|
Membership
requirements for The Jade Volunteers are few and simple. It's free to
anyone. Our basic requirements are that you must be (a) a MN
resident over the age of 18, or have parental approval if you are under
18; and (b) genuinely interested in actively working to further the
mission and goals of the Jade Foundation. We encourage entire families to
join. We want everyone to have the opportunity to spread joy to kids
across Minnesota.
Out of
necessity, we have adopted a few guidelines that we strictly adhere to
for obvious reasons:
First of
all,
it is imperative that no member of the Jade Volunteers presume to speak
for or represent The Jade Foundation non-profit corporation as a
whole. Decisions about funding, commitments to people or organizations,
media statements, and the daily business of The Jade Foundation are the
responsibility of the Board of Directors and their directed operatives.
Individual
members ARE expected to be good public ambassadors for The Jade
Foundation and its mission and goals, meaning that we accurately and
positively explain The Jade Foundation's work to the public. Once
again, however, we NEVER make commitments of any kind on behalf of the
Board of Directors without their explicit permission.
Secondly, we are strictly
apolitical. We have no group attachment to any political party. None of
our decisions are influenced by, or mandated by sources outside our own
membership or The Jade Foundation Board members. Though former
Governor Ventura of MN strongly supports our work and has greatly
contributed to our well-being, he has NO decision-making power regarding
activities of The Jade Foundation or the Jade Volunteers. Membership is
not a back door to political access of any kind. (Nor is it a point of
access to former Governor and Mrs. Ventura and their family).
Thirdly, we do not attempt
to sell products or services from our own private business interests to
other members.
Fourth, our focus is
limited to children (and their families) with special needs in MN. Though
we recognize the importance of helping any person in need, we are not a
doorway to espouse other causes.
Finally, we are not a "do-nothing"
group. Expressing ideas in an email is easy, but making the ideas a
reality is our specialty. We take pride in the fact that our desire
to help quickly gets translated into action. Like almost everyone in this
world we lead busy lives, but we still do our best to attend volunteer
meetings and events, and follow through on commitments. And
we are dedicated to having fun while doing our work! We want to be there
for the families and children in MN who really need a smile today.
|
