The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Membership Application

A Full individual member,

a)    is eligible to vote and to hold office on the board of Directors;

b)    Must be 18 years or older at the time of application; and

c)    Must have been an associate member for at least one full calendar year, after which the member must apply to the Board in writing to be accepted as a full individual member.  This requirement will be waived for anyone who applies and pays the membership fee prior to November 15, 2002.

An Associate member,

a)    is eligible to participate on committees and attend meetings, but is not eligible to vote of hold office on the Board of Directors; and

b)    Must be 18 years or older at the time of application.

Membership dues are $25 per year.

Purposes

The purposes of our society are as follows:

a)    To preserve the historical heritage of Chatham-Kent by providing education programs to increase the public's awareness and understanding of the useful contributions of the municipality's black residents;

b)    To educate and increase the public's appreciation of the historically significant contributions of Chatham-Kent's black residents by planning, providing and/or participating in recreational, cultural, social and educational activities and programs;

c)    To operate and maintain research facilities dedicated to the provision of training and assistance to the general public in the research of genealogical and general historical information pertaining to Chatham-Kent and its residents;

d)    To operate and maintain educational facilities dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition  and accurate interpretation of the artifacts and information related to the historical struggles of black people for liberty and justice in Chatham-Kent in particular, and North America in general; and

e)    To maintain an affiliation with the Ontario Historical Society, to act in accordance with the objects of said society and to assume all the powers and privileges conferred upon said society by the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario.

Committees

The roles and responsibilities of our various standing committees are as follows:

The Fundraising Committee:

        Plan and execute, in co-operation with other committees of the Society,

          fund raising activities on behalf of the Society.

Membership Committee:

        Recruit new members.

          Maintain membership lists.

          Submit all applications for membership to the Board of Directors for approval on a regular basis.

Programs & Events Committee:

        Plan and execute in co-operation with other committees of the Society, and with

          other committees of the Society, and with the approval of the Board, the Society's

          annual programs & events.

          Establish and maintain contact with individuals and groups interested in participating

          in the Society's various programs & events.

          Make recommendations to the board re:  new programs & events, improvements

          and modifications to existing programs & events.

Community Relations Committee:

        Provide information relevant and helpful to the community and the general public.

          Be responsible for communicating with the media.

          Initiate and maintain a dialog with groups from other communities.

          Be responsible for publishing a periodic newsletter for circulation to members.

Inter-organization Relations Committee:

        Represent the Society on those external Boards and/or Committees, which the

          Society, by virtue of its membership in, or association with external organizations,

          is expected or obligated to provide representation.