This will be my last president’s report.  Our fiscal year ends on June 30 and I will not be president of Oasis Community of West Michigan for the next fiscal year.  Steve Johnson is going to step in as president again.  Sometimes volunteer opportunities become overwhelming – especially when we just don’t have enough volunteers to take on the jobs necessary to keep an organization running.  
 
So, I’m admitting I took on too much, especially with my career still requiring my regular attention, and got burned out. It’s great when there are people who want to take an active role, they have a specific interest, and they jump in and help with specific tasks.  But we don’t have a lot of that in this group.  We need more of that kind of volunteerism – especially if we are hoping to pick up the pace and get more and more young adults in independent living situations.  There are no agencies helping.  We have no staff doing these jobs. Most tasks fall to board members and a handful of committee members who are determined to make this work.  All the board members are wearing multiple hats; taking on a variety of roles and working on various committees.  And, we all have disabled kids as well who need attention – and most of us have jobs and careers too. 
 
We had a board retreat in late April to determine the future of Oasis.  We talked about what needs to get done, how to do it, and where we want to be in 3-5 years.  We need to double or triple the number of volunteers we have to serve the members we currently have and potential new members in the next few years.  We truly all need to look deeply at our talents, interests, and abilities and determine what we can do to best help Oasis provide the housing we want for our adult children with disabilities. 
 
I will continue to work on creating housing opportunities for families working toward transitions through the Coordinated Living Committee.  This is my strong suit – developing and maintaining relationships with non-profit housing developers, getting my foot in the door on new developments where our members can live, and making sure that we are on the forefront of all development in Kent and Ottawa counties.  As co-chairs of this committee, I am working with Lynn Surdock to revamp our training program so it is more flexible to better suit the needs of all our members and to get families ready before housing is ready. 
 
I will also be focusing on developing the Advisory Council for Oasis.  This is a group of professionals in a variety of fields that can give our board members and committees advice as they move forward.  For example, a retired transition teacher can advise on training; a non-profit housing specialist can advise on affordable housing options; and a social worker can advise on roommate situations and community building activities. 
 
Other duties I could use some help with are the Marketing Committee.  If there is a member with marketing experience or who is able to work with (or as) a marketing advisor, please let me know.  Steve is taking over the coordination of the Community Navigation Group – that is the group of local non-profit organizations who provide services to people with disabilities, such as the West Michigan Down Syndrome Association, the ARC, ASKC, Disability Advocates, etc.  Oasis founded this group and we feel it’s important for these organizations to continue to work together to better serve our community.  Steve could use some help from someone who might be able to take meeting notes, be his back-up at quarterly meetings, and coordinate the proposed shared calendar and website.  
 
Please take seriously the need to get involved and  volunteer! Thank you!  

Grace Smith- Oasis Community of West Michigan President