The Board created the Task Force in March 2007 to investigate the feasibility of forming an Optimist Sports Consortium reporting to the Club Board. The Task Force Report is attached. As a result of its investigation, the Task Force unanimously recommended restructuring the Board of Directors with one position reserved for each of the Optimist Sporting Programs, rather than a Board of Directors simply functioning as a "holding company".
The primary reason for such a recommendation was in recognition of reduced interest among our membership to serve on the Board of Directors. Thus, restructuring the Herndon Optimist Club Board with participation from each of the sports programs would provide an increase in Board positions such that our Charter would survive if the Club’s mission became limited to sporting programs. In reorganizing the Board however, conscientious effort was made to ensure the retention of educational programs for the youth of greater Herndon should we be successful in recruiting and attracting new leadership for these functional areas.
The Task Force specifically recommended that our Club utilize a paid Administrator to provide value-added services to the youth sports programs, particularly the function of sports treasurer. The rationale for this recommendation was that the current level of effort to support each of the sports programs is quite extraordinary and financing a paid position would reduce needed volunteer effort, particularly if the function was centralized to support all programs. Keeping youth sports under our Optimist Charter is a rational recommendation, particularly given the long history of sporting programs under our Club. One could say a large portion of our “DNA” is youth sports.
We hope you read the Task Force Report and draw your own conclusions.
