Constitution of the Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired

March 20, 2012

Article 1 Name of the Society

The name of the Society shall be the Camp Bowen Society for the visually Impaired, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Society’.

Article 2 Aims of the Society

The Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired’s mission is to:

2.1 Provide a safe, exciting and rewarding camping experience, conducive to friendship building.
2.2 Give blind and visually impaired residents of British Columbia opportunities to meet others who have had similar experiences to their own.
2.3 Give individuals who are blind and visually impaired opportunities to expand their knowledge base.
2.4 Give the community a voice in shaping the future of camps offered to individuals who are blind and visually impaired in the province of British Columbia.
2.5 Preserve the traditions of the former Camp Bowen project while creating new ones.

Article 3 Membership

3.1 All residents of the province of British Columbia shall be eligible to become members of the Society.
3.2 Any eligible person shall become a member of the Society on payment to the Society of the appropriate membership fee, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the board of directors of the Society.

Article 4 The board of directors

4.1 A board of directors shall conduct the business of the Society.
4.2 The board of directors of the Society shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, or, if necessary, at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
4.3 The board of directors shall consist of the following members: the President; the Vice-President; the Treasurer; the Secretary; the Public Relations Officer; All members of the board of directors shall be required to be members of the Society.
4.4 President The President shall have overall responsibility for the affairs of the Society. He/She shall chair all meetings of the Society, save where decided otherwise by the board of directors or where otherwise provided for in this constitution.
4.5 Vice-President The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President should the President be absent or unable to fulfill his/her duties.
4.6 Treasurer The Treasurer will manage the financial affairs of the Society, in consultation with the President and the Vice-President. He/She will maintain the financial records of the Society. He/She will prepare and present to the Society and the provincial community the end of year accounts and treasurers report for the Society.
4.7 Secretary The Secretary shall keep the non-financial records of the Society, including the official membership list, and manage the correspondence of the Society and submitting the end of year report.
4.8 Public Relations Officer The Public Relations Officer shall be responsible for advertising the meetings and events of the Society.
4.9 board of directors Meetings
4.9.1 Meetings of the board of directors shall be held at least monthly. All members of the board of directors shall be entitled to attend and vote at such meetings.
4.9.2 The quorum for a meeting of the board of directors shall be three members of the board of directors.
4.9.3 Meetings of the board of directors shall be convened by the President or Secretary. At least [two] days notice of a board of directors meeting shall be given by the President or Secretary to the members of the board of directors.
4.10 Term of Office of the board of directors The board of directors shall hold office from the [first day following an annual general meeting] subsequent to their election until the [first day after the following annual general meeting.

Article 5 General Meetings

5.1 Annual General Meeting

5.1.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall take place in the second half of the calendar year, at a time to be determined by the board of directors of the Society.

5.1.2 No less than [seven] days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given. The date and time of the A.G.M. shall be notified to the provincial community and advertised by public notice within the provincial community. Methods of notification may include, but are not limited to, E-mail, blog posts, written letters, social media and/or telephone calls.

5.2 Extraordinary General Meetings

5.2.1 An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society may be convened to: (i) Hold an election to fill a vacancy on the board of directors, should one arise; (ii) Consider a proposal to amend this constitution or any other governing instrument of the Society; (iii) Address any other circumstance not provided for in this constitution.

5.2.2. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened: (i) By majority decision of the board of directors; or
(ii) Upon receipt of a submission to the board of directors of the Society of a petition signed by not less than [ten] members of the Society.

5.2.3 No less than [seven] days notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be given. The date and time of the E.G.M. shall be notified to the provincial community and advertised by public notice within the provincial community. Methods of notification may include, but are not limited to, E-mail, blog posts, written letters, social media and/or telephone calls.

Article 6 Election of the board of directors

6.1 The board of directors of the Society shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
6.2 The President shall act as returning officer for the elections. Where the President intends to be a candidate in any election, a returning officer, who is not a candidate in any election, shall be appointed by the board of directors.
6.3 All members of the Society shall be eligible for election to the board of directors.
6.4 Candidates for each position on the board of directors of the Society must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society at the A.G.M.
6.5 All members of the Society shall be entitled to vote in the election of the board of directors.
6.6 The election of members of the board of directors shall take place by secret ballot at the A.G.M. Where the votes obtained by any candidate exceed the votes obtained by any other candidate for that position, he/she shall be deemed elected to that position.

Article 7 Resignations from the board of directors

7.1 The resignation of any member of the board of directors shall be instituted by a letter of resignation to the Secretary of the Society. In the case of the resignation of the Secretary, resignation may be instituted by a letter of resignation to the President.

Article 8 Management of Finance

8.1 The finances of the Society shall be managed by the President, Treasurer and Vice-President of the Society.
8.2 No member of the board of directors of the Society shall receive remuneration from the Society, or use their office for personal financial gain.

Article 9 Amendments to the Constitution

9.1 Amendments to this constitution may be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society.
9.2 Such amendments to this constitution as may be approved by an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society shall require the formal approval of at least a majority of the society’s members before before taking effect.

Article 10 Dissolution of the Society

10.1 The Society may be dissolved by a [two-thirds] majority vote of its membership at a General Meeting. The Society shall fall into abeyance should it fail to validly elect a board of directors for [two] successive years.
10.2 On dissolution of the Society, its assets shall become the property of the provincial community.

Article 11 Additional Bylaws

11.1 Additional bylaws for the governance of the society are set out in Schedule B of the Society Act, as maintained by the province of British Columbia.
11.2 If the terms set out in this agreement conflict with those set
out in Schedule B of the Society Act, the terms set forth in this agreement shall govern, to the extent permitted under applicable law.