Meeting Minutes

Minutes for Alumni Council Meeting-- November 17, 2004

ALUMNI COUNCIL NOVEMBER 17, 2004

ATTENDING:
Nicole Singer, Lewis Frisch, Stephanie Segal Hartman, Eric Weiss, Jeffrey
Paul Bobrick, Suzie Fromer. Juliet Ross, Noah Landow and Alex Saltzman on
Phone

Introduced Suzie Fromer to group. She has just relocated to NY. Her parents
Dan Fromer and Barbara Green met at Buck's Rock. She attended in 1984-1988
as a camper and returned as a counselor in 1993.

Jeffrey reported on a new goals for the coming year :

1) to make many of our activities predictable and routine : such as
regularly scheduled reunions, newsletters, etc.
2) to develop a solid CIT outreach through Friends of Buck's Rock
3) to move significant numbers of members from roles as passive supporters
of and participants in our activities into active engagement in the
planning and implementation of these activities.

Nicole Singer reported on difficulties encountered in trying to plan the CIT
Reunion. Although many were enthusiastic after talking with Jeffrey at camp
this past summer, a core group of respondents has not materialized. We suggested fixing the proposed date for Saturday February 19th and then enlisting others for support. Nicole mentioned: Dylan Shad, Rebecca Romera, Jeff Geller and Matt Thurm could help. These CIT'S could start contacting more CIT'S regarding ideas for what
the reunion would involve. Relative merits of a meal, bowling, skating,
museum meeting, crafts activity were discussed.

Nicole hoped that a successful February event might be followed up with an
informal get together of new and returning CIT's later in the Spring.
It was agreed to post the date in our next newsletter and on our website.
Also to create a communications link for Nicole and Jonah -- something like
CIT Reunion@friendsofbucksrock.org.

While it is too late to post Feb event in the camps newsletter, which is
updated in the fall and spring, it was suggested that Juliet work on
communicating information to CIT's through Friendster and Nicole should work
on communicating through IM addresses.

Calendar and activity pages on the web will be updated. Also work on
preparing one initial e-mailing and then follow-up with E-Vites or similar.

It was suggested that Nicole and Jonah begin by typing CIT e-mail addresses
and then setting up chat time(s) on web or phone to pull the core group
together to work it. Watch the time line. Much of these needs to be done
before the end of the month, so as to enable serious event planning to be
finalized in mid-January. Then use one month to promote. Jeffrey hopes to
see some real progress by the week after CIT Reunion, but emphasizes that in
the end this is the CIT's event -- FoBR is there to help and facilitate, not
to dominate.

Jeffrey will write up a blurb for the newsletter and for the web page.
Nicole will write up an e-mail to send out to CIT's.

Friends of Buck's Rock agrees to subsidize some of the event cost. Once
event is planned CIT's will submit a budget and agree to contribute at least
half the cost. Friends of Buck's Rock will subsidize the reasonable
remainder.

CIT's shall work on creating a short list of staff or other adults who could
perform the minimal but necessary oversight functions for an event for
teen-agers. Friends of Buck's Rock will contact these to request their
assistance with the event.

Jeffrey discussed the Camp's winter reunion, where Friends of Buck's Rock
has always had a presence. We will have a new newsletter to distribute at
this event. We discussed with Nicole whether CIT's themselves wanted to have
any role in assisting FoBR during reunion. She believed it would be better
of FoBR handled this on their own. Suzy Fromer might be able to attend.

Maurice Mizrahi and Bob Solomon were not available to report on Membership
and Finances.

Fundraising is awaiting resolution of an envelope issue with Bob and then
might be able to send out next appeal in early December. We got a good
response -- on the order of 10% to last letter. This is Stephanie's final
Fundraising mailing as she will be running for Scholarship chair in the next
election.

Maurice will be setting up a new BRASS project for 2005 ranging from campers
through JC's for a specific year. Eric an provide Directory needed to begin.
We shall proceed as last year -- sending a newsletter first then inviting
them to a Spring event at the Kopel's. Ed has agreed to April 2, 2005. Alex
and Jeffrey will work on blurbs for the newsletter also same to be posted on
web site main page and calendar page. Maybe Rachel Jacobs or others outside
of NY could consider hosting small house-events on the same night ??

We discussed times for forthcoming meetings and Stephanie created a revised
schedule. A December conference call will discuss IMPORTANT matters
regarding future direction of the database, levels of membership, refining
lists, etc. Brief discussion of Mickey Morris and database related issues.
Noah wants to have a technical conversation with Mickey concerning this. We
will look into possibilities for cooperation and potential liabilities since
there are confidentiality matters to be considered whenever lists are
exchanged.

Events Outreach reported on positive feedback from Mickey regarding the
Reunion Event at Camp last summer. He agrees it would be good to bring
alumni back each year for a similar program but wants us to work directly
with shop heads in the Spring well before Camp to plan this. It was
suggested that Lew discuss with Mickey picking a regular Alumni Weekend date
that we could plan for each year. Again consistency and predictability
create stability and support for our group.

Alex is working on a volunteer call and a write-up of last summer's event
and should complete it in the next week or so.

For a future fundraising activity, Alex suggested looking into having
artists create 4"x6" works of art which could be anonymously distributed in
return for donations of say $50-$100. We agreed this might fit in well with
other projects involving staff and alumni artist's work for sale. We want to
implement these in 2005 and 2006 but need someone to step up to chair this
particular committee for what will be a relatively complex and challenging
project.

All thanked Alex for assistance with e-mailings and the new tone he has
contributed to our mailings. Jeffrey reports newsletter is looking very good
and is on track for December.