by Jim Turner, Chapter Chair
When Carla Klein left to become director of the Wisconsin Chapter and Therese Folsom took a different job within the Club, our Executive Committee discussed whether the Columbia office was still useful. One of our chapter's critical needs is to have a staff member available throughout the year to closely monitor state regulatory agencies and lobby the legislature in Jefferson City. Doing this from the Columbia office meant travel expenses. The Columbia office also lacked space for meetings and was not accessible to disabled visitors. So we'll think toward opening an office in Jefferson City, when our chapter treasury level permits, to coordinate our volunteer activists in our attention to Missouri government.
To free up funds for hiring another fulltimestaff member, we'll economize on officeexpenses. Using mail, phone and fax in the office of the Eastern Missouri Group in Maplewood, our clerical staff will forward information and materials to our fund-raising Development Associate Melissa Hope, our lobbyist Roy Hengerson, and to volunteera ctivists engaged in specific campaigns such as energy and forestry. Through phones, emails, and bimonthly meetings, our volunteers will continue to maintain our chapter's culture an environmental campaigns.