Coaches, Board of Directors and Golf Committee
Since we have new families joining our programs, I thought this might be a good time to send some background information on our organization and the folks who are behind it. I’ve also enclosed a brochure which explains how our organization came to be, and what our mandate is.
You all know Dick Gibbons, Frank Brock and Marg Williams who devote many hours of their time to coach our sports programs. These people are very valuable to our organization and we can’t thank them enough for the time they volunteer to help out with our kids. Without their dedication and support of our programs, we might not be on the field, the court, the course or the ice!
Our Board of Directors consists of seven people; Paul Davidson, Gene Haggith, Carrie Heighington, Dawn Poitras, Norris Smith, Mike Vrooman and myself. Carrie and Dawn are both busy mothers who also work full-time outside the home. Just like you, Carrie and Dawn are parents of special needs children. Gene Haggith is semi-retired and previously owned and operated a sporting goods store in Simcoe. Paul, Norris and Mike are all retired public school teachers. All of them will tell you that since retiring they don’t know when they had time to work! They may have retired from teaching, but they still love to work with children, and find time in their busy retirement schedules to do so. I commute daily to Brantford to work, and although my children are grown and on their own, life doesn’t seem to have slowed down much for me either! As the Board of Directors it is our responsibility to ensure that the organization is run according to the structure mandated by government, and to see that funds are handled appropriately. We meet several times a year.
The Golf Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual ladies’ golf tournament which is the only fundraising event for the organization. The members are; Paul Davidson, Gene Haggith, Carrie Heighington, Joe Lewis, Dawn Poitras, Norris Smith, Don Stewart, Pam Tomlinson, Mike Vrooman and myself. All of the Board Members are also on the Golf Committee which leaves me to introduce Joe Lewis who works for the Maintenance Department of the Grand Erie Board of Education and is an active member of a local service club; Don Stewart, a retired public school principal and very active in the community; and Pam Tomlinson who is a busy wife, mom and respite worker.
We are looking for new executive members for our Board of Directors as it is time for some of us to pass the torch. If you would be interested in joining the Board and helping to ensure that South Coast Special Needs continues into the future, please contact Mike Vrooman at 426-0363. It requires very little of your time - only a few meetings each year.
Diane Vrooman
