This blog is being posted early tonight, because I have to leave for the SPA Annual General Meeting. I mentioned this to a couple of dog walkers yesterday, and they knew nothing about it, so I thought it might be a good idea to explain to you all how the SPA functions.
The SPA Carcassonne is a non-profit making Association according to law no. 1901. We have charitable status, but are independent financially. We are not part of the Paris SPA group, as I have explained in a previous blog. Rather we are part of the Confederation of SPAs, which is based in Lyon. http://www.lesspadefrance.org/
The SPA Carcassonne invites all its supporters to become members of the Association. To be an active member costs 26 euros per year. That is a minimum, clearly 😉 . You can also become a non-active member for 16 euros and 85 euros will make you a benefactor. Membership entitles you to vote at meetings and after one year, you will be eligible to join the Conseil d’Admininstration (CA) or Committee, which elects the “Bureau” (Board) and is where all the decisions are made.
At tonight’s meeting we will be reviewing what happened at the SPA in 2013, but also looking forward to 2014 (easy as we are almost halfway through it!). We will discuss refuge policies, manning, fundraising, and most importantly the AGM will elect new members to the CA.
Many people are members without living in Carcassonne, and they are invited to vote by proxy. My parents are both members (no pressure from me there!) and pass on their votes as they are in the UK. Geography is no barrier to taking an active interest in the SPA.
It is in everyone’s interests to have the refuge well run. Active, intelligent and motivated people in the CA ensure that the right decisions are made. The CA decides how money is spent; it makes decisions on things such as sterilisation, adoption fees and much more.
Joining before the end of 2014 will mean you are invited to next year’s AGM. But why wait to the end of the year? Act now and you are less likely to forget! If you make a donation of 26 euros (either as a gift or from fundraising), and unless you state otherwise, we would like you to become a member. Membership makes us strong and all opinions are welcome. Together we have made the SPA a better place and can continue to do so!
One example of the decisions made by the AGM is to extend the cat house (which will benefit both dogs and cats). Here is a photo taken yesterday, which shows the progress that has been made so far!
Refuge news will have to wait till tomorrow!
Building work continues