Author: mcmadmin

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

Date: June 17, 2015 
Place: Ward’s house in Searsport 
In Attendance: Don, Ham, Bob, Ward, David, Alan, 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In. 

2. Minutes from May 20, 2015 reviewed and accepted with minor changes. 

3. Treasure’s Report: Current Balance is $2524.46 with no outstanding bills. 

4. Update on pay on-line for weekend – Ian was not available for this meeting and is looking into this possibility. 

5. When new by laws are developed a statement about communication to others outside of MCM a statement about secrecy/confidential needs to be addressed. 

6. Mission Statement thoughts…Statement could convey: The higher purpose of MCM; How do we make the world a better place; Acknowledge a cultural change; Provide an environment. David will put out a request for all Board Members to take a moment to write up a sample Mission Statement for discussion. A Mission Statement is normally 1-2 sentences and to the point. 

7. Check In/Check Out: This is an ongoing discussion with opinions ranging from “take as long as you want and say what you want to say” to “limit your time and stick to the topic of the weekend”. Many approaches have been tried in the past and no one solution is satisfactory to all members. At the beginning of each Check Out/Check In session a board member will remind people that it is perfectly OK to stay or leave respectfully during these times. Tolerance will be mentioned as well as asking men to take the time they need and beware of rambling or the time they are taking to share. The Program Committee may also have further stipulations depending on the theme. 

8. A “Curator “ will a term we use rather than Historian. At the next weekend the Board will ask if any member of MCM would like to take on this position. It does not have to be a board member. At the next meeting the board will discuss what the Curator will be asked to do. 

9. By-laws development. It was decided that by-laws are needed to ensure that MCM has a guide to follow. The purpose is to help the organization stay stable. By-laws are routinely discussed and always open for change. This will be an on-going discussion of the board as we develop a format and items that we feel are important to address. 

10. Board Members: A discussion was held about term lengths, the mechanics of joining or leaving the board, the number of people that can be on the board. One thing that was decided is to have a total of 12 members to have a functioning board. Ward J. and Allan P. have asked to be on the board and the group agreed to their request. Currently we have 12 members on the board. At this time requests will be taken and names will put in a waiting list. Current board members should think about their involvement and commitment at this time in helping the board move forward. 

11. Electronic Registration: This is still being worked on. It has to be set up correctly. Discussion will be held at next meeting if this is possible for the October Weekend. 

12. Budget Process: The current method is working well and Ian and Bob should continue this process…Thank You Men. 

13. Summer Celebration: Ham and Carl are working on this. The event will be in September. Ideas, advertising and framework will be presented at the next Board Meeting. 

14. Med Kit / Bocce Balls: Joe R. will talk with Phil and together will put together a new Med Kit. David spoke with John about the Bocce Ball that broke and will work with him to get them replaced. They came from LL Bean so they may be covered. David will buy a set of Bocce Balls from LL Bean so we can have the lifetime warrantee. 

15. Old Business: 
a. Blurb to be sent out about the weekend after the fact or is Sunday’s Circle enough for closure. It was decided that the Circle was enough for closure. 
b. We will attempt to list the names of the men on the group picture so men can remember who they are. 
c. Website: Ham and Bob will work to keep it updated. David will send Ham past minutes that have been written 
d. Group Picture/Attendance List will be sent out when it is ready 
e. Phone-a-thon. An attempt to have one this fall will be made. David will try to locate the question sheet so men can ask the same questions. Bob and Ham will work on the phone list. At the next Board meeting we will decide if we are ready to do it this fall. 
f. David will contact Jeff to see if men contacted him about the money he received. 

16. Other: 
a. Use of E-mail: The use of this email list from the members will be exclusively used for business concerning the MCM weekends. This will not be used to ask for donations or other solicitations. 
b. Ward is developing a proposal to develop a coin to commemorate MCM. The idea was well received and a cost analysis will be done. 

17. Next Meeting will be August 12, 2015 at David’s house in Jefferson or Thomaston. Info will be sent with directions regarding where the meeting will be held. 

Accepted by board on Aug. 12, 2015.

Date: May 20, 2015 
Place: John R. in Camden 
In Attendance: Brad, John B., Carl, John R., Ian, Alan, Ward, Ham, Bob, Sepp, Don, David 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Review of Weekend – “Very positive”, “Well organized”, “Great food”, “Larger numbers”,” Good business meeting”, “Outstanding work from Program Committee”, “Board work is evident”, “Excellent energy” 

3. Review of Minutes… Minutes were accepted with minor adjustments. Minutes from this business meeting at the weekend will be sent out to all men that were there along with the picture. Bob will be responsible to send attachment. 

4. Treasures Report: We took in $3715 
coffee $73.86 
food $785.45 
t-shirts $ 13.96 
postage $147.00 
printing $102.44 
insurance $200.00 
Tanglewood $2240 
savings account: Current we have $1750 

5. Registrar’s Report: Things went pretty well. Discussion on whether we should send out a blurb to all guys to bring closure to the weekend or if the circle was enough. Also discussed was if there was a way to put names to the guys in the picture so people can make the connection. Who would do this? Can we set up a camera so when people check in at the weekend they have their picture taken with the name attached. Confidentiality was discussed along with would this interfere with men coming in to be in the moment and somewhat anonymous. No decision was made. Will be discussed again at the board level. 

6. Photography- The use of the MCM50 group picture can be used on the website as men were told the purpose of the picture as well as given the option to step out of the group for the picture to be being taken. Pictures taking will not be allowed at the weekend with personal electronics. The only allowed photos will be by the MCM Photographer who at this time is Maine Bob. Thank you Bob. 

7. There was training by Tom B our Webmaster as how to post to the MCM website. Tom sent Ham instructions and Ham will figure out a time when interested men from the board can gather to learn how to post minutes announcements etc. 

8. Mentor Initiative: It was felt that it worked very well this past weekend. John did a great job being sure that new men had a mentor. This weekend mentors were generally people who brought a new man to the weekend. It was discussed that a mentor should be a person that the new man does not know so they can make a new connection. We will follow the guidelines developed from the board meeting on December 9, 2014: 

Mentor Program: This is a work in progress. When a new man sends in his registration we will ask John B. to assign him a mentor. Mentors were asked to volunteer and sign up at the last weekend with their e-mail and phone numbers. The responsibility of the mentor will be to try and contact the new man before the weekend to discuss the weekend, answer questions etc. On the weekend, contact the person on Friday night and check in during the weekend. A follow-up call after the weekend at some time will also be a way to help a new man process the weekend. It was suggested that a workshop on “Mentor Program” be held at the Spring weekend. We realize that this is a start and hope to develop this program as time goes on. 

It was decided by the board that since we have only a few new men each weekend, the mentors would be from the board. We did not have a workshop on mentoring at this Spring weekend. 

9. Minutes from the business meeting will be sent out to the men who attended this past weekend. Minutes from the board meetings will be posted on the website, giving men who are interested purpose in checking the website. If these minutes (once accepted) are ready before the picture is sent out then Bob will attached them as well. 

10. Summer 50th Celebration: Carl and Ham will hammer out the details and report at the next board meeting. The place will be at the Duck Trap beach area. Last summer or early fall were suggested times. This event will be a pot luck style picnic. We will need to decide how to let members of the MCM community know that this is happening. Wives, girlfriends, significant others, etc. will be welcomed to this event. This is a chem free event as all MCM gatherings are. 

11. Bocce Balls: The set that John C brought was broken this past weekend in an exuberant game of intense bocce ball. It was decided that his set would be replaced by MCM and MCM would buy its own set of balls for the weekend. David will take responsibility to contact John as well as purchase 2 new set before the next weekend. Approximate cost is $50 a set for quality balls. 

12. There is a defibrillator on site in the office in the main lodge at Tanglewood. David will ask if it is in working order and we will ask at the next gathering if anyone has had training in using one. It was decided by the board to allocate $200 to build a medical kit. We will ask that Joe and Phil collaborate in making this purchase. David will contact Joe and ask if he would be willing to take this purchase project on. 

13. Reusable nametags will be purchased for men to use. We will get both clip on and ones that hang from a string around the neck. When men can see a man’s name it is easier to address him when first meeting. (Nametags also help us who have name recollection issues). John B will make the purchase. 

14. Outreach to others will be discussed after we have reached out $3000 reserve limit. 

15. Ian will talk to a bank representative and research the viability of men paying on-line for the weekend. The board will also discuss how to use a combination of snail mail as well as electronic e-mail in sending out brochures for the fall weekend. 

16. A Phone-a-thon was suggested to contact men before the October gathering. 

17. Alan and David will work on a Mission Statement for the board to discuss 

18. Check In and Check out procedures were discussed and it was decided that first we build a mission statement and then see how the Check In/Out part of the weekend supports this statement. 

19. The remaining items on the May 20 agenda will be discuss at the next meeting. 

20. Next Meeting will be at Ward’s house on June 17 from 6-8 

Minutes accepted by board on June 17, 2015 

Date: Sunday, May 3, 2015 
Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: Board members and men who attended weekend 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Pictures /Video … Many videos and pictures were taken with cell phones/iPads this weekend. The concern is privacy, as permission was not given by men to be photographed. The board will discuss and decide what level of security we should have. Ideas generated: No pictures, no electronics, official photographer only, no pictures posted on Facebook, Website pictures limited to those with permission, Should we have a signed permission form for pictures in the future for the web. Board Agenda 

2. Two group pictures will be taken today. The first will be the usual group picture. The second for people giving their permission by knowing this image will be posted on the Maine Coast Men webpage. Bob will announce that this is the picture for the webpage and people can opt out by taking themselves out of camera range. 

3. Check In… Discussion was held about the length of check in/out. Men were on both sides of the issue… “Take the time you need” to “limit individual time to speak”. The program committee will set the parameters for each of the weekends and remind people to be respectful in the time they use. The board will discuss and develop a statement that defines the purpose of the “Check In and Check Out” that can be used by the Program Committee. Men will be reminded that “one talks all will listen” and not engage in addressing the person speaking as this can interrupt a train of thought. This is an on going conversation. The weekend has been getting more participants recently so the “check in/out” in particular has been taking more time. Board Agenda 

4. Philanthropy was discussed. MCM board at a previous meeting decided to have $3000 as backup to be used to support the weekend. It was suggested that we change this amount to $5000 to support 2 weekends. The board will develop a policy that addresses how excess money will be used and spent in the future beyond the back up. It was suggested that the priorities are MCM first and then donation to other entities. It was suggested that on the registration form a statement be developed to identify a way a man can contribute additional funds if so desired. Instead of using the term “philanthropy” use the word “Outreach”. Should MCM develop a donation level of sponsorship for donations? Board Agenda 

5. Bocci Balls – It was suggested that MCM have their own set and that the personal set that was broken this past weekend be replaced. Board Agenda 

6. Name Tags – It was proposed that MCM purchase plastic reusable name tags to be used at the weekends. . Board Agenda 

7. A request was made that we review the possibility that we can register “on-line” as well as sending out electronic brochure copies to men who want them rather than paper copies. Can this be done with the Excel file system that we are currently using? Board Agenda 

8. It was suggested that the board develop a position to collect and keep the history of MCM, a “Historian”. . Board Agenda 

9. Nepal: Jeff thanked the men for their donations for this worthy cause and assured us the money would be used properly to help out the village in Nepal that he spoke to us about. 

10. October 16, 17, 18 2015 weekend: 
Program Committee – Charlie C, Ian 
Coffee Meister: Carl – Apprentice: Charlie G 
Workshop Organizers: Joe, Charles 
Registrar: John. B 
Food Master Chef: Brad 
Fri Night Pot Luck: Tom and Brad 
Sat Breakfast: Dan, John C and Ham 
Sat Lunch: Greg L 
Sat Dinner: Ham, Tom, Alan 
Sun Breakfast: Holbrook, Sepp, (there was one more) 
Variety Show: Bill 
Med Kit Supervisor: Joe 
Quilt Curator: Joe 
Tanglewood Liaison: David 

11. The Quilts have amazing healing and comforting properties. See Joe if you would like to borrow one. He reminds us that you do not have to be ill to bring this positive energy into your home. 

12. Tanglewood appreciates that we compost everything possible and to put materials in buckets in the walk-in… Also they will deal with the trash if we put the bags in the receptacles near the Staff Room. 

13. Minutes from 3/17/15 accepted 

14. Next Regular Board Meeting: May 20, 2015 6-8 John R place in Camden 

Revised Minutes accepted by board – May 20, 2015 

Date: March 4, 2015 – Wednesday, 6:00-8:00PM 
Place: John R’s place in Camden 
In Attendance: John R, Brad, Ham, David, John B., Bob, Sepp, Lew 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check in 

2. Minutes from Jan 14, 2015 meeting were accepted when men replied to e-mail from David – system worked well, men responded in timely manner. 

3. Treasure’s report – Ian or Don were not present so we assumed that the running balance of $2306.41 from last meeting is still accurate as no expenses were expected. 

4. Web page discussion: Web page needs to be updated with accurate information as soon as it is available. Tom B. our Webmaster is recognized for stepping forward to help out and the board feels that he possibly needs help. John R our board liaison, has contacted him several times with information to be updated. David spoke with Vince who is willing to provide support. According to Vince our website page is fairly easy to update if you have the password and minor training. 
a. Ham will contact Tom to discuss how to provide him assistance and get our website updated. Minutes from the past 4 board meetings, minutes from the general meeting at the weekend and the brochure information needs to be uploaded before our brochure goes out. 
b. Bob, with his computer skills, has offered to help out and assist if needed but would prefer not to take the project on. 
c. David will contact Vince and explain that we are looking for additional people to learn how to post on the website. 
d. The board will still OK anything before it is posted on the website. 
e. John R. suggested that a manual be developed to outline the steps of this process of posting on our website. The board agrees that we need to work toward written documents and not solely rely on people’s memories of how to do things. 
f. Bob and Ham will develop a workshop for the May weekend to teach a few people how to post on our Website. The Website format will also be discussed. 
Changing the format is at a different level of expertise so it will be discussed on who and how to make these changes if needed. It was also suggested that if we do not have a volunteer we would need to consider hiring someone to do it. This will be discussed at the next board meeting in May. 

5. Bob and Ham were recognized for the outstanding work they have done in updating the mailing lists. Addresses of men who have died as well as men who we have not heard from in many years were removed from the list. It was felt that if any man really wanted to attend they will check the website or contact a member that is still active to get information. 

6. Update on Brochure- Dan is to be recognized for putting together another work of art. Joe R helped out, as he is an excellent proofreader who provided several points for the board to discuss. All these recommendations were accepted. Ham and Vince worked on the theme and wrote the introduction. David and Karl provided additional information and encouragements used in the brochure. Thanks to all that have contributed to this weekend’s brochure. The poster was also reviewed with additional items to be added. David will send these corrections/additions to Dan ASAP. 
a. Fold and Stamp Party will be held at Ham’s house on March 17 from 6-? Ham will send out directions and a reminder to the board before this event. 
b. John will pick up stamps and contact Ian for payment details. 
c. David will contact Dan to be sure that the brochures and posters are at Ham’s house for this party. 
d. Number of stamps – 270. Brochures and posters 300. Extra copies were made so members at this party can have additional copies to post and distribute. For the past Oct. weekend an addition 40 were printed for that purpose. 
e. Bob will pre-print the mailing labels and bring them to the party. 
f. Confirmation letter that John B sends out after receiving registration: 
i. Brad will provide a statement about dietary needs that men may have and how to
request them. 
ii. Brad will also write up a sentence or two to encourage men to bring T-shirts to the
weekend for “50th” silk-screening. 
iii. John will add a statement saying that we are a “Nut Free Environment” at
Tanglewood. 
iv. John will contact Charles and confirm that he can be listed as the contact person for
workshops on the Confirmation letter. 
v. John B will contact Dan to discuss these changes, as Dan has been responsible for
putting this letter together. 
g. Scheduled mailing date for the brochure in March 23. If they are ready before that they will be sent out early. 

7. E-mail Announcement: The board reviewed the words of wisdom that Lew put into writing for the e-mail and wholeheartedly accepted these words of encouragement. This will go out March 27 after the men receive their snail mail brochure. Lew will contact Bob for directions on how to attach the confidential video from last weekend as well as attachments for the brochure and poster. This e-mail will go out to men from the 49th and 48th weekends. 

8. Tom J and Dan have agreed to write an article for the 50th weekend and have it placed in the usual newspapers that we have used in the past. They asked if the board had anything specific that we wanted in the article. The board agreed that they had a free hand to write this article. David will contact Dan and Tom to relay this decision. This should go out in late March/early April to coincide with the mailings and e-mails. 

9. Responsibilities for the May weekend: (from Oct Weekend Minutes) 
Program Committee: Vincent/Ham 
Coffee Meister: Carl (back up: David) 
Workshop Organization: Charles, Joe 
Tanglewood liaison: David 
Food- Master Chef: Brad 
Fri Night: Pot Luck 
Sat Breakfast: Daniel W., John C. 
Sat Lunch: Ham, John C 
Sat Dinner: Tom J, Vincent 
Sun Breakfast: Sepp, Tomas 

10. Other weekend business: 
a. John will continue to be the registrar 
b. David will be there early to assist, as he will meet with the Tanglewood representative. 
c. David will ask Tanglewood how we should handle our trash. Bring yellow bags? 
d. Brad will contact Rich to see if they need any help with projects that could use MCM volunteers. 
e. Brad commented that it generally comes down to $3.49-$3.89 per meal per man at the weekend. 
f. David will present on the topic of philanthropy at the Variety show. 

11. Summer celebration: BA was contacted but has not returned any information about a possible place. It was decided that if men want to plan this event they would have support from the board to do this. It was decided that it would be a “Chemical Free” event as this is our policy for weekends and board meetings. 

12. Weekend or Board expenses: At the next meeting we will discuss a procedure on how best to get reimbursed for expenses. It was felt that what we have done so far has worked however we would like input from Ian and Don if there is a better way. 

13. Other: 
a. The board will ask Ian or Don to review the budget process with us at our next meeting in May 
b. David will send out an e-mail to the board on April 1 to see if we need one more meeting on April 8 to pull together any lose ends for this up coming weekend. Please send any concerns or questions to him at any time. 

14. Next regular meeting will be otherwise it will be at the business meeting on the weekend. The next board meeting will be April 8th (if needed- see 13 b) otherwise it will be on Wednesday May 8 at John R place in Camden from 6-8. 

Minutes have been accepted via e-mail communication on March 17, 2015 

Place: John R’s place in Camden 
In Attendance: Mike, Ian, Carl, John R, Brad, David, John B., David and Bob (via conference phone) 
Minutes submitted by: David 

It was a clear and cold night… 

1. Check In 

2. The procedure for posting board minutes was discussed. Draft minutes are sent to the board for review. Once minutes are adjusted a revised edition will be sent out to the board. John R. will forward them to Tom B to be published on the website. Dec 9, 2014 Minutes approved. 

3. Treasurer’s Report by Ian: Same as in December – ““The current bank balance with no pending bills is $2306.41.” We are in good financial shape at this point.” 

4. John R., board website liaison, has been in contact with Tom B (website guru). Tom is working to update the website with the minutes from the past few meetings. If you want anything to be posted on the Website contact John and he will in turn bring items to the board for review. John will then send the information to Tom for posting. 

5. 50th gathering for MCM will be the upcoming weekend, May 1, 2 & 3. It was agreed that this does not have to be the central theme that is being worked on by the Program committee. The board will encourage members to bring something: an idea, activity, a memory etc. to be shared during the weekend. At the weekend it will be discussed by the membership if we would like to have a summer event to celebrate this anniversary. It is felt that the current board does not need to plan every event but to support, encourage and help individuals who would like to plan something. 
• David will contact Vincent and Ham (Program Committee) to explain this concept 
• Lew and Ian will work on and send an e-mail to encourage men to bring “50” ideas to the upcoming weekend. 
• Bob will send Lew the information about the link to the video to be shared with this out going e-mail 
• Brad will contact Dan and develop a silk screen so men can make “50th Anniversary” T-shirt at the weekend. In the brochure each man will be asked to bring a shirt or two that can be silkscreened. 
• A decision was made not to do a fundraiser for the weekend. 
• David will contact BA who said he was able to get information about a place to gather this summer should we have a summer anniversary event. 
• Please contact any man who was instrumental in the development of MCM to attend this weekend in May. For that matter contact any man who has ever been to a weekend and encourage him to be there. 

6. The board has agreed that $3000 will be held in escrow to be used for weekends to ensure that money in not an issue in the future. This money can be used if needed for rent, supplies and scholarships. 

7. Philanthropy according to Wikipedia is as follows: 
Philanthropy (from Greek φιλανθρωπία) etymologically means “love of humanity” in the sense of caring, nourishing, developing and enhancing “what it is to be human” on both the benefactors’ (by identifying and exercising their values in giving and volunteering) and beneficiaries’ (by benefiting) parts. 
MCM board had a lively discussion about how men can help others. At the present time we do not have money to give and will not have any until our escrow account has the $3000 dollars to insure future weekends. Through discussion we realized that to be philanthropic we could use our talents and creative energies to find ways to help others. 
This concept has been done in the past when Tanglewood needed help with projects and MCM provided manpower to help. Brad will contact Rich and see if Tanglewood needs help at this time. Other ideas will be brainstormed and explored if we are asked for help. 
• A workshop on the topic of Philanthropy may be planned during our May weekend. A volunteer is needed to lead this discussion. 

8. Information for the May Brochure: 
• David will research a statement on prohibiting “Tree Nuts” to be used in the upcoming brochure. 
• Carl will write up a short plug for men to be thinking about the variety show before coming to the weekend. Carl will get this to David and David will send it to Dan electronically. 
• David will write one sentence to encourage men to do a workshop or develop a workshop idea and possibly co-facilitate with a friend. 
Information from December’s Minutes: 
Brochure mailings: The board felt that the mailing should go out 6 weeks before the weekend to give men enough time to decide as well as plan and encourage new members. A week before the mailing a “Fold and Stamp” session will be held at a place to be announced. The next weekend is May 1, 2 and 3rd. The plan is the mailing will be sent on March 23, 2015. The “Fold and Stamp” session will be the week of March 16. 

9. The board decided not to brainstorm topics for workshops as men usually bring their own ideas, passions or experiences in developing workshops. The board is willing to help men who have an idea to develop it and provide support if needed. 

10. Bob has committed to completing the daunting task of updating the mailing list by the end of January to be used for this upcoming weekend. 

11. Dan will be asked to develop a poster to be sent electronically to the men who attended the last weekend. Men will be ask to print it off and post copies in their town or where appropriate to promote the weekend. 

12. Copies of the past By-laws have not been found. It was decided that new ones would be written to reflect where MCM is today. 

13. Mission Statement – Ian has offered to do a workshop at the May weekend to develop a mission statement and start writing new by-laws . This is a great start to move forward. Thank You Ian. 

14. Board members are being asked to respond in a timely manner to any e-mail requesting information or opinions. 

15. Board meetings are open to all men. If any man would like to attend please contact any board member for current information about the time and place of the next meeting. 

16. Other: Bob has a conference line that works excellent if you are unable to attend the board meetings in person. Contact Bob at bob@mainebob.com and he will provide the number, directions and passcode so you can connect with the meeting. You will be able to listen and share your input from your phone wherever you are. 

17. Next meeting: March 4, 2015, 6-8PM at John R. place 

Minutes approved: March 4, 2015 

Date: Tuesday December 9, 2014 
Place: Brad’s House 
In Attendance: Carl, John R, Ham, Brad, David, Bob (via conference phone) 
Minutes submitted by: David 

It was a dark and stormy night…. 

1. Minutes from Oct. 19, 2014 weekend meeting were reviewed, minor revisions made and these will be posted on the website soon. The minutes from the past 3 meetings will also be posted at that time. 

2. Weekend reviewed – Workshops went well with variety, the thought is that the push by e-mail and in the brochure seemed to help men think ahead. This practice will continue. Also the “Variety Show “ went well but we need to encourage men before the weekend to take a risk and share their talents or abilities. Connections to nature, taking care of self, synchronicity of the moment as well as intention should all be stressed for upcoming weekends. 

3. Maine Bob made a short video of the experience at MCM Sunday morning weekend. The board decided that this can be shared with the people who attended the weekend. Confidentiality was discussed and it was felt that this should be treated as we do the mailing lists of the weekend as well as the group picture. If men decide to share, discretion is encouraged as always. Bob will send this video link out to you. 

4. Alcohol was discussed at the past weekend event. It was decided that we reiterate our chemical free policy at the weekends. Board meetings are also chemical free. We felt that Tanglewood probably has policies in place for a Chem free environment. If we have a “50th” celebration, possibly a cookout, we will discuss if this should also be a chem free event. 

5. A financial report was sent in by Ian: “The current bank balance with no pending bills is $2306.41.” We are in good financial shape at this point. 

6. Board E-mails… the Board felt that e-mails about matters being discussed, plans etc. by the board should go to members of the board only. Any man interested on being an active member of the board is encouraged to join and come to meetings. It was recognized that there are many past board members who are very active with the weekend and their past experiences are very valuable. Input is always encouraged from anyone and decisions made by the board will be posted on line in the minutes. It was felt that if needed, board members could ask anyone of the “elders” for their perspective and/or help. 

7. We are attempting to identify who the men are on the current active list for the board. Generally it is felt that many men who had been active in the past are probably on the “inactive board list”. Some men have announced they are stepping aside others have not. If you feel that you are still on the board we apologize for not adding you to this list and would appreciate if you could contact us ASAP so you can again be on the “active list”. The current “active board” list includes: Ham, John R., Don, Michael, Sepp, Ian, David, John B., Brad, Lew, Carl, and Bob. 

8. Mentor Program: This is a work in progress. When a new man sends in his registration we will ask John B. to assign him a mentor. Mentors were asked to volunteer and sign up at the last weekend with their e-mail and phone numbers. The responsibility of the mentor will be to try and contact the new man before the weekend to discuss the weekend, answer questions etc. On the weekend, contact the person on Friday night and check in during the weekend. A follow-up call after the weekend at some time will also be a way to help a new man process the weekend. It was suggested that a workshop on “Mentor Program” be held at the Spring weekend. We realize that this is a start and hope to develop this program as time goes on. 

9. Mailing List Update: Ham and Bob will continue working and plan to complete this list to be used for the Spring mailing. They have been working on dropping names of men who have not respond in many years, deleting names of men who have died, updating addresses etc. This has been a huge task to convert it over to a flexible computer program file. The board would like to recognize the men who are working on this task and say thank you. 

10. Web-site update: Tom B. is our Website Master. Bob and Vince are back-ups. These men should have the passwords to the Website. David has offered to be a substitute if needed as one of his siblings builds websites and may be of assistance. John R. will be the “board liaison” to Tom. David has offered to be back-up. Information for the website will be approved by the board and John will pass it on Tom’s to be posted. John will contact Tom and they will look to see if changes need to be made to our current website to make it more user friendly. They can make these changes without board approval with the idea that “keeping it simple” is generally better. Thank You for this work. 

11. Peanuts/nuts at Tanglewood: The University of Maine is heading toward being nut free environment due to the life threatening allergic reactions of some individuals. MCM has adopted a policy of being “nut fee” to support their efforts. A note in the brochure will emphasis that no nuts be brought to the weekend in cooked foods or as snacks. Dan will need this info for the brochure. 

12. Outside Consultant: It was suggested at the past weekend that the board consider bringing in an outside consultant to look at our organization and possibly redesign our current structure. The board discussed the MCM organization and feels that we can use the expertise within the organization to continue our work and that a consultant is not needed at this time. 

13. Number of men at the weekends: Currently we have been having 30+ men attend the weekends. It is felt that a healthy number would be between 30-50. Larger numbers would also be accepted. The financial “break even” point is 22 men for a weekend. 

14. Brochure mailings: The board felt that the mailing should go out 6 weeks before the weekend to give men enough time to decide as well as plan and encourage new members. A week before the mailing a “Fold and Stamp” session will be held at a place to be announced. The next weekend is May 1, 2 and 3rd. The plan is the mailing will be sent on March 23, 2015. The “Fold and Stamp” session will be the week of March 16. 

15. Facebook Page was discussed and men are urged to sign up for it by going to your Facebook account and typing in “Maine Coast Men” in the group search. This is a closed account and only men who have been “accepted” can view the contents. This is a powerful tool that can be used for communication, connections, discussions etc. We are encouraging all men who have Internet access to join this on-line format. 

16. The board continues to search for a copy of the past by-laws. If you have any knowledge of them please contact David at hmmmbus@aol.com 

17. The meeting concluded at 8:05 PM with several more agenda items to be discussed. These will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. Items are: 
1. 50th gathering ideas/discussion 
a. Dan/Tom write up for the newspapers 
b. 50th T-shirt 
c. Fundraiser 
d. BA – Summer cookout mini adventure 
2. Other : 
a. Philanthropy 
b. Amount of money MCM should have on hand for future weekend
costs, scholarships etc. 
c. By-laws – we had them…. Should we rebuild them? 
d. Brainstorm workshop ideas :“Healing” “Self Care” etc 
e. Mission Statement of MCM 

18. Next meeting – Date, Time and Place 
David will put out an e-mail out to the board in early January asking board members for their available dates in January and early February . This process worked well for this past meeting. This meeting we tested out Bob’s “Conference Line” so people can be present by phone if travel is difficult. It worked very well and he will again offer this service for future meetings. 

Minutes approved 1/14/15 

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2014 
Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: Board members and men who attended weekend 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Quilt – Joe R. has the quilts and offers them to anyone who needs one or would like to have one for a while. It was suggested that Frank might enjoy having one at this time as he goes through recovery. 

2. 50th? If this is the 50th how to mark or celebrate this event? Separate get together? Cook out? Gathering next summer? BA will look into renting a space that he knows about in Camden. Board will discuss and decisions will be made at May weekend. A suggestion to have a workshop on generating plans could be interesting. Tom J and Dan agreed to do a write up for the celebration. 

3. First Aid Kit– Joe R. has the first aid kit and will be responsible for keeping it updated and to be sure it is at the weekends. 

4. Minutes from past two board meetings were available at the registration table. It was suggested that they be posted on our website. David H. will look into it. 

5. Finances – MCM is in good shape with $1743.83 before the weekend. All outstanding bills are paid. It takes approximately 22 men in attendance to pay for a weekend. After this weekend is paid for we should still be in good shape. Reminder, scholarships are available if times are tough. Contact John B. – registrar for additional information. The brochure will continue to state that funds are available upon request. 

6. Next weekend is May 1-3, 2015. Jobs and volunteers are as follows: 
Program Committee: Vincent/Ham 
Coffee Meister: Carl (back up: David) 
Workshop Organization: Charles, Joe 
Tanglewood liaison: David 
Food: Master Chef: Brad 
Fri Night: Pot Luck 
Sat Breakfast: Daniel W., John C. 
Sat Lunch: Ham, John C 
Sat Dinner: Tom J, Vincent 
Sun Breakfast: Sepp, Tomas 

7. Ideas for possible programs in the future: 
Why does 50 matter? Music 
Love Honesty 
Degeneration 50-Midlife 
Health Tools

8. Website – Discussion centered around having additional information posted on the web. Items such as other men’s gatherings, organizations, helpful tools, board members and contacts numbers, minutes and upcoming meetings. The website format was also discussed as to the ease of finding information and navigating the site. Tom will look at it and make recommendations. David offered to assist. (In a private discussion with Tom it was felt having a liaison from the board would be helpful. All items to be posted should be approved by the board.) Website Master is Tom B with Vincent as support. The topic of Website Liaison will be on the Board Agenda .

9. Mail Chimp: Ham has the key to this tool and will get it to Tom.

10. Dan K. will continue to help with media for the weekend – brochures and press releases.

11. Facebook – Vincent, Ham and Dan will investigate and discuss how this resource can best be accessed and used especially by men who do not have a face book account. This information will be shared with the board for further discussion and decisions.

12. Opening and Closing Circles: A suggestion was made to limit the time each man has. Sharing could be brief and to the point about the theme and what it means to him or what he hopes to gain from the weekend. A suggestion was made to have “check in” during Fri night dinner. The Program Committee for the up coming weekend will consider this and will decide the procedure for check in/out. 

13. Outreach – Incoming – Reaching Out – Topics discussed: 
• Develop Handout for newcomers 
• Buddy System during the weekend, someone to check with 
• Mentor System – John will collect names for those interested 
• Board Agenda Item: What does mentoring mean? How does it work? Responsibilities of mentors, “Check off” on brochure? Etc. 
• Newspapers, website, e-mails, posters 
• One to one encouragement, Email from Lew to past weekend attendees to bring one new person was helpful for this weekend 
• The question was asked if we need someone to come in and re-organize the board and/or the weekend. A woman consultant was suggested as a person who could help redesign the structure to bring in more men as well as money to the MCM. This will be a board agenda item for discussion. 
• How many men do we feel would be healthy number for the weekend (board discussion) 
• Board needs to decide when the brochure goes out to give plenty of time for outreach (Agenda Item) 

14. The search for the missing box continues. This box possibly contains past minutes, pictures, mission statement, procedures etc. Wayne L. or Espabarb may have knowledge of it. Please ask around and contact David H if you have any ideas or knowledge of this past history. 

15. Other: 
• Philanthropy, should we be looking at ways to bring in money to help others? Item moved for Agenda for Board meeting. 

Board approved minutes, Dec. 9, 2014