Author: mcmadmin

Date: October 16, 2016 weekend 
Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: Men attending weekend/ Board members 
Minutes submitted by: David/Charlie 

1. Welcome: The current board was acknowledged, and we let men know MCM has 2 slots open on the board. 

2. Treasure’s report: $2,360.81 before weekend. We are in good shape but do need to strive to get more men at the weekends for their participation as well as our financial future. Tomas has agreed to be added to the Treasures list of people who can sign checks and deal with the bank. Tomas and Ian will get together to sign necessary papers for the bank. David will contact Jim D to see if he is still interested in pursuing being a back up treasurer. 

3. Registration numbers: The fall brochure was sent out six weeks before the weekend, 12 men signed up the first week and then no word until the week before the weekend when the rest signed up. The board asked when do we consider cancelling the weekend due to low numbers. Several members spoke to have the weekend with as little as 10 members while keeping a close eye on the financial impact. Rent of Tanglewood remains consistent and we pay extra for each man that stays overnight. 

4. Carl, Tanglewood Liaison will talk with Patti and see what it would mean financially if we had to cancel. Carl will find out what their policy is and the board will discuss. 

5. The board felt that using envelopes to send brochures was worth the effort as well as the cost. Two brochures as well as a poster will be included for the Spring weekend as it was this past fall. 

6. Charlie reported on his visit to Mainely Men meeting. MCM board members can attend their weekends for free. The board will pursue setting up a table at Common Ground Fair with Mainely Men. 

7. A suggestion that men could come for Saturday only at a reduced price. It was also suggested that kids could come for Saturday only and activities could be set up for them. The board will discuss these options. 

8. Holbrook has invited anyone who would like to join him on his radio show as a guest speaker. He would need 8-day notice. The board will consider sending someone before the next weekend to promote MCM. 

9. Updates on the by-laws and 501c3 were provided. Alan has taken on the task of re-writing the “found old bylaws” and adding what is needed for board approval. Charlie has agreed to help him. MCM hopes to have 501c3 status before the next weekend. 

10. The Program committee was recognized … Thanks goes out to John B, Ivan, Charlie, Ham, and Dan. 

11. The board is planning a Phone-a-Thon for January and February 2017. The purpose is to encourage men to attend as well as get accurate information for our database. 

12. The Job list for the Spring 2017 weekend was reviewed and people signed up for the different responsibilities. (See List) 

13. The board will consider a request that we buy our own coffee pumps instead of depending on Tanglewood. 

14. Any man is welcome to attend a board meeting. Please contact David or any board member to find out the next date. Dates change so it is the responsibility of the person making the request to keep in touch with the board about the next meeting. 

15. Next Board Meeting November 15, 2016 at Charlie’s house 

Minutes accepted by the board on Nov 15, 2016 

Date: September 20, 2016 
Place: Ian’s house 
In Attendance: Bob, Charlie, Brad, John, Ian, David, Alan 
Minutes submitted by: David / Charlie 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from July 12, 2016 reviewed and accepted 

3. Treasure’s report: $2741.84 

4. Mainly Men invited MCM Board members to attend their weekend Oct 7-10, 2016. Charlie has agreed to attend on Sunday. Charlie will bring up the idea of a joint booth at 2017 Common Ground Country Fair as well as inviting men to our weekend. 

5. Update on 501-C3. Ian has spoken to a CPA. David asked if someone could take over the writing of the by-laws committee. Alan agreed to take on this role. David will send him the information he has collected. Charlie is willing to help Alan with this endeavor. He will send Alan copies of by-laws from other organizations. We need MCM by-laws in order to apply for 501-C3 status. The plan is to complete this task and apply for this status as soon as possible. 

6. Charlie will send out another copy of the Google account instructions and passwords to the board. 

7. Update on MCM Manual. The manual is on hold until after the weekend. 

8. Registration update: we have 14 men signed up so far and with 4 board members sending in registration, this will bring number to 18. 

9. Oct 14 weekend 
a. General Meeting Agenda: David will set this and e-mail to board if he is unable to attend 
b. Streamline General meeting. David will make a poster with job lists to post. Current men have first dib to continue. Encourage men to sign up before the general meeting 

10. Other: 
a. Board member should work on a paragraph describing their responsibilities Ex. Coffee Meister, Treasurer, Medical kit Supervisor, etc. Get these to David for the Manual. 
b. David will print 3 copies of minutes, Confidentiality agreement, Mission Statement for the weekend for men to enjoy. 
c. David will write another e-mail blurb and send it to Charlie. Charlie will edit and send it off by e-mail to past attendees. 

11. Next Meeting will be the General Meeting at the weekend 

12. Next Board meeting will be Oct 25 at Charlie’s in Hope from 6-8. 

Note: Oct 25 meeting postponed to Nov 15, 2016 

Accepted by Board Nov 15, 2016, 2016 

Date: July 12, 2016 
Place: David’s House in Thomaston 
In Attendance: Charlie, Bob, Carl, Alan, Brad, David 
Minutes submitted by: David and Charlie 

1. Check In 

2. Reviewed and accepted minutes from May 17. 

3. Treasure’s Report: Total Cost of the May 2016 weekend was $2145.25. Cash in the bank $2743.84. 

4. E-mail summer blurb to encourage men to bring someone to the next weekend will go to the past 2 groups that attended. The blurb will go out in Early August and in September before the brochure is sent. David will write these and get them to Charlie to be sent. 

5. List of Names that go out after the weekend. A sentence will accompany the list and the group picture and will emphasize confidentiality. This will also be mentioned at the General Meeting at the weekends. 

6. Brochures will be mailed out by September 2, 2016. Last day for discount is September 16. 

7. Stamp and Fold Party will be August 30 at 6:00 PM at David’s house in Thomaston. 

8. A new position, Post Master General, was discussed. Maine Bob will be responsible to keep the name list updated and to be used for brochures. Charlie will be the Assistant Post Master General. 

9. How to bring new men to the weekend was discussed. We will encourage men through e-mails. Posters and an additional brochure/registration will be sent in the mail to members so they can be shared. 

10. Scholarship Fund: The board has decided to wait until we have 501-C3 status before we ask for donations. This status will allow people to write off the donations at tax time. 

11. Website Update: The new and improved website is up and running with new dates of the weekend. Poster and brochure information will be added as soon as they are ready. The minutes will be posted on the website as men have been asking that we do this for some time. It was felt that men that are interested can see the work that the board is doing “behind the scenes” to make our weekends and organization successful. This will also help men feel connected during the year. 

12. E-mail for board members: Charlie will set up e-mails for board members username@mainecoast.net. He will explain these and how to access them at the next board meeting. 

13. Cloud Update: Charlie has set up a Goggle Drive account for the archives. He will discuss this with Charles G our historian. 

14. 501-C3. Ian has taken the lead on helping the board with the paperwork. No update at this time. 

15. Phone-a-Thon has been postponed until January 2017. With all the political phone calls that are being received it was felt that we would have better response from men after the election. 

16. Manuel update: David has received 2 responses from the readers so far. No further work has been done on it. Bylaws were worked on using a computer-generated questionnaire. Once completed the company asked for money to be able to print it out. David will work on re-typing these. By-laws need to have President, Secretary and Treasurer named in the document. David will be President, Charlie will be the Secretary and Ian will be the Treasurer. 

17. Other: 
a. Carl is the new Tanglewood liaison. He will contact and Rich from Tanglewood and they will discuss a site in the event a sweat will be taking place. 

Next Board meeting will be from 6-8, Sept 20, 2016 at Ian’s house 

Minutes Accepted Sept 20, 2016 

Date: May 1, 2016 
Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: See attendance list from weekend 
Minutes submitted by: David, taken by Charlie 

1. Acknowledgements and thanks to present Board Members. Ham and Ward were recognized for past service on the board. We have 11 active members and have 2 open spots on the board. Any man is welcomed, contact David or any board member with your interest. 
Board meetings are open to all men. Contact any board member to find out next date of board meeting. New website will have this information. 

2. Treasure’s report: Exclusive of weekend income and expenses we have $1,893.71. We will continue to strive to get and keep $3000 in the bank for future weekends. It was suggested that we have a separate line for scholarships and donations. This will be put on the board agenda as it involves the status of 501-C3. 

3. Confidentiality Statement was reviewed. Suggestions for board to consider: 
a. Keep in mind that a man may not be in the same place when he is contacted outside the weekend 
b. Simplify to one sentence 
c. “What happens at Tanglewood stays at Tanglewood” 
d. “A man’s story is his own, not yours to share.” 
e. Be more specific 

4. Sweats — Out of 19 men 9 said they would participate. Suggestion was to have the option on the brochure. Board will discuss. 

5. 501 C-3 was discussed. The membership moved unanimously to have the board go forward and incorporate to have a non-profit status. 

6. Procedural Manual — Members were asked to volunteer to be readers and make suggestions on what we have so far. Ian, Joe, R, Alan, Dan, Charlie and John B will work with David on this. 

7. Membership was asked about electronic registration and payment. Small interest in this happening. Board will discuss. 

8. Curator: Charles G. will work on this. Charlie C will set up account on the cloud and contact Charles G. 

9. Joe R will write a job description for Quilt Curator. 

10. Board to get out “snarky e-mails” during the summer to remind men to find new men and plan to attend fall weekend. Board will discuss who will do this. 

11. Photograph and weekend men’s list. It was asked that this be set out soon after the weekend as possible. Men appreciated the names on the picture and asked that this continue. Thanks goes to Maine Bob for doing this. 

12. New Men mentoring should continue as it has for the past few weekends. 

13. Brainstorming “How to get new or more men to attend” 
a. Phone-a-Thon 
b. Posters 
c. Call the men you missed or would like to see there 
d. Talk about it with friends 
e. Press releases 
f. Common Ground Fair Booth with Mainely Men 
g. Sandwich board on streets handing out brochures 
h. Free tickets on radio to bring in more men 
i. Contact Mainely Men and invite them to MCM weekend 

Minutes Accepted by board May 17, 2016 

Date: April 5, 2016 
Place: Thomaston, David’s House 
In Attendance: Don, Brad, David, Ian, Charlie, Carl, Jim 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from 2/23/2016 were reviewed and accepted 

3. Treasure’s Report $2747.71 is current balance 

4. Tanglewood Contract — MCM is grandfathered in on several aspects. Current rental price for Kitchen Dining Hall is $800. MCM gets charged $600 plus $20 per person per night in cabins and $10 per person/night in tents (which includes sleeping in vehicles). MCM does not have to send in a $100 deposit to reserve date nor a $250 damage deposit. MCM does not need to provide the first half of the cost of the weekend 30 days prior to the event. MCM has and will continue to pay for the weekend as soon as possible after the weekend. MCM sends the total amount of men that were present and where they slept and the University bills us. Contract requires comprehensive auto insurance – Ian will check with our agent to see if we are covered. 
a. Swimming is not allowed 
b. Quiet times are between 9PM and 7AM 
c. Smoking is allowed in designated outdoor areas only. (This has been at the outside fireplace located on the right side of the field when viewed from the lodge porch). All evidence of smoking must be destroyed or removed. 
d. Fires at designated spots only. Approval must be asked for from camp host for any fires. 
e. Other rules are available by asking MCM board. 

5. Brochure and Mailings update: 172 were mailed on March 20. After additional work by Bob to reinstate the 108 that had been deleted, he did a second mailing on April 4. We thank you Bob for this work. As of April 5 we had 10 people enrolled. 

6. Posters for the weekend. We will use the brochure as a poster to post in places in our towns. Board members are asked to post these where appropriate. We will seek to have a poster made in the future to advertise the weekend. 

7. Sweats at weekends. John B will think about this and is willing to work MCM to plan sweats in the future. The board felt it is important to find out from the men at the next weekend how much interest there is in having a sweat. This is a time consuming workshop that is labor intensive. This will be discussed at the business meeting. Brad is willing to lead this discussion. 

8. 501-C3/ Insurance/non-profit information and recommendations from Gregg who is a lawyer: Gregg read the contract and strongly encouraged us to speak to our insurance agent to see if we are covered in the event of an incident. Ian met with our agent and our current policy did not meet the requirements of the University. Ian was able to up the amount of our policy to make it comply without any additional costs. If our main concern is protecting individuals on the board or MCM from being sued we should strongly consider becoming incorporated as a non-profit. There is a cost to this process with annual reports to be filed. The board will further discuss this at the next regular board meeting as well as inform the general membership this is the direction in which we are heading. (additional information came from a follow up e-mail to the board from Ian after he checked with the insurance agent.) 

9. Curator and items to be saved for the future of MCM. It was decided that minutes that we have from Aug 28, 2014 to the present and minutes from all future meetings would be archived. If anyone has any minutes from past meeting that are in digital form these can also be saved. Photos and programs should also be kept safe. Costs for the weekends should be in the minutes to be saved. A procedure manual is being developed. This information has been written up before and has been lost. For this reason this information will be kept in a hard copy form by the curator as well as a copy on a cloud account. Charlie offered to look into setting up this account. David will contact Charles G our current curator and discuss this information. It was decided that board members and the curator will have access to the cloud account. The Board will approve all items that will be stored on the cloud. Names of participants will not be on the cloud but held by the registrar and the computer person working with the lists. 

10. Facebook Account: We need to find out who has administrator rights to this account and determine who from the board will manage this tool. Moved to next regular board meeting. 

11. MCM weekend: 
a. Board member will do a general welcome and reminder of “check in” parameters 
i. Charlie will work with Dan to do a short write up for the men to read
when signing in that will inform men of the theme and possible
check in topic 
b. Medical presentation will be Saturday morning after breakfast. Defibrillator, Heimlich maneuver and First aid kit will be discussed. 
Constant bell ringing will occur should there is an emergency to alert the medical personnel on the grounds. If necessary 911 will be called without delay. 
c. New Men’s meeting will be held in the kitchen/office run by Brad after supper. Any man is welcomed to attend. 
d. Workshop to discuss ideas on how to bring in new men. This topic will be discussed at the business meeting on Sunday. Brad will address this at the closing circle and have men visualize who they will attempt to bring to the next weekend. 
e. Napkins will not be provided but we will continue to use the paper towel roll provided by Tanglewood. 

12. Weekend Facilitator: Charlie volunteered to facilitate the weekend with David as a backup. The description of this position located in the Policy and Procedure Manual was discussed. David, the Board Facilitator, will run the business meeting. 

13. Phone a Thon — we will continue to work toward having a phone-a-thon in the future. 

14. Website Update: Charlie contacted Vincent to get the keys to the DNS name server. Tom Beal has offered to host the website and donate it annually. Renovations on the website will be made by Tom and Charlie and presented to the board. Contact information will be on the site of board members and we will need to decide if a “General Contact” person should be selected. 

15. Procedure Manual Update: This is a work in progress. The goal is to have a manual in place that will address the needs of the group and have them used and saved so items do not have to be re hashed out each time the board changes or decisions had been forgotten. Any item in the manual can be up for review by the board or the membership. David has put this together and will present it to the group. He will ask for 3-4 readers to go though the manual and offer suggestion as to additional items to be added that have been important in the past and are not addressed. If we decide to apply for non-profit status we will need to write up by-laws. 

16. Item for business meeting. A reminder that men can request funds to buy materials for a workshop. The treasurer can grant amounts up to $25 without board approval. 

17. Picture statement from Board Meeting Dec. 9, 2014 item 3. The statement “If men decide to share (pictures, stories etc,) discretion is encouraged as always.” This will be changed as Confidentiality will be discussed at the business meeting that address this issue. The Confidentiality statement will be shared and discussed at the weekend. 

18. Other: 
a. Bocce Balls: Have been painted with stripes for better identification 
b. A request was made to allow two 16 year olds to attend without accompanying adults (One has been at the weekend twice before). It was reiterated that an adolescent (14-17) must have an accompanying adult to monitor them and the youth can attend at no cost. It was decided that if a man brings a young man who is not their legal guardian a note from a parent or guardian must accompany the adolescent allowing them to attend. Men 18 and older pay full price unless they request money from the scholarship fund. 

19. Next meetings: 
a. General Business meeting on May 1 at the weekend 
b. Board Meeting will be on May 10, 2016 Place: TBA 

Minutes accepted by E-mail responses on April 28, 2016 

Date: February 23, 2016 
Place: David’s house in Thomaston 
In Attendance: John B., Lew, Ian, Charlie, Carl. Bob, David 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from 1/19/2016 were accepted with minor spelling errors corrected 

3. Treasure’s Report: $2748.91. The bank now charges a $2 fee for paper statements. E-mail statements are free. Ian will set up the email option.  The e-mails will be sent to Ian, Don, Jim D, and myself 

4. Jim Derby has accepted the position of being co-treasurer and has also joined the MCM board. Thank you and welcome. 

5. Insurance Policy review: MCM is required to carry a standard insurance policy to cover itself as well as Tanglewood while we are there on weekends. The cost is $400 a year. A copy will be sent to Ham to forward to Gregg to look over and interpret. 

6. Ham has send an e-mail to Gregg, who is a lawyer, asking if he is willing to look into what liabilities MCM has in the event of a situation. We have offered to pay Gregg for his services. Ham will follow up on this and report to the board. Thanks Ham. 

7. Contract from Tanglewood: The University of Maine has send out a detailed contract for us to sign for the use of Tanglewood. This is the first time a contract has been sent in 25 years that we know of. David will contact Patricia Chapman with questions about it or what is the procedure to sending it back. The contract looks reasonable. The quote for the facilities is $800 but they are charging us $600. Also fires can only be in designated areas. This may eliminate the possibility of a sweat lodge unless we receive special permission. David will clarify. Ian will share a copy with the Allen Agency to be sure our insurance policy covers what they are asking of us. 

8. 501 C3 – Issues to consider: 
a. Presently MCM cannot provide documentation if a person wants to donate money and claim it on taxes without us having a 501-C-3 status. 
b. Someone would have to manage this as well as report yearly to the IRS what our holdings are. 
c. Will being a 501 C-3 protect us against any law suit or does what we have now with insurance and the waver we all sign enough. This is one issue that is being explored with a lawyer. 

9. Website Update: The date will be corrected. Charlie is working on adding a tab for Board Members and expanded contact info. Board Members are asked to send to Charlie information on how they prefer to be contacted (phone or e-mail). Board members can also choose not to list contact information if they want. Charlie feels that we could be ready for on-line registration at this time. The board felt that this should be explained at the next weekend business meeting to the men. Plans are to make this option available for the fall weekend in 2016. 

10. Phone-a-Thon Update — Issues are still present with the current data base. Bob will work on this and get out lists of men to be called out to board member willing to call along with the questions to be asked to update this file. We will start this process once the list is ready so we can be accurate with the information collected. No date has been set for this to begin, in the meantime we will use the list of 275 names that we currently have. 

11. Board Role Names — “Board Facilitator” will be used as the title of the person who creates the agenda, runs the board meeting and send out the minutes. “Weekend Facilitator” will be the person who keeps the weekend agenda moving along. The Board Facilitator will run the business meeting at the weekend. David is working on a set of Policy and Procedures that MCM is currently following. Roles and responsibilities will be a part of this document. Decisions as well as procedures used will also be in this manual. 

12. Charlie will work with Dan to add a statement in the brochure to encourage men to give a little “extra” if able to help us reach our goal of $3000 in the bank. This money will be used to continue offering scholarship as well as guarding us against a weekend that is poorly attended. It has been estimated that we need 31 men at a weekend to break even. 

13. Confidentiality statement reviewed. The statement below was worked on at our last board meeting in January. The board felt that this statement was ready to present to the membership present at the Spring Weekend for review. The reason this was done was because the board was asked to define what “Confidentiality” meant at the last business meeting in the fall. The following will be discussed at the Spring 2016 business meeting: 
“It is essential that confidentiality be a top priority at MCM weekends so men can feel safe to share and experience self growth in a caring, supportive environment. 
Once a man leaves the weekend it can be difficult at times to share with loved ones the growth they experienced without using a story or details on how the growth occurred. 
If a man needs to share an experience it must be done in a way that protects the confidentiality of the men at the weekend. Names, age, situations, jobs or anything that could identify a specific man is not acceptable. 
If a person wants/needs to share a story or the experience of another man outside the weekend it is appropriate to ask that man for permission. 

14. Donations to Tanglewood — The board would like to recognize Alan Pooley who donated $100 to Tanglewood in the name of MCM. The board’s policy is that we will not give money out until we reach our $3000 goal for our organization. Tanglewood sent a request for funds to this organization. The money Alan sent has been earmarked for direct help to the Tanglewood facility. The address to donate to Tanglewood will be provided to the men at the next weekend if individuals would like to help out. 

15. Stamp and Fold Party — The board is committed to getting the brochure out 6 weeks before the next weekend. The S&F Party will be at David’s house on March 15 from 6-8. This is not a mandatory board meeting however the more the merrier and board items may be discussed. David will e-mail the board if any items need immediate attention so that members can give their opinions by e-mail if unable to attend. 

16. Other: 
a. Curator: David will contact Charles who volunteered for this position to begin discussion on what and how information should be stored. 
b. David will write a blurb that will go with the Fall MCM Weekend picture that Bob will send out 
c. Mentor program will continue. John will send a request for archived information to David if he cannot locate it. 
d. Charlie will work with John and send a message to Dan about the wording for an Emergency Contact for men who attend the weekends 

17. Next Board Meeting : 

April 5, 2016 6-8 at David’s house at 261 Main Street, Thomaston 

Accepted April 5, 2016 

Date: 1/19/2016 
Place: Bob’s house in China 
In Attendance: John B., Ham, Carl, Bob. David 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from 10/27/15 accepted 

3. Treasure’s report — $2491.15. (Treasurer unable to be at meeting) 

4. No update on Jim.D status to be on MCM bank accounts working with Ian and Don. (Tabled) 

5. Many thanks go out to Mike S and Ham as they have retired from the board. The board would like to thank them for their service at the meetings and at the weekends. The board is seeking new applicants to fill these vacancies. 

6. MCM picture with its’ new format to include the names of men will be sent out to the men at the last weekend later this week. Thanks Bob. 

7. Electronic Payments/and brochures. Charlie was unable to be at this meeting so this item is tabled. It was decided that they would not be used for the spring weekend. This will be a priority for the board to explore for the fall of 2016. 

8. Website Update 
a. Charlie has offered his help to update and work with Tom and Bob to make changes necessary to bring website up to date. 
b. Charlie sent in a long list of suggestions to help the website be more user friendly and up to date. The board decided to take it in steps and do what we already agreed upon. The items that need to be added will be a tab for Minutes, tab for Board members with contact information, and dates for future weekends. More changes to come. 
c. Bob will contact Tom and discuss adding himself and Charlie to the administrative side of this website so they could make the necessary changes. 
d. Charlie and Bob will make the changes necessary and let the board know when they have been completed. The board will be asked to check the website. At the next meeting further changes will be discussed. 
e. Board role names were discussed. Suggestions such as President, Chairman, Facilitator, Coordinator will be decided on at the next meeting 

9. The next MCM Weekend is April 29, 30, May 1. Brochures will be sent out on March 21. The Stamp Party will be the week of March 16. That date will be set at the next meeting. David will contact Dan who is taking on the task of developing a program for the weekend. Dan has also volunteered his expertise to put the brochure together. Thank You Dan. 

10. Sliding Scale. Currently we need 31 paying members to break even for he weekend. It was decided not to develop a sliding scale and keep the fee at $100. It was also decided to put a statement in the brochure that we are trying to build the MCM treasury up and would encourage men who feel they could pay more to do so. We encourage men to use the Scholarship fund if funds are tight. No man should miss a weekend due to financial restraints. 

11. Should we file for 501 C-3 status (Discussion Tabled). 
a. Ham will call Greg and ask if we are in any way liable for men who attend the weekends. 
b. We will ask Ian to bring our Insurance policy to the next meeting so we can discussed what we are cover for. 

12. Phone –A–Thon: 
a. David will e-mail board to find out who will be able to make calls. 
b. Bob will develop excel sheet to be used when asking questions. 
c. Bob will divide up the names and send them to the phone callers by Feb 15 
d. Phone-a-Thon will be conducted the last two weeks of February. 
e. The board will do the best it can for this go around and may need to take more time to complete the entire list. 

13. Confidentiality Statement. Men at the last weekend asked the board to develop a statement that will explain confidentiality. The statement below is being worked on… The board will have further discussion before bringing it to the weekend for discussion. 
“It is essential that confidentiality be a top priority at MCM weekends so men can feel safe to share and experience self growth in a caring, supportive environment. 
Once a man leaves the weekend it can be difficult at times to share with loved ones the growth they experienced without using a story or details on how the growth occurred. 
If a man needs to share an experience it must be done in a way that protects the confidentiality of the men at the weekend. Names, age, situations, jobs or anything that could identify a specific man is not acceptable. 
If a person wants/needs to share a story or the experience of another man outside the weekend it is appropriate to ask that man for permission. 

14. The procedure for men to identify an Emergency Contact for the weekend will be decided on by Charlie and John B to be used at the Spring Weekend. 

15. David contacted Tanglewood on how MCM could help in fixing the posts that were loose on the porch of the main lodge. The issue is that it is not just the post but the floorboards/supports are rotting as well. Tanglewood has a plan in place to fix this situation. 

16. David shared the task list and the board realizes this will change after each weekend. (See attached). David is working on a document that will simplify the Practices and Procedures of MCM. 

17. Sweat Lodge opportunities at the weekend (tabled — Ian will discuss with John Bly and report out to the board) 

18. Other: 
a. Tanglewood asked for a $100 donation for their general fund. The board had agreed that until we have a savings of at least $3000 in the bank we would not consider requests. Current balance is below that amount. The request was denied however individual members should feel free to donate and send a check to Tanglewood to help them out. 

19. Next Board Meeting will be: Tuesday Feb 23 and the Snow Date will be Tuesday March 1 at David place at 261 Main Street Thomaston 

Accepted February 23, 2016, by the MCM Board 

Date: Oct. 27, 2015 
Place: David’s House, Thomaston 
In Attendance: David, Charlie, Lew, Ian, Don, Bob, Ward, Brad 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from 10/18 weekend business meeting accepted with corrections — David will send out corrected final version 

3. Weekend Review: Very positive. 
a. We now have a well stocked medical kit. Tick removal tool to be added to Med Kit. 
b. After each Friday Night Meal on the weekends the Defibrillator and the Heimlich Procedures will be reviewed. Medical personal will be identified and Med Kit placement will be shared. 
c. Written “Check In Guidelines” will be at the registration desk for the men to read for all future weekends. The goal will be identified so men can begin thinking of their check in. Charlie will get together with the next Program Committee Chair (Dan) and help develop this statement. It was noted that this procedure at the past weekend worked very well and that men tended to stay on point rather that ramble on. 
d. New guys should be encouraged to meet with Brad in the kitchen and be a part of creating a meal. This bonding experience is invaluable to help men connect. 
e. It would be helpful if a board member had a workshop to brainstorm how to get young men to begin attending MCM 

4. Treasure’s Report by Ian: It takes approximately 31 men to attend the weekend to break even. Currently we have $2491.15 in the treasury. 

5. Ian will work with Jim D so he will be recognized by the bank on the MCM account 
a. David will send Ian a signed copy of the Minutes to Ian for bank purposes. 
b. Should we be a 501C-3? Ian will bring information to the next meeting explaining what this is. Advantages and disadvantages of 501C-3 will be discussed to see if we want to follow up on this. 

6. Electronic Payments /Brochures: Charlie will work on this and present ideas at the next board meeting. 

7. Bob will contact Tom B about adding a “Minutes” tab on the website and will post minutes from the past couple of years to get this current. Bob will contact David if he does not have all of these documents. David has the minutes on his computer of the ones he has written. Each board member is sent final minutes once the board accepts them. 

8. Future Weekend Dates: 
April 29, 30, May 1 2016 
October 14, 15, 16 2016 
May 5, 6, 7 2017 
Oct 13, 14, 15 2017 
May 4, 5, 6 2018 
October 12, 13, 14 2018 

9. Sliding Scale discussion was tabled for a future meeting. 

10. Each weekend a list is generated as to who was present and includes addresses and phone numbers. This is made available to each man who attended that weekend along with a picture of the group. Men can choose not to be in this picture at the weekend. This info is available only to those men and will be archived by the MCM Curator, Charles G. Past pictures can be available at the men’s weekend. The October weekend’s picture will have names attached to it before it is sent out. 

11. Master List will not be made available to all men. If a man is trying to locate someone from a past weekend they should contact a board member and we will try to help. This effort is being made so the master list is protected from vendors. 

12. Confidentiality: Discussion included secrecy vs. being able to share the experience with others not at the weekend. We will try to make this clear for the men. Each board member is being asked to write up a short statement explaining the concept of confidentiality to be discussed at future meetings. 

13. Charlie C will work with the registrar to develop a procedure to obtain an “Emergency Contact” person for the men at the weekends. 

14. Phone a Thon to be held in Jan and Feb. The list will be divided up for next meeting. Bob and Ward will work on the questions to be asked so we can get consistent results. David will search out an old form that was developed in the past but not use. 

15. Bocce Ball’s … Our new MCM bocce balls will have a bit of color added to them to make it easier to use at the weekend. David will take care of this. We are still committed to replacing John’s set of Bocce balls as they were damaged at a previous weekend. If we buy him a new set we will have 2 sets to use. 

16. Tanglewood Porch Posts. David will call Steve and discuss how or if MCM can help. 

17. Sweats at MCM… Ian offered to talk with John Bly about the possibility of offering them in the future. 

18. Other: Ward suggested that a “Task Heads/Apprentices List” be compiled. David offered to do this using the list from the past minutes as a base. 

19. Next Meeting will be Dec. 2, 2015, from 6-8 at Maine Bob’s Home in China. 

Minutes accepted 1/19/16

 Date: 10/18/2015 

Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: Business meeting at MCM Weekend 8:40-9:35 AM 
Minutes submitted by: Lew/David 

1. Registration on line is still being pursued by board 

2. Board resignations and additions. John R and Sepp B resigned. MCM would like to thank them for their service. Alan and Ward joined the board at the June 2015 board meeting. Charlie volunteered and joined the board at this business meeting. Welcome to the new board members. 

3. Treasure’s Report by Ian. Coming to the weekend we had $2624.46. Food and Coffee $550, First Aid Kit $125.70. Other expenses to follow ie: Bocce balls, printing etc . Brad reports that it cost $3.90 per man per meal. Don and Ian are currently the treasures. Ian requested that we have an additional man begin learning the role of Treasurer. Jim D. volunteered. Thank you Ian, Don and now Jim for taking on this responsibility. 

4. Request from Holbrook that we look at a sliding scale for the weekend as some men may well be able to afford more than the $100 fee at this time. The board will discuss this option. 

5. 2015 Summer Celebration was discussed and an explanation as to why it was not held was provided. 

6. Mission Statement from the board was read and with some slight adjustments it was accepted. The mission statement for MCM is as follows: 
“The mission of MCM is to create a space where all men can come and explore issues that are important to self and others in an encouraging and confidential environment.” 

7. A position of “Curator” was created to keep a paper copy of the minutes, pictures and anything else that we would like to save for future generations. Charles G. volunteered for this position. Thank You Charles. The question arose if any man can access this information including past group pictures. Bob O. and Dan K will discuss how this could be done. The board will discuss this request. 

8. A statement and definition of “Confidentiality” will be discussed and developed by the board as to what men can share with the outside world once they leave these weekends. 

9. Master list of men from past weekends: Can this be available to all men upon request? Could mug shots be taken to identify these men? The board will take these issues up for discussion. The board has previously discussed identifying men in the group pictures that are sent out. 

10. Brochure Info: It was called to the board’s attention that several brochures came through the mail crushed and some members did not receive the brochure at all. It was noted that the paper used was a lightweight paper and that the tape used did cause some brochures to stick together. The board will work on correcting this issue at the next stamp and fold party. 

11. Board Meetings: All men are welcomed to attend. Contact any board member to find out the dates of next meetings. The Board will discuss future meeting dates. 

12. Tanglewood Policies: This is a Non-Smoking facility however if men need to smoke it has to be at the outside fire pit. Tanglewood is also a nut free environment; we will continue to notify members in the Brochure/Confirmation letter especially regarding the Friday Night Pot Luck dinner. 

13. Emergency Contact Numbers for men during the weekend: The board will discuss how this will be handled with the registration process. 

14. Ghost men to be remembered at each weekend. Brad will bring the rubbing with the names attached to the next weekend. 

15. A thanks goes out to Holbrook for proving the plastic, reusable nametags. All agreed they worked excellent. We will continue the practice. 

16. A Phone-a-Thon is being planned for Jan/Feb to update our mailing list. 

17. April 29, 30, May 1, 2016, weekend responsibilities: 
a. Program Committee – Dan K 
b. Coffee Meister: Carl – Apprentice: Charlie G 
c. Workshop Organizers: Joe, Charles C 
d. Registrar: John. B, Charlie 
e. Food Master Chef: Brad 
f. Fri Night Pot Luck: Jim D 
g. Sat Breakfast: Dan W, and helpers 
h. Sat Lunch: Greg Lewis, John C 
i. Sat Dinner: Charlie C, Ian C. 
j. Sun Breakfast: Ward J. and helpers 
k. Variety Show: Finn G-P, Holbrook 
l. Med Kit Supervisor: Phil E. 
m. Quilt Curator: Joe R. 
n. MCM Curator: Charles G 
o. Tanglewood Liaison: David 
p. Brochure: Dan K 
q. Fire keeper: Holbrook 
r. Keeper of the MCM Bocce Balls: David 
s. Photographer: Maine Bob, backup David H 

18. Tanglewood Porch Posts: Board will discuss how we can support Tanglewood in fixing these loose supports. 

19. “Sweats” were brought up as to how we can have this opportunity at future weekends. In the past there was an issue with nudity on public grounds. The board will discuss this with Tanglewood. 

20. The board would like to remind people to bring musical instruments of all kinds to the weekend. This will be in the brochure as well as the confirmation letter. 

21. A reminder of “consideration” for what is being said at the closing circle to make it a meaningful experience was shared. The opening circle, with the reminders, was excellent as men stayed on task of why they were there and spoke truths about themselves. Each gathering should start with a reminder of the purpose of a “check in” as well as a “check out.”

22. Special Thank You to Phil and Daniel for teaching the group how to use a defibrillator as well as the Heimlich procedure Saturday after lunch. 

23. Meeting adjourned at 9:35 AM. 

Minutes Accepted by the board on October 27, 2015 

Date: August 12, 2015 
Place: Thomaston (David’s House) 
Board Members In Attendance: Ward, Don, Brad, Ham, Lew, Carl, David, Maine Bob by phone and Charlie as a guest 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Minutes from 6/17/15 were reviewed and accepted 

3. Treasure’s Report: $2546.46 with no outstanding bills 

4. Charlie updated the board on the Weekend Theme for the October weekend. “In Praise of Wisdom”. Options were discussed; the board is appreciative of Charlie and Ian’s work on this topic. 

5. The board again discussed Check in, purpose, length of each man talking etc. We realize that this topic will not have an answer that satisfies all. Many thoughts were discussed from changing the format to having a “Mercy Rule” if a man is long winded. We discussed times a story is told that has no apparent relevance to what a man is feeling or what he needs to share to be present for the weekend. The issue of people feeling comfortable leaving if they had a hard day was talked about. Ward provided a well-written blurb talking about speaking our truth. It was decided that David, representing the board, will address this issue with the group as we begin the October weekend. Topics such as brevity, using the time to debrief but be aware of rambling, remind people that one person speaks and all will listen, without interruption. Also giving permission for a person to feel perfectly fine with leaving the circle if they feel it is going on too long. It is also important to encourage people to speak their truth and use this time to arrive fully at the weekend. 

6. Brochure: David will contact Dan to be sure that we include the Tree nut policy followed at Tanglewood (No tree nuts of any kind). Confirmation letter to include a statement to contact Brad with any allergies or request for certain types of foods such as Vegan, Gluten Free items etc. 

7. Electronic Payment- This is still being worked on and we are not ready to implement for this October retreat. 

8. Brochure Folding and Stamp Party: Ham’s place of employment- Evergreen 15 Tillson 6-8 on August 12. Lew to get 275 stamps, Ham to get scotch tape. 

9. Summer Celebration: It was decided that it would be cancelled for this year. 

10. Med Kit/Bocce Balls update: Med kit is being worked on by Joe R and the Bocce Balls would be bought at LL Beans for the Warranty by David. 

11. Website – Maine Bob agreed to update website with the minutes from the past year and a half. If he no longer has them he will contact David for copies. 

12. Phone-a-Thon: It was decided not to do one for this weekend but to do one in winter, possibly January to see if men still want to be on the list. Ham brought to our attention the need to purge the list of 275 to a more manageable number. 

13. Commemorative Coin Project – Ward: Reciprocity, Nurturing, Truth, Honesty, Honor, Respect are all attributes of MCM. The word reciprocity was defined in several ways. Ward is offering an opportunity for men to connect and stay connected with this idea. The board will re-visit this item at the meeting after the weekend. 

14. Number of Members on the board: It was decided to have 13 after we discovered that was the number of the current board. 

15. Mission statement: The statement that David presented will be shared at the business meeting. Simpler the better. 

The mission of MCM is to create a space where men can come and explore issues that are important to self in an encouraging and confidential environment. 

16. By-laws will be continually worked on in the format of “decisions made” all in one place. Motto of MCM will be discussed at the Stamp and Fold Party. Possibly have a large piece of paper for men to make suggestions on at the next weekend. 

17. Next meeting: If anyone feels the need we can meet before the weekend – use e-mail to contact all members. 

Accepted by board members via e-mail 10/16/2015