Board Minutes: April 2020

Regular Board Meeting: 6:30pm Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Location: VIRTUAL/CONCALL
Meeting Called By: Lion Jeff Type of Meeting: Business Secretary: Lion Jill

Board Members Attending: Jill, Jeff, Eli, Jen, Al, Leslye, Charles, Claire
DALers: Dagi, Sudha
Guests: Nathan Ganeshan, from Community Seva

Call to Order at 6:35

Approve Minutes, last board meeting; motioned to approve, seconded, and unanimously approved.
Community Seva — Presentation, Special Guest Nathan Ganeshan, founder/president. Mission: feeding the hungry and serving the homeless. Awarded Service Award by state as 2018 Nonprofit of the Year. Persisted through COVID-19, partnering with restaurants. Every cent goes back into their mission, no one is paid. The lunch meals, chargers, etc. especially because of COVID-19 are needed because the homeless do not have access to parks, churches, etc. where they would usually use services there. Supports 8 shelters: 5 in San Jose, 1 in Sunnyvale, 1 in Gilroy, 1 in Fremont. The encampments are a concern because of the diseases and they are growing, especially at 280 and Wolfe. What is the approach to getting the homeless into more safe housing? Some are very worried they will end up in the same position and some take advantage of opportunities. Shelters survive on grants and many of these homeless don’t qualify within the grant. The costs of the individual items vary from 3-10 dollars per item/meal, etc. They support shelters, though, of all kinds: women/children suffering from abuse, families earning an income lower than the basest rent, those with medical issues. Don’t accept any donations in-kind, but masks and shields they are accepting. Do they do any service for college students who are homeless when schools are in session? That is on their plan, but sidelined by COVID, but they plan to go back to their talks with De Anza College and SJSU.
Request for Support, Sunnyvale Community Services, LCI Grant Application: asking for a letter from our club acknowledging this group’s good deeds so they can get a grant for a new location for their meetings. All agree they are a great service organization. Jeff will write the letter.
Club Response to COVID Pandemic via Two Donations: some want to support West Valley Services with the full grant, not Seva but budget for Seva in our annual budget. Discretionary money should be given when needed as long as the organization is vetted. However, we may not have any fundraising events for the next year or more. The need is now for pandemic purposes. Seva also seems like a great organization and what they are doing right now is helping people, regardless of why they are homeless. Steve Ratner’s son is in charge of the homeless issue in Alameda and maybe he would be a good person to hear from. We are not as a club usually involved in the homeless issue, so we are being asked to support one organization which we do regularly (Nuru, New Red Shoes, etc.), rather than such a global issue as homelessness-this is too big an issue to tackle.
Review of Available Funds: Budgeted $23,000 in revenue for the golf tournament and 11,600 expenses. The net loss is 11,000 by not doing the golf tourney by September. We made $7,000 extra on Crab Feed, so that makes us about $4,000 less than we anticipated. We DO have over $100,000 in the bank and we do want to give back, or we will get taxed. The discretionary fund should be 3,900 after donating to the orphanage and the raffle, previously approved.
Discussion/Motion, West Valley Community Services: Eli moves that we give $2,000. No Second. Charles moves to give $750, since we already gave $250, or will, and Eli Seconds the motion. Discussion: none. Vote: 7 ayes, 1 abstention. Motion passed.

Discussion/Motion, Community Seva: Jeff motions that we give Seva $500.00, Claire seconds the motion. Discussion: glad that it’s local support. It’s great to have a connection, and a champion for an organization and they can be part of our regular donation budget. Some members are comfortable with a higher donation. Jeff amends his motion to $1,000. Claire seconds. Vote: 6 ayes, 1 nay, 1 abstention. Motion passes.

2020-2021 Board Members Submitted: officers were entered into LCI by Jill by Apr. 15.

Update: Charity Golf, Bike Ride Events for 2020, golf tourney postponed until possibly September (Date) the Ride will not happen this year, but into 2021. Still hoping for feedback from the Ride committee in order to move forward. We still have money for that event.

Good of the Pride? (new dal_board2020 google group invite sent); vote pins- Al has them. We haven’t spent the remainder of Project Linus funds. We will look at it again at the budget meeting. Status on Lion Sharlene Vigil? Claire reached out and still hasn’t heard. Remove her in good standing.

Meeting Adjourned: 8:04

*Post Meeting:
email from Jeff stating the Golf Tournament has been tentatively moved to Saturday, September 12.
Jill had already dropped Sharlene Vigil in good standing, as previously requested. Please check listserves for removal of her contacts.