Albany Chest to meet next week

By Melinda L. Lucas

With the annual campaign to raise funds for local organizations starting in October, board members of the Albany Chest will meet next week to organize the 2021 fundraising drive and elect new directors.

The meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 5:15 p.m. at The Feed Store.

“We will be accepting nominations for positions on the board,” said chairman Amy Kelly. 

Four of the 12 director positions come up for election each year, and Chest by-laws allow directors to serve two terms before they cycle off. 

Kelly, Tisha Wilkins, and Mindy Skelton have each served two terms and will cycle off after the Sept. 1 meeting. Sara Wilson’s term is expiring, but she is eligible to serve another term if reelected.

Those interested in serving on the board should contact Wilkins, who is the current secretary, or Kelly to have their names submitted for consideration.

After the four board member positions are voted on, officers will be elected and the directors will plan this year’s drive.

Current Chest officers are board chair Amy Kelly, vice chair and public relations Melinda Lucas, secretary Tisha Wilkins, and parliamentarian Susie Beard. Paige Adair serves as treasurer, which is an appointed position.

Jana Kitchens, Austin Sherwood, Clint Chapman, Rosie Sanchez, Daivis Gallagher, and Mike Bean complete the board.

Kelly said that she does not expect any significant changes from last year.

“I don’t foresee any major changes in the funding request forms, and they will probably be due back to by the end of September again,” she said. “Organizations that want funding need to make sure and get everything in on time, so they can be considered when we decide how to distribute the funds.”

Funding Requests

All organizations wishing to receive an allocation from the Albany Chest must submit a written request to the Chest, according to Lucas.

A form will be available that should make the process easy for both the applicants and the directors.

“We’ll go over the forms at the meeting, and set the deadline for those to be returned,” said Kelly. “We will get the forms out to the banks shortly.”

Lucas explained that the form specifies exactly what information is needed in order for the board to make decisions about how much money to give each organization, and it asks a few simple questions that should only require brief answers.

One of the main pieces of information needed, of course, is the amount of the request.

Forms will be available at First National Bank, First Financial Bank, and The Albany News, or can be requested by email at news@thealbanynews.net.

The letters may be mailed to The Albany Chest, PO Box 2019, Albany TX 76430 or hand-delivered to First Financial Bank, The Albany News, or Paige Adair at First National Bank, 

After all the requests have been reviewed, a goal will be set and the fundraising drive will get underway.