Quick recap The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a round of "Happy Dollars" where members shared reasons for their happiness and donated to the cause of ending Polio. The president announced upcoming events including a board meeting on October 16th at 10:45 AM, a District Conference on October 23rd and 24th at SAC Museum, and a Volunteer Day on October 30th from 9 to 11 AM at the Community Action Store where Heather works. The guest speaker, John Miles, was introduced by Dean and spoke about his career as an attorney and his involvement with various nonprofits. He shared his personal story about moving to Hastings in 1963 and reconnecting with Dean, his childhood friend, through Facebook after losing contact during high school. He discussed his retirement from Cline Williams after 41 years of practicing transactional law, including work with registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, and nonprofits. He. mentioned that his wife retired in 2020 after 45 years of teaching, and he expressed his intention to give back to the community in retirement. John discussed his work with Teammates, a mentoring program founded by Coach Tom Osborne, detailing its growth and structure. He explained that it serves students from elementary school to college and offering to provide information about becoming a mentor. He shared his personal email address ( bypassman63@gmail.com). The discussion focused on the evolution and current state of a mentoring program that has expanded to over 200 chapters across six states, including recently opening in Missouri. The program was established to create legal protections after the Catholic Church faced lawsuits, leading to the creation of chapter organizations with IRS group exemptions. The program currently serves approximately 50,000 mentees, and the speaker mentioned they will be joining a committee focused on safety concerns for mentors and mentees, including existing policies that restrict mentoring outside of school settings. John also spoke about his involvement with the Foundry, an organization that provides space and resources for nonprofits which serves around 40 different nonprofits by providing office space, meeting rooms, Wi-Fi, and support services including a shared receptionist and kitchen facilities. He also talked about the Do More Good movement, which aims to invest in companies with a focus on leadership and employee development. The Do More Good project evolved into a capitalism-focused initiative, using Patagonia's employee stock ownership plan as an example. He concluded by mentioning the Foundry's internship program and his current volunteer activities in retirement. He discussed two main initiatives: the Do More Good movement, which involves acquiring companies and raising funds to invest in businesses while maintaining employee leadership roles, and an internship program that connects college students with employers and nonprofits. The Do More Good movement is being developed as a separate entity from NewMoreGood, though there are trademark issues with the name that need to be resolved. John also mentioned a Constellation Training Program for young professionals seeking leadership roles. |
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