January 24, 2021
(Click the image for a short ASL video of this letter)
Hello Rochester Interpreting Community!
My name is Alyssa Vaisey and there are three reasons I am reaching out to you today. First is to inform you about some changes that have occurred on the GVRRID board. Secondly, I want to let you know about the upcoming GVRRID elections. And finally, I would like to ask for your help.
As to my first topic, I wanted to let you know that, over the holidays, we had three board members resign. Those positions were President, Vice President and Deaf Member at Large (MAL.) All three individuals had different personal reasons for their resignations, and we thank them for their service. Having three vacant board positions can sound a bit shocking, but our bylaws give us guidance about what to do in these cases.
The positions of President and Deaf MAL both had over one year left, which, per our bylaws, must be filled through a special election. The position of Vice President had less than one year left, which meant the board was able to vote in a replacement. The board recently appointed me, Alyssa, as your new Vice President. I will serve out the remainder of the VP term, which ends June 30th, 2021. Since we currently do not have a President, that means the duties of President also fall to me.
Just a little bit of information about myself in case you don’t know who I am. I have been a part of GVR since 2011 and have served two non-consecutive terms as Treasurer. I currently help with the website and I act as GVR’s CMP Coordinator, which means I help approve CEUs for workshops and other member activities.
As I said, I am the VP until July, but we have the 2 vacant board positions - President and Deaf Member at Large. That brings me to my next topic – elections! There are a total of 4 positions currently up for election: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Deaf Member at Large. In the next day or two, you will be getting an email from our Elections committee with all the details about the upcoming election, including the term lengths and how to submit nominations.
I’m here to ask you to think about who you would like to see in those positions! Please think about your friends and coworkers that you would like to nominate, but also consider if you would like to step into one of these roles yourself. Self-nominations are always welcome! Once you have a name in mind, please email elections@gvrrid.org with your nomination.
Lastly, I would like to ask for your assistance. As you may know, GVR is a member-run, member driven organization. Our membership has dwindled drastically compared to when I first became involved. I remember when we had over 300 members and our General Meetings had 40-50 people in attendance. These days, we have around 100 members and only a handful of people coming to our general meetings. Additionally, involvement on our board and committees has declined. Many people, like myself, wear many hats to keep GVR operating.
I understand that GVR was founded in a much different time, and GVR served different purposes back then. Members used to rely on GVR's workshop offerings for CEUs, and our meetings were opportunities to socialize with the interpreting community. Nowadays, there are many ways to earn CEUs online, and social media has helped us keep in touch in different ways. So, I ask of you – what do you need from GVRRID in this day and age? How can it serve you and your needs? What is your vision for this organization?
There are many ways to transform GVR into the organization that you want it to be. You’re welcome to come to our board meetings, which always happen on the second Saturday of the month at 930am. Please email me if you are interested in coming. As I said before, we need nominations for our vacant board positions. You can come and get involved by serving on the board or on one of our committees. Current committees include Professional Development (PD - helps to plan workshops), Membership, Website, and Social Media. But perhaps there are other committees that should be formed to help GVR grow and match what our community needs. Please, let us know what those should be and help us by getting involved!! (See information below about how to contact me, how to contact the committee chairs, and how to make nominations.)
Please keep your eyes peeled for the elections email that you will be getting in a day or two. It will have all the details about the positions, when they start, and how long the terms are. I really hope you consider getting involved and help us make GVR an organization that serves the present day needs of our Rochester interpreting community. Thank you so much for your time.
Alyssa Vaisey, CI, CT
GVRRID Vice President, Acting President, Website Admin and CMP Coordinator
How to contact us:
Alyssa Vaisey, GVRRID Vice President and Acting President – president@gvrrid.org
Elections / Nominations – elections@gvrrid.org
PD Committee – PD@gvrrid.org
Membership Committee – info@gvrrid.org
Website Committee – admin@gvrrid.org
Social Media – secretary@gvrrid.org