Category: MCM Board & Membership Minutes

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

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