President’s Message for December 2009

Thank You and Welcome to a New Year at SGM

First I would like to thank the members for allowing me to be your president for the 2010 term. I am looking forward to the next year. The board will be refocusing on SGM's core principles of being a Social Support group for gay men.

The next year at SGM is going to be a challenging one, but with that will come fun and excitement. As Jasper and I were board members for the 2009 term, our transition will be an easy one. Because we were the only two elected to the 2010 board we will need the support of you our members more than ever.

With change comes change, and this year may set a record. This change can be a great opportunity for SGM to transform our renewed focus on SGM's core ideals, with our continued openness and dedication to incorporate fresh and exciting ideas, into programming. For example here and some of my thoughts, programming geared toward being more beneficial for members, increased member participation and more community involvement. I think these are a great way to help make the upcoming year wonderful for everyone.

I am asking for your help for the next year. Remember this is our group, not your, not mine but ours. Our mission statement is "To provide for a fellowship of persons with common interests who wish to share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with each other as they provide emotional support, peer identity, and acceptance. The SGM social group is not allied with any sect, denomination, political party, other organization, or institution." And as such we all need to help support each other. Each one of us has talents and the other members would not only like to know them but learn more about them, so come and share your talents.

Some specific help we need right now is someone for Treasurer and Secretary also we need a Cruise Committee (I know it's early but we need to make decisions very soon about the cruise and those decisions will be impacted greatly as to having a Cruise Committee or not)

The SGM website has been a good resource for upcoming meetings and events as well as past newsletters, treasurer's reports and much more. The site is going to become a primary resource for all SGM information as this is the easiest and quickest way to pass along new and updated information. As of right now there are no plans to stop the newsletter but it will take on a much different look and scaled as to permit a quick publication.

Finally I want to remind every member that I am always interested in what you have to say. If there is something that you don't like, think should be changed or if you have any new ideas you would like to share, I want to hear them. Oh and letting me know that you liked something is great as well ;)

Thank you,

Bill