Update: October 24, 2013: I was reelected as President of the Western Fair District Programing Council at last night’s AGM. Looking forward to the year ahead and implementing the new agricultural mandate and flexible committee structure of the council.
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Tonight I am attending the AGM of the Western Fair Association.
The AGM is always a fantastic event, but for me tonight is special. Today is the last day of my one year term as President of the Western Fair Association’s Programming Council. As the day approached, I found myself reflecting on my involvement with the organization and the important lessons I’ve learned from my time there.
My involvement with the fair started as a volunteer member in 2007. That year I stuck up my hand and volunteered to be on the Community Showcase Committee under Tim Kelly. I was unaware of the journey that raising my hand that day would take me on. My positive experiences on the showcase committee lead me to run for one of the Fair Director positions. I was a relative unknown at the time and ran against some great individuals in the election. To my surprise I was elected and since then have greatly appreciated the trust given to me by the membership that night.
As a Fair Director, I went on to Chair several committees before being elected as their Vice-President. After a reorganization, the Fair Directors transitioned into the Programing Council where I have served as President for the past year. As council President, I also became a member of the Board of Governors; a Board that then selected me to serve on an associated corporation as a Director (The Raceway Corporation, which oversees the Harness Racing operations at the Western Fair District).
Which brings us to today. So now I’ll share just a couple of thoughts on what my volunteer involvement with Western Fair has taught me... so far.
Good Old Fashion Hard Work Still Counts
Perhaps it is the agricultural mandate and history of the organization, but good honest hard work is always recognized and celebrated. I like this. A focus on results, not excuses, and a determination that with a little hard work there is nothing we cannot accomplish together.
Agriculture is Important
This seems simple and intuitive, but it has a much deeper meaning for me now. The Western Fair District at its heart is an agricultural organization with deep roots and honest values. It is a membership-based organization with a sense of community values instilled within it (compassion, collaboration, collectiveness, hard work). These values are something that we can all use a healthy dose of from time to time. One of the things I am most proud of (and is pending approval tonight at the AGM) is my work to strengthen the agricultural education mandate of the organization. The proposal empowers the membership and Programing Council with increased responsibilities to regularly review and advise the Board on the agricultural education and activities of the association’s events/programs. In my opinion, it will help lead to a better integration of the agricultural mandate within the various business units and program offerings.
Common Good: Organizations Working Together
Early on in my time at the District, I noticed that there were common goals with at least one another organization I was involved with: the London Public Library. Both the Western Fair and Library supported youth education and literacy (although with a heavy agricultural focus at the District). I encouraged a meeting between the two organization’s CEOs to talk about common goals and possible common initiatives. Their great work, supported by some excellent staff, has led to today where the Western Fair District is a major sponsor of the Library’s Summer Reading Program (a program that saw London area youth read over 1,000,000 pages last summer). Western Fair also provides summer readers with passes to the Annual Fair and the top readers receive ride packages. The Library participates at the annual fall Western Fair with a comprehensive booth dedicated to agricultural education and literacy—all while having fun too. It is truly a win-win for both organizations.
What at first glance may have been an unintuitive partnership is now a great example of inter-organizational cooperation that creates a better community for all of us. It has taught me that we should be actively seeking out the unlikely, but potentially great, cross-organization collaborations in our community. This may include creating more opportunities for cross-organizational volunteer experiences.
Community Programing is Good Business
The Western Fair as an organization does a great job at merging community programing with sound business principles. There is an excellent balance between driving efficiencies, taking risks, and fostering innovation; and ensuring that the organization is offering community programing and partnering with community groups. I was proud to be involved in the development and launch of new program offerings at the District while also working hard to make sure that the community oriented programming—like the Annual Fair—continues to be reflective and responsive to community needs.
In summary, I need to thank the Western Fair District organization for the opportunity to continue to volunteer there. I also want to express my gratitude to the membership for their years of trust in me and the support they have given for the various initiatives I have pushed for. With excitement, I look forward to tonight’s AGM and to my future involvement with this organization.
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Note: This post, like all my blog posts, are my own thoughts and views independent of the organizations I may be associated with.
Josh Morgan for Ward 7 - London, Ontario, Canada. Visit: www.joshmorgan.ca for details.
