This book is likely familiar to everyone. It’s been around for over 65 years:
The recognized hero in the Dr. Seuss classic Horton Hears a Who is, of course, Horton the elephant. With his incredible hearing ability, Horton is able to identify an entire planet of people, Whoville, living on a speck of dust and he then begins an adventure in protecting the Whos against the other animals in the jungle. But another hero of the children’s book is a much different character. What does this hero have to do with you Co-op? Stay tuned…
I’m pleased to report that your Co-op board is now running at full steam! The final vacancy on the board has been replaced. At the Co-op board meeting on Feb. 26, the board welcomed Kate Richmond to the team. As a long-time member of the Co-op’s finance committee, Kate will serve as the Co-op’s treasurer and provide the necessary guidance moving forward.
Along with the appointment, the board also restructured its leadership. The key roles have been filled accordingly:
President: Tom Wickersham
Vice President: Christine Sexton
Treasurer: Kate Richmond
Secretary: Sally Razor
Membership Committee Chair: Joy Thorson
Site Committee Chair: Kate Dunning
Communications Committee Chair: Jodie Huegerich
Operations Committee Chair: Paige Everly
Board Development Committee Chair: Christine Sexton
Board member Cathy DeSoto is currently serving on two committees, and may take on an additional role with one of the ad hoc committees that will be created as we transition into Stage 3. Other members of the board also serve on additional committees.
With the new leadership and roles of the board, the timing is perfect for us to take advantage of the annual start-up food co-op conference. I’m excited to report that five board members and the Co-op’s Outreach Coordinator Melanie Drake will be attending the conference in early March. With so many critical decisions to be made in 2020 for the Co-op, the conference is perfectly timed for us. Plus, being held in Madison this year, it’s the closest it’s ever been to us. We will be meeting with industry experts, picking the brains of our peers throughout the U.S., and learning more about the next steps. (Side note: It was at last year’s conference where your Cedar Falls Food Co-op was nominated for a “Best of the Best” award.)
But even with the wealth of talent leading your Co-op, we simply can’t do this without a corps of dedicated volunteers. That’s where you come in, and that’s where the unlikely hero of Horton comes in as well:
In order for the citizens of Whoville to be recognized, they needed to collectively lift their voices for them to be heard. And it wasn’t until the little JoJo added his voice that the jungle animals noticed.
What we are doing with the Co-op is building a grocery store by and for the community. This is the largest grassroots effort this region has ever seen, and for it to be successful we truly need the whole community to step up. We need your talents! And with our new leadership, now is a great time to help support the board and our effort to deliver on this vision.
There are lots of volunteer opportunities, big and small, and we hope that you consider helping push us over the top—to make this real. Please drop me a line if you want to help out. Will you be our JoJo?
In cooperation,
Tom Wickersham