April 2016 President's Message

Dear Kith and Kin,

It is hard to believe that, as we arrive in the month of April, I am beginning the second quarter of my term as President of the Nationalities Council of Indiana, and the NCI Executive Committee has been hard at work. Our able Secretary, Jodi Banton, has proven that she is more than equal to every task assigned to her, from capturing the minutes of our meetings, to the updating of our website at http://nationalitiescouncil.org. Having received our Minutes and Financial Reports electronically, we are now enjoying the added benefit of having these documents displayed on a screen at our Monthly Meetings, so that every attendee can follow along. Our Second Vice President Leslie Clumb, and the Members of the Nominations Committee, created a slate of Candidates for the 2016 Board of Directors, including names old and new, who were elected by acclamation.

One of the tasks that must be completed by our Board of Directors, will be the approval of the reorganization, for the purposes of clarity, of our NCI bylaws, which were originally approved in 1995, revised in 2000, and again in 2002. On Friday, April 18, Event Coordinator Marife Callender, Treasurer Alma Smith and I met with Events Manager Katie Stilwell at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and secured the Blue Ribbon Pavilion for the 40th Annual International Festival. We were able to inspect the first, and second, floors of the building, located adjacent to the Keystone Avenue entrance, and I cannot imagine a more perfect venue for the Festival, this year’s theme being, “Homes Around the World.” As I have said from the beginning of the year, my goal is to build upon the successes of the past, bring dignity, order and transparency to our proceedings, and to create an organization in which everyone is a full participant.