Ten Resident Associations were represented at the ORANJ Zoom Conversation on Wednesday April 13. 1) Fellowship Village— Ron and Bert Whalen; 2) Medford Leas— Barbara Trought and Maggie Heineman; 3) Wiley Mission— Paul Basham and Marian Wissman; 4)Harrogate—Jan Shannon; 5)Seabrook— George Torpey; 6) Laurel Circle— LaVerne Miner; 7) Meadow Lakes—Anne Wolfe; 8) The Oaks—Tom Vona and Andy Kleppe; 9) Cedar Crest Mimi—Tausner; 10) Cranes Mill—Mallory Loehr
Barbara Trought, Southwest Regional VP was the moderator for meeting. Maggie Heineman did the technical job of Zoom host. After introductions Barbara presented two questions which had been suggested ahead of time. One participant wanted to know how other communities handled Staff Appreciations Gifts; another asked whether other Resident Associations had formal or informal audits of their books.
These questions deserved more time for fully sharing experiences from the CCRC resident associations represented. Discussion of Appreciation Funds did surface one important aspect that elicited agreement. There is a necessity for collecting and distributing the funds with attention to transparency and IRS regulations. Various systems for conducting Appreciation Funds for distribution among employees were described. No generalizations emerged.
Similarly diverse practices were reported when the question of auditing association financial records. Many are relying on in-house auditing done by a resident who may or may not have credentials for performing this service.
A third question, from Tom Vona of The Oaks concerned the responsibilities of “at Large” members of Resident Association Councils. During the conversation it was unclear what was meant by “at large” council members since that terminology was unfamiliar to others. LaVerne of Laurel Circle is following up on this directly with Tom.
George from Seabrook is interested in having Zoom conversations among residents of the Southeast Region. Maggie says she would be delighted to host whatever Zoom conversations others wished to organize. ORANJ has an unlimited account with Zoom.
We welcome comments on this blog post from all residents, whether or not you were able to attend this meeting.
6 Responses
To respond to Appreciation Funds for staff. Applewood has a drive yearly from August to October/ early November. It is suggested $1 per day or $365 per year or more if possible. Any donation is acceptable either lump sum or monthly. It is given to all staff except managers pro-rated by job, time, and length of service as a holiday gift. It is not mandatory but voluntary.
Our books are audited by outside professionals.
Thanks for the comment Frances. It’s great to know that this blog is contributing to the conversation. You may have noticed that your comment didn’t appear immediately. That’s because of spam. I get notified of comments and then approve them if they aren’t spam. Webmaster Ann is looking in to the possibility of having commenters notified when someone replies to their comment. We don’t know if that can be done.
From Andy Kleppe, Resident Communication Committee Chair, The Oaks at Denville.
Our RA President Tom Vona and I enjoyed the Zoom Meeting on 4/13 and welcome more. I think that the idea of Area Zoom Meetings is a great. It would bridge the gap between now and the time when in-person meeting make sense again.
To that end the Oaks will participate in any NW Area Zoom meeting along with Cedar Crest, Crane’s Mill, Good Shepard and Bristol Glen. Once our Executive Committee and Committee Chairs consent we will provide email contact information to those who wish to participate.
Andy Kleppe, Oaks
Thanks Andy, I appreciate your participation. My response to Frances at Applewood explains a little more about the process.
I was unable to get into the meeting. I am not very tech savvy.
Marjorie, there were three others that didn’t get in, and it’s my fault. I’ll spare you the details (I’m embarrassed). There will be another Zoom on Wednesday May 11. Please try again. I think things will go smoother as we go along.