Minutes for 4-17-08

Minutes for 4-17-08

Gary Fortenberry

CH2M Hill

• · Corporate sponsor for EWB (company CH2MHill) to try and promote starting a professional chapter

o Already have 10 members—hope to have 20 to 30

o Not a representative of the company but encouraged by the company because they have fundraiser projects and grants to support us.

o Want to work with the student chapter with money and to add more people.

• · Biggest problem for EWB is membership—good idea to combine groups.
• · Going to introduce it to about 400 employees from his company.

o Also have a very large customer base like refinery companies.

• · Proposed we break into different parts—for example an engineering part, fundraising, membership.
• · Interested in generating an association down the line for future jobs with CH2Hill.
• · Wants to promote energy and drive—not break up out chapter but use all resources possible and gain the enthusiasm of students.

Background of EWB and student chapter

• · Our chapter working locally right now, then wanting to move internationally.
• · A traditional EWB project is partnered with a separate organization that has people there somewhat consistently (a volunteer that asses what the community needs/wants).
• · Then apply to EWB and if the project is accepted a chapter can choose to work on the project.
• · These chapters have to partner with someone that knows what the community wants to do and design a project that can be sustainable and fixed with parts that the community has access to.

o A one time stop for EWB; can’t come back to fix the project.

Another Project

• · Knows a man in Thailand who manages 8 orphanages who needs help with constructing sustainable fish ponds because that’s how they receive a large amount of money (selling fish)
• · Rotary Club is a large fundraising source to EWB.

o Have a 5-8 year drive for clean water so if it’s associated with clean water and if there’s an associated rotary on the other end, they’ll donate.

• · Possibility of doing two projects.
• · Don’t know time frame of this project.

Where do we want to go from here?

• · First goal suggested is membership.

o Problem because people don’t want to join if there isn’t a project but can’t start a project without members

• · Mass into one group?

o Neither group has enough power by themselves.

o Could later split into two groups with the same/different project.

• · Suggested subgroups after we form a chapter.

o Allows different people to be involved in a way that utilizes everyone’s skills.

• · Article for Bellingham Herald will be published soon.

o Find other magazines to promote through locally.

• · Go to AS Publicity center

Where is a good place to meet? How do we form an identity?

• · Quarterly meeting for chapter but sub group meetings weekly.
• · Need to work on marketing and publicity.

o Bar fundraiser?

• · Work on different reasons/motivations people join to form a collected identity.

Planned a meeting/lecture with Chris Web on May 6^th as a guest speaker

• · EWB in general and promoting a Guatemala project.
• · Draw people in and structure the event to focus on each subject.

o Start meeting with an introduction of the background of EWB

o Talk about the future and the present of the group.

o Decide: Short-term (decide what’s in the 5/6 meeting), intermediate goal (combine groups) and long term goal (international).

Publicity options before 5/6:

• · Flyers
• · Bellingham Herald—work on article push
• · Info Fair for Earth Day (THIS Saturday!)

o Starts at noon

• · Professors announce in class
• · Contact people at Whatcom Community College
• · Local publications
• · Health organizations—educational base

·

Next meeting 4/23 6:00 PM

• · Decide agenda
• · Food for Chris’ talk
• · Group merger