By Brian Lee
At the recent Pender Harbour Advisory Council town hall meeting, a few people remarked on the excellent turnout. I counted about 50 people — I’d call that fair, not excellent.
Maybe it’s just me. I’ve become used to the feel-good solidarity of looking around the hall at recent meetings packed with 200-300 (mostly) unfamiliar faces. The dock plan crisis coaxed people out of the bush like never before. Even at this town hall, in which the DMP was a minor agenda item, it seemed clear that many came to talk docks. But they also learned about a proposed $10 million marine research station proposed for Madeira Park and of a much-needed mobilization underway to tackle invasive Japanese knotweed.
The dock issue is the biggest issue to hit our community in many years — but it’s not the only one. It made me think that when the dock dispute is settled, will we ever see these people again? It’s a sad truth that, despite a community proud of its independence and self-reliance, many issues are ignored if they don’t threaten the sanctity of people’s property lines.
After the meeting, I asked about the current membership of PHAC. PHAC, along with the P. H. Chamber of Commerce, advocated and informed on the dock plan and many other issues. PHAC was created to represent local interests when needed and to act as a central liaison between community organizations. They’ve been very effective at both and I believe that the advisory council has been one of the more positive developments in Pender Harbour in many years. So, I was a little shocked to learn that PHAC has only 109 members.
Membership doesn’t necessarily reflect the vibrance or ability of a group but it does legitimize its efforts as a representative body when it comes to advocating on our behalf. For many local non-profits, membership numbers also have a direct effect on their ability to acquire grant funding for projects. Strong membership empowers an organization to advance its goals and in most cases, those goals are to improve the condition of where we live.
It made me curious about the membership of other local non-profits.
After asking around, I learned the P. H. Health Centre Society currently has 95 members while the P. H. Music Society has 114. The P. H. Chamber of Commerce — whose members are mainly businesses — has about 90. The P. H. Community Club has 131 members and the P. H. Living Heritage Society 120. The Ruby Lake Lagoon Society count is "283 and rising." Some, like Garbage Recycling in Pender Society, don’t sell memberships and others I contacted don’t know how many they have.
If you value the work of a local organization, consider becoming a member or attending their AGM. Check their websites for information or p. 34 for a list of contacts.
A membership in a non-profit society often costs less than a pint of beer but it tastes just as good, and it lasts all year.
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