At the Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast (Habitat) annual general meeting, five members of the community were elected to the board of nine directors, and the stage was set for renewal in governance and community engagement.
“I am enthused with the broad base of skills we have attracted to the Board,” said newly elected chair Dave Taylor. “We are well positioned to engage in a more active way with our community, leading to additional Habitat housing for the Sunshine Coast.”
The new board of directors includes Dave Taylor as chair, John Leech as vice chair, Meghan Carter as secretary and Chris Pallett as treasurer. Directors are Brad Ferguson, Richard (Hergy) Hergesheimer, Kelly Keil (Powell River), Dr. Marius Welgemoed and Norm Wright.
Habitat has made great progress for its size, with six duplexes at The Village at Wilson Creek and one duplex in Sechelt. Ten of the homes at The Village are fully occupied and the selection process is well under way to introduce families to the other two homes in the near future.
“We will be sitting with the board to build a strategic plan for the next three years,” Taylor said. “Building strong linkages with our community will be key to carrying out our mandate to provide affordable home ownership on the Sunshine Coast.”
The audited financial statements show Habitat in solid financial shape and well-positioned, with the support of the community, to build the final two homes at Wilson Creek. Taylor expects to see a much higher profile for Habitat in the coming years, resulting in a much tighter and more meaningful connection with residents and organizations on the Coast.
Governance will be enhanced with the approval at the AGM of new bylaws. The addition of a new CEO, Mark Powell, earlier this year has already led to positive change for the organization. While COVID-19 has taken its toll, Habitat is weathering the situation well with the ReStore back in operation and the recycling operation expected to be up and running again soon.
See www.habitatsc.ca for a full report of the Habitat AGM and more.
– Submitted
