Barry Bradley says that it’s tough to find a good, solid dozen. He wasn’t talking about buying eggs at the market; he’s looking for board members.
Bradley is the president of the Morinville & District Agricultural Society and admits that the nearly 40-year-old organization might be in danger of folding. It needs to be revitalized with the help of some young adults who are eager to serve on the board.
Right now, the board of 12 only has about half of its members considered as interested and involved, leaving the active ones to do all the work. They’re burning out, he says.
“Like any other volunteer organization, we have a hard time getting members,” he began, explaining the crisis. “According to the Agricultural Societies bylaws put out by the government, we need to have 12 directors.
“We have our 12 directors. Our problem, like any other organization, is having 12 active directors.”
Right now, only about half of the group’s board is committed to attending meetings and following up with the society’s events. Although its name might suggest otherwise, it is not strictly about cows and crops. Its website (www.madas.org) indicates that it is “committed to promoting agriculture awareness in Morinville and the surrounding areas” but that it also “strives to show strong leadership and provide an opportunity for partnerships to assist in community development and fostering community pride.”
That means that it wants to help bring neighbours together, even those who never spent a day on a farm.
This means putting on community-wide events like the upcoming Easter egg hunt, now in its seventh year. There’s also a bull-riding event called Tearing up the Turf. They participate in the Morinville Trade Fair, the Santa Claus parade and Light Up the Park. The group intends on taking up the Boo at the Barn Halloween party this year, too.
“It used to be really agriculturally based. I think the principal thing now is ‘what can you do for your community?’ Our major events are family-based, and that’s what we’re after: to try and provide something for the family as a whole to do. That’s the direction we’ve gone.”
Interested parties must be residents of Morinville or Sturgeon County and must also be 18 years of age or older. The commitment is still fairly minimal with monthly board meetings running only about 90 minutes long and special events generally lasting four to six hours. Bradley hopes to find young community-minded individuals who have lots of energy, lots of fresh ideas and lots of endurance so that they will help the society last well into the future.
To learn more about the society, visit www.madas.org or contact Bradley at 780-939-4606 or via email at [email protected].
