I have only been gone two months and I already miss working with the Coronado Historical Association Board of Directors and Susan, our Executive. Following four years on the Board and a few as President I feel closely bonded to the organization and its important mission to preserve Coronado’s unique history.
I want to thank all the Board members I worked with for their service to the CHA and the guidance you gave me. I feel so privileged to have worked with all of you. I relished my years on the board all of which were greatly enhanced by my relationships with you and former board members. As a volunteer organization, we accomplished much, including:
Completed two audits
Rewrote our internal controls
Updated our policies and procedures manual
Published our Annual Report again
Worked to develop and establish the Tourism Marketing District
Implemented educational programs in our schools
Every board member chipped in to get this done in a short period. Moreover, we secured important grants that had been out of reach for awhile. We also took more creative approaches to enhancing our revenues by keeping the gift shop open later during summer evenings. Despite a recession, the gift shop continues to be an excellent money-maker.
For these reasons, CHA can now focus more acutely on external projects and goals, like membership development, fundraising and social events for our membership. It is the sharp staff working on thoughtful exhibits, like the current Bikes and Bloomers program and developing educational programs for our schools that keep CHA firing on all cylinders. Without their dedication, I don’t know what the organization would do.
I want to thank our members for renewing their memberships this year. We all know that times are tough and you must be selective in where you give. Unlike many non-profits this year CHA was once again able to approve a budget that was in the black, Jim Kaufman deserves much of the credit. Rita Saritch and MainStreet also deserve praise for serving as excellent partners and neighbors with CHA.
I will close by expressing my deep gratitude for Don and Leslie Budinger’s generous gift to the citizens of Coronado, and that is 1100 Orange, CHA’s home. This great building is a gift to the citizens of Coronado by Leslie and Don Budinger and CHA was selected as the steward of that gift, a responsibility we take seriously and appreciate immensely. That the Budinger’s would charge CHA as the steward of the building is a testament to the confidence they have in our organization and the passion they have for Coronado.
After all this, the main take-away I left CHA with is that there is no better way for one to get to know their community than through serving on community-based boards, like CHA. What a tremendous organization. Coronado is lucky to have its history in the hands of such a professional and passionate organization. I wait with anticipation to see the exciting new exhibits and programs yet to come.
Lastly, a big thank you to our deep volunteer bench who are our daily connection to visitor’s of Coronado. Thank you!
Sincerely,
