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Last month I conducted my first VSC Board of Directors meeting as President. It was also our first board meeting that we had at a branch potluck in Boulder, and by the time this article goes to press, we will have had another meeting with the Colorado Springs Chapter. I’ll summarize some of the finer points of the "strategic plan" discussion. Saving Lives: While it may be a little inconvenient to save an animal, it’s much easier than saving a human from his own ignorance. By my estimates, if each of our members "adopted" a person, and convinced them to lead a vegetarian lifestyle, we’d save over 60 cows per year, 210 pigs, 240 turkeys, 5,550 chickens, 4,320 fishes, 30 lambs, several prairie dogs, the ozone, and 811 million gallons of water. Not to mention saving the Amazon Rainforest, as well as thousands of species of plants and animals from extinction, reduced the need for animal testing research, prevented 20 heart attacks, perhaps 10 cases of breast cancer, and fed the poor. … But it will still be tough to get those new members. In the meeting, we also planned the Thanksgiving Day Celebration, which will be both engaging and delicious this year. Bring someone along, so they can witness it for themselves. Opportunity: We talked about new positions. We need a new Membership Secretary. We’re looking for a person that would be interested in helping us to more accurately determine "lives saved" (like the way McDonalds boasts how many trillions of burgers sold) and keep a tally for each newsletter. I estimate that we’ve saved over 300,000 animals since our inception. (and that’s not counting rain forest critters) By helping people become vegetarian, we save more animals than any single effort by any animal rights organization, and we also have a greater impact on the planet than most environmental organizations. The Membership Secretary’s role in helping our branches increase membership, can be one of the best ways you can make an impact on the planet. Fun, Fun, Fun: If you would like to make the VSC more fun, then you may be interested in becoming the new Director of Education/Outreach, and if you are interested in becoming the Volunteer Coordinator or VSC Library Coordinator, then you will work with this amazingly fun person. Shout it Out Loud: If you would like to tell the world about our organization, perhaps the Director of Communications is for you. You’ll work with our webmaster, our new Newsletter Editor - Anita Iannone, local newspapers, TV, and radio stations to bring our message to the public. If you would like to add meaning to your life, and make a difference in the world, then give me a call, or send me an e-mail at Joe@VSC.org so we can talk in detail about our loosely defined job descriptions. |
