ECRA Story Published in Advertiser 5/4/07

[Candy]

The Advertiser printed a nice story about the Emerald Coast Reef Assoc. today. Look on page 4 under the headline "Reef Group to give away private fishing reef"

I will try to get the story on this thread asap.

[Candy]

Below is a copy of the Story printed in the Advertiser. May 2007
By: Kathleen Gilson

Ever imagined having your own private fishing reef in the Gulf of Mexico? One lucky member of the Emerald Coast Reef Association will win a private reef this month as the group concludes its membership drive.

A drawing for the private reef will be held at the group’s monthly social meeting, May 19, 7 p.m., at LaRumba’s Mexican Restaurant in Niceville. Each new member receives a free entry in the reef drawing. Interested persons may become a member at the social.

Everyone who has an interest in fishing, scuba diving, or reef building is urged to attend the meeting and become a member of the group, which has created 36 new reefs this year alone. For more information and to RSVP, visit the Emerald Coast Reef Association’s Web site by clicking on the front page link at niceville.com.

[stone]

The ECRA Board of Directors (BOD) will continually review and consider all suggestions. Using the “Polling Function” on the new forum should help ECRA members (and sometimes Forum-only Members) provide the BOD with useful inputs. Formal criteria for accepting or implementing suggestions have not been incorporated into the by-laws, but until then, the BOD will ask the following general questions (for simplicity, “activity” will refer to some action, event, or purchase):

1) Is the activity consistent with ECRA goals?

2) Is the activity allowable within the charter of a non-profit (501)(c)(3) organization?

3) Can the activity be achieved within the current ECRA budget, or if not, is the activity self-sustaining (generates own funding, funded by grant)?

4) Will there be enough volunteers to accomplish the activity?

Thanks for your support!

Stone Hansard
President ECRA