next month’s meeting will be the Lanier House at St Phillips. There will be a presentation on labyrinths.

New Member Mentors:
Esther Garges mentioned the new members are making wreathes for the door to the atrium of the preschool at the Cathedral Antique Show.  The proceeds from the show go to Wilderness Works; which provides outdoor opportunities for underserved children in Atlanta.

Garden Club of Georgia:
Mary Huntz reported about the National Garden Club’s 2019 photography competition at their convention in Biloxi. The theme is “In the Wilderness is Preservation of the World”. You can find the details for the competition at: http://www.gardenclub.org/about-us/convention-2019.aspx  Click on “2019 International Photography Competition”

NEW BUSINESS:
A nominating committee to consider board positions for next year under Karen Brown’s presidency was needed to join Karen Brown, Jinny Keough and Lindsey Sones. Lisa Hinson was nominated and approved to be the associate member on the committee. Shelby Drinkard was nominated and approved to be the active member on the committee.

Thank you Lisa and Shelby for serving on the nominating committee! Anyone who desires to remain on the board in their current position next year is more than welcome to continue.

Per our by-laws, we have 3 spaces for new members next year. The new member proposal form is on the website under “Member Info” tab.  The proposal form and supporting letters must be received by March 15th.  We will vote on the proposed members the first 2 weeks of April. and the new members will be announced at the April meeting.  PLEASE SEE ME IF YOU ARE PROPOSING A NEW MEMBER.

PROGRAM:
Comer Yates showed a moving video highlighting the mission of the Speech School and it’s 80th birthday last year.  He said there is a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), as 80 percent of the jobs available in 2030 are not yet invented.

He reported that the Chan- Zuckerberg Institute researched over 100 schools across the US that model “whole child” education; and that Speech School was chosen as one of 8 exemplar schools to develop the whole child.

He commented on the Cox campus online which gives online access for training to teachers and health providers.

We also learned that the Speech School spends $1.5 million/ year on financial aid and will never turn away a student for financial reasons.

CLOSING:
Lindsey closed the meeting reminding us of her goals for this year: to make the meetings fun, informative and productive. Everyone seemed to agree that she has achieved those so far.

Respectfully Submitted,

Katie Bockstedt