Company of Friends
COF Officers and Directors
Officers
| President | Jim Townsend | jamestownsend171@msn.com | |
| 1st Vice Pres. | Glenda Sweeney | glenda.sweeney1954@gmail.com | |
| Secretary | Chris Stima | clstima@outlook.com | |
| Treasurer | Chris Stima | clstima@outlook.com |
Directors
| Social Director | Glenda Sweeney | glenda.sweeney1954@gmail.com |
| Charity Director |
Company of Friends Board Meetings
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima
Jim called the meeting to order at 12:59 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris provided the financials for July and reported that the cash balance in the account is $3,352.42.
2. Recap of Asian Salad Social – Chris reported that we sold 31 salads and had 40 attendees. We received $60 in donations and welcomed two new members at the event.
3. Status of Future Socials 2024–Our September socials will be Sept. 11 (regular social) and Sept. 18 (Quiche Lorraine). October 11th is the trivia/game night. The Board discussed the possibility of having a taco dinner on either Oct. 22nd or Oct. 23rd. Glenda will check with the CA to secure a room for this event. If approved, we will sell tickets in the library a few days prior.
November 8th is the Veteran’s Day event, and Dec. 9th is the holiday dinner/dance. A flyer with all event dates through 2024 will go out to the members early September.
4. Glenda reported that she has submitted dates for the2025 events and socials but has not received confirmation yet on her requests. Tentatively we have an Italian potluck on 1/25, the Dessert Auction on 2/12 (multipurpose room), and a social on 3/14. The club’s annual meeting/social is tentatively scheduled for 3/26.
5. San Tan Press Article - Glenda submitted a draft of the article for the October edition. The article contains information about the Oct. 11th Trivia/Game night that is open to all of Trilogy and asking that members bring their friends to the event to see if they would be interested in joining the club.
Meeting adjourned at 2:11 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Thursday, September 26th at 1:00 p.m.
Submitted by: Chris Stima, Secretary/Treasurer
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Monday, July 22, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Tammy Rowles
Jim called the meeting to order at 2:32 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris provided the financials for June and reported that the cash balance in the account is $2,978.53.
2. Dinner Socials/Future Socials - Details were discussed regarding the Asian chicken salad social on August 7. Tickets will be sold in the library on Friday, August 2 and Monday, August 5 from 10-11 am. We will provide Tammy with a preliminary count on 8/2, with a final count provided at noon on 8/5.
The Board agreed with Tammy to have a quiche and salad dinner on 9/18 for $15. This would replace the regularly scheduled social on 9/25, so September socials will be on 9/11 and 9/18. We also tentatively planned a taco salad dinner on 10/23 (also $15).
3. Trivia Game Night - The trivia night with Chuck Dogg Entertainment will be held Oct. 11 from 6-8 pm in the Ballroom. Doors will open at 5:30.The event will be open to the community, and tickets will be sold through PurplePass for $10/each. Residents may purchase tickets individually or for their team, but attendees will choose their table when they get to the event.
We will be requesting 25 six-foot tables for a total seating of 200. Chuck Dogg's fee is $600, and prizes will be $20 gift cards for the winning team members and $10 gift cards for 2nd place.
Glenda reported that she has secured AZ Premier Catering for the Dec. 12 Holiday Dinner/Dance. Tammy mentioned that Dec. 12 is also the night of the golf cart parade, but it was felt that this should not affect the attendance at the Holiday Dinner/Dance.
Glenda reported that she has submitted dates for the2025 events and socials but has not received confirmation yet on her request.
4. San Tan Press Article - Glenda read a draft of the article for the September edition to the Board. The article will contain information about the upcoming Trivia/Game night that is open to all of Trilogy and asking that members bring their friends to the event to see if they would be interested in joining the club.
5. Robin Dastrup's Email - The Board discussed Robin's email regarding changes to the procedures for requesting club functions onsite and offsite. It was decided that no action was required by us at this time.
Meeting adjourned at 3:46 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Tuesday, August 27 at 1:00 p.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Monday, June 24, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Robyn Franklin
Jim called the meeting to order at 2:33 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris provided the financials for May and reported that the cash balance in the account is $2,926.99.
Jim reported that he spoke to Alyssa at Ryan House and confirmed they received our $3,000 donation.
2. Recap of Salad Social/Future Socials - The comments about the June 12th cobb salad socialwere overwhelmingly positive. The Board made arrangements to have a Sloppy Joe dinner on July 10 and an Asian chicken salad on August 7, each for $15/dinner. Tickets will be sold in the library prior to each event.
3. Fall/Winter events - Glenda reported that we have reserved the ballroom for October 11 for Game Night and will contact Chuck Dogg to get a signed contract.
She has reserved Nov. 8 for our Veteran's Day event from 6-8 p.m. and reported thatHarry Matthews has been booked for this event. She has also secured the ballroom for Dec. 12 for the holiday party, with Harry Matthews providing the music. A contract for catering still has to be signed.
The Board planned out its preferred dates for the events in 2025 which Glenda will submit to the CA on July 1 for consideration.
4. United Food Bank -The June food drive has been very successful. The community donated over 600 lbs of non-perishable food at the first pickup, with the remainder to be picked up on July 2nd. We will be provided a final total after that date.
5. Water Drive -Jim reported that at least 450 bottles of water have been donated so far and are being stored at Sharon Somerville's house.
6. San Tan Press Article - Robin Franklin presented a draft of the August article. The Board accepted the article with a few modifications and the photos to be submitted.
Meeting adjourned at 3:46 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Monday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Robyn Franklin, Tammy Rowles
Jim called the meeting to order at 2:31 p.m.
1. United Food Bank -Tammy Rowles provided information regarding COF's sponsorship of the community-wide food drive for United Food Bank. The cardboard bins will be dropped off Wednesday, 5/29, and we will need to provide volunteers to assemble them. The drive will be from June 1 through June 30, and the bins will be placed just outside the library in the clubhouse. We will provide two volunteers each week to move the full containers to the storage room in the ballroom as needed. UFB will pick up the donations July 2, and we will need to provide volunteers to help load the truck.
2. Water Drive -The Board would like to continue with the water drive, and Sharon Somerville has agreed to continue collecting the cases at her house. Glenda will contact Robin Dastrup to renew our flyer in the Lifestyle posters and emails.
3. Pizza Party Details - Chris reported that there are currently 54 people signed up to attend the pizza party on Wed. 5/22. The Board agreed on the number and types of pizzas to order, and Jim agreed to pick them up.
4. San Tan Press Article - Robin Franklin presented a draft of the July article. The Board accepted the article with a few modifications.
5. Future Summer Socials - The Board discussed the upcoming summer socials and decided to continue with the potluck style for 6/12 and 6/26, with possibly adding games such as Left, Center, Right, Phase I, or Trivial Pursuit on one of the dates.
We discussed with Tammy Rowles the possibility of coordinating a catered meal through the Café in conjunction with the Lifestyle Lunches on the day of our socials. Glenda will continue working out the details with Tammy to see if this is feasible.
6. Current Financials - Chris provided the financials for March and April, and reported that the cash balance in the account is $2,724.
Jim reported that we received a thank you letter from Dogs4Vets for our $3,000 donation. He will contact Ryan House to confirm they received our $3,000 donation.
7. Fall/Winter Events - Glenda reported that the Fall events are confirmed (Oct. 11 Gamefest, Nov. 8 Veteran's Day, and Dec. 12 Holiday Party.) She will book the 2025 Winter event dates on
July 1.
Meeting adjourned at 4:16 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Monday, June 24 at 2:30 p.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Jim Franklin
Jim called the meeting to order at 2:33 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris has not received the March financials but reported that the account should have approximately $2,288 once the expenses and deposits have been recorded.
The Board discussed what the optimum balance should be in the account in order to cover vendors' prepayments for events, and it was decided that $2,500 should be sufficient.
Chris reported that check requests have been submitted for $3,000 to each charity and the 501(c)(3) verification has been received from Ryan House and sent to accounting. We are still waiting for the certificate from Dogs4Vets.
2. Suggestions from Annual Meeting - There was a suggestion at the annual meeting to open up the dessert auction to the CA in order to make more money for the charity. The Board discussed this and decided to table the decision until closer to February.
There was also a suggestion from some members to go out to a restaurant for one of our socials rather than meet in the café. The Board was in favor of this idea if the logistics could be worked out and waivers were in place for all attendees. It was decided to bring this up for discussion in the summer for possibly one of the August socials.
3. Status of Bylaws - The membership voted to approve the new bylaws at the annual meeting. A copy was submitted to Robin Dastrup and has now been sent to the Governing Docs Committee. If approved by them, the bylaws will be sent to the BOD for final approval.
4. San Tan Press Article - Jim Franklin presented a draft of the June article. The Board accepted the article with a few modifications and also selected some photos to be used.
5. COF MyTPR Page - Glenda reported that she will be supplying Larry Hixson with additional photos to be posted. Chris reported that the weekly calendar of events page has old information for COF regarding our social dates and times. Glenda will contact the CA to have the information updated.
6. Trivia Event - The Board discussed how the first trivia event will run. There will be happy hour from 5-5:30; then the games will begin. The winning team of 4 or 5 people will receive gift cards to Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers.
Glenda will check with Chuck Dogg Entertainment to see if he needs an adapter to hook his laptop to the TV monitors. She will also confirm with him whether there will be two teams or three teams in the final Family Feud round.
Meeting adjourned at 3:57 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Tuesday, May 21 at 2:30 p.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Robyn Franklin, Chuck Dogg
Jim called the meeting to order at 1:50 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris presented the February 2024 financials showing a balance in the account of $8,595.97. The Board decided to make a proposal at the annual meeting to give $3,000 to each of the two charities, and providing the membership approves, to make the donations in April.
2. Membership Status - Our current membership stands at 211.
3. San Tan Press - Robyn Franklin submitted a draft of the article to be published in the May edition of the magazine. The Board approved the draft with a few minor modifications.
4. Stand Together Flag Service - Jim was approached again by Stand Together Flag Service to see if we might be interested in sharing their services with our membership. The Board decided it wasn't a good fit for our mission and felt it might be better suited to the TPR Foundation or to the CA. Jim will forward the information to those organizations.
5. COF MyTPR Page - Jim reported that he has updated the COF page on MyTPR to reflect our current events and the dates we meet. Glenda will ask Larry Hixson to add the new events calendar and photos of recent events.
6. Bylaws Status - Chris has sent out an email to the membership with the proposed bylaws, asking for their vote to approve them at the annual meeting March 30th.
7. Annual Meeting - The annual meeting will be on March 30th at 10 a.m. in the Café. Cathy Lasala has volunteered to arrange for coffee from Starbucks, and Chris will purchase the donuts. Jim will put together the agenda for the meeting, and Chris will record the attendees to confirm we reach a quorum (53 people). Glenda will make a signup sheet to recruit volunteers to help with the big events in the coming year.
8. Spring/Summer Schedule - Glenda has arranged for the Café for the spring/summer socials, beginning April 10 and continuing the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. She has retained Harry Matthews for the Veteran's Day celebration 11/8.
Chris suggested a trivia night as a potential fundraiser next winter and invited Chuck Dogg from Chuck Dogg Entertainment to make a presentation on how he runs trivia nights. Chuck demonstrated the games -- which include Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud -- on the TV screen in the board room so the Board could play a sample game.
It was decided to have a "trial run" with just COF members on April 24th in the Café to see if it is well received and then possibly have another one in the fall and one for the entire community in January as a fundraiser in place of the chili cookoff.
Meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Tuesday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting, Friday, February 23, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima
Jim called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris presented the January 2024 financials showing a balance in the account of $5,791.14.Looking ahead to February, it appears we will have a balance of around $7,500 after the Luau's expenses are all in. The Board decided to make a proposal at the annual meeting to give approximately $2,500 to each of the two charities, and providing the membership approves, to make the donations at a date to be determined.
2. Membership Status - Our current membership stands at 211, which we believe is the highest membership in at least four years.
3. Dessert Auction Recap - The Board discussed how the dessert auction went and whether any changes should be made for next year. The consensus was that it went very well and we should follow the same format next time. There were 59 attendees, and we netted $1,675 for Ryan House.
4. Social Committee - Glenda expressed that she would like to have more volunteers to help with the events. It was decided that we would have a signup sheet at the annual meeting to solicit volunteers who would like to help with any or all future events.
5. San Tan Press - Robyn Franklin submitted a draft of the article to be published in the April magazine. The Board added a notice about the annual meeting, and Glenda will submit the final draft for publication.
6. Luau - Tickets sales are going well, and we have met our sales goal. Glenda presented the agenda for the event with the floor plan, games, contests, and prizes.
7. Annual Meeting - The annual meeting will be on March 30th at 10 a.m. in the Café. We will provide coffee and donuts. Jim will seek volunteers for the election committee. The positions of Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer are up for vote. Chris will send out an email and flyer to the membership on March 11 notifying them of the annual meeting and election and request their attendance. A quorum (25% of total membership) is required, which is 53 members.
8. Summer Schedule - A discussion was held regarding whether to have one or two socials per month throughout the summer months. The Board decided to ask the members at the annual meeting for their preference before planning the schedule.
Meeting adjourned at 2:13 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 20th at 2:00 p.m.
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Board Meeting - Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Attendees: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, Chris Stima, Robyn Franklin
Jim called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m.
1. Current Financials - Chris presented the December 2023 financials showing a balance in the account of $6,314.00. This does not reflect the $3,000 in donations ($1,500 to each) Jim and Chris presented to Dogs4Vets and Ryan House on January 9, 2024.
Chris presented a profit/loss statement for the six events throughout 2023, which netted a total of $4,200. The Veterans Day event and the Dessert Auction generated the most profit.
2. Membership Status - Our current membership stands at 196, with an additional 22 people from 2023 not submitting their 2024 dues yet.
3. Ticket Sales Methods - The Board discussed the various ways in which to sell tickets to events (PurplePass, in‑person in the lobby, members drop checks in COF mailbox) and decided to continue the dual approach of selling in person one or two dates as well as giving members the option to drop off checks if they prefer. That way those who have questions about the event or prefer the face-to-face contact will have that option.
4. Chili Cookoff - Glenda has been working with Cathy Lasala to secure gift baskets from local merchants to use in our raffle. They have received baskets from Designer Blvd, The Nook, and El Bella Day Spa. Vito's Ristorante donated four $25 gift cards, but we may decide to use those at the Dessert Auction. In addition, we have received a kitchen utensil basket from the Heils and a martini basket from the Lasalas.
Tickets sales have gone very well. We have 103 attendees including the cooks.
5. Dessert Auction - Preparations are under way. A flyer announcing the save-the-date will go out to the members ASAP in order for them to have enough notice, since it is only 10 days after the chili cookoff. No tickets will be sold for this event, but RSVP is required for attendance and for donating a dessert.
6. Luau - Planning has begun. The Luau Hut has been hired again and will provide the dinner. Tickets will be $30 and will go on sale in February; dates to be determined.
Glenda has reserved the ballroom and café for the socials and events through the end of 2024.
7. San Tan Press Input - Robyn Franklin presented a draft of the article to be published in the March edition, which the Board approved with a few revisions.
8. United Food Bank status - Jim reported that we have had 6-8 volunteers pretty consistently when United Food Bank sends us a request for help.
Meeting adjourned at 4:12 p.m.
Next meeting will be held Thursday, February 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Annual Meeting
COMPANY OF FRIENDS
Annual General Meeting, Saturday, March 30, 2024
Trilogy Cafe
Jim Townsend, President, called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. There were 68 members in attendance; a quorum was present.
COF Board members in attendance: Jim Townsend, Glenda Sweeney, and Chris Stima
1. Welcome and Thank You - Jim opened the meeting by thanking the members for their support of the club and our charities. He gave special recognition and thanks to board members Glenda Sweeney and Chris Stima for their service on the board.
2. Achievements -
Membership - Jim reported that we have increased our membership from 122 in 2021 to 211 members to date in 2024.
Increase in Charitable Donations - Jim stated that the club donated $1,800 to each of our two charities ($3,600) in 2023, with the intention of donating $3,000 more to each charity in 2024 ($6,000).
Water Donations - The club donated over 1,500 bottles of water in 2023 to be distributed to food banks and first responders.
United Food Bank Volunteers - Jim recognized the members who regularly volunteer to fill emergency food bags at United Food Bank and thanked them for their service.
Events - The club held six major events in 2023: Oktoberfest, Veterans Day Dance, Holiday Party, Chili Cookoff, Dessert Auctions, and Luau, all of which were successful. The Chili Cookoff, Veterans Day Dance, and the Dessert Auction were the major fundraisers for our charities.
3. Issues voted on -
Election of Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer - Glenda Sweeney was running for another term for Vice President, and Chris Stima was running for another term for Secretary/Treasurer.
Carolyn Owen, election committee chair, reported that there were no other nominations for these positions.
Glenda and Chris were nominated from the floor for their respective offices and were unanimously elected.
Selecting Charities - Jim asked for comments or suggestions for other charities to support, and none were made. The membership voted unanimously to retain Dogs4Vets and Ryan House as the charities we will support for 2024.
Approving Bylaws - A copy of the proposed bylaws was emailed to each member last month for review. Jim asked for a vote to approve, and all members voted in favor.
Summer Schedule - A short discussion was held regarding whether to continue with two socials per month for May through September or reduce it to one per month. Jim asked for a vote from those who stay in Trilogy throughout the summer, and the vote was to continue with two socials per month.
4. Volunteers for Events - Glenda thanked the members for their continued support of our events. She also recognized Jim and Robyn Franklin for their help with the San Tan Press article and photos and thanked Jim Townsend for helping with the cleanup and disposal of trash after every event.
Glenda stressed the need for volunteers to help with the planning and execution of the events and passed around a signup sheet for those interested.
She also reported that we will be having a trivia/Wheel of Fortune/Family Feud night on April 24th from 5-7 p.m. in the Café. This will be a trial to see if we would like to have a bigger trivia event in October.
Meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Submitted by Chris Stima, Secretary/Treasurer
Photos from events
Chili Cookoff Jan 27, 2024
Holiday Party 2023
Veterans Dance 2023
Octoberfest 2023
