About South Shore SCUBA
General meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the second Thursday of each month, except December. Normally, meetings are held at the The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 188, 145 Division Street, Kingsville, Ontario. However, as the location occasionally changes to take advantage of special events, it is best to check the monthly newsletter or confirm details with an executive member before the meeting date.
At the monthly general meeting, South Shore SCUBA often has guest speakers, slide presentations, discusses correspondence from other clubs, circulates information received through the club mailbox, and plans dives. All members and non-members are welcome to attend.
The membership fee is $40 per single person and $10 for each additional family member at the same address. Membership runs from January 1st to the December 31st and must be accompanied by a signed and completed Membership Application form.
All memberships include:
- Monthly newsletter
- Membership list (dive buddies galore!)
- Invitation to club dives and socials
- Participation in monthly meetings
- Participation points earned for events attended (redeemable for prize tickets at the Christmas Party)
A club newsletter is generally published monthly and sent to all current/paid members. Members can choose to either receive the newsletter via regular post or by email. Anyone wishing to make a submission to newsletter should forward their articles, pictures, cartoons, etc to the attention of the Editor either via the club post office box or in person at the general meeting. Also, members may advertise any personal scuba equipment they have for sale at no charge.
The South Shore SCUBA club holds nominations for executive positions in September/October of each year. All current/paid members are eligible to nominate and be nominated for these positions, however all nominated persons will have the opportunity to decline in advance of the election. Elections are held by secret ballot at the November general meeting.
Both serving on the executive and simply allowing your nomination to stand for election are one way to earn “points” (see info on the points system below).
Duties of the Executive
President
- Responsible for general club operations
- Chairperson for monthly general meeting including
- Preparation of agenda and assuring order
Vice President
- Assists the President with club operations
- Responsible for ordering and sale of club merchandise (t-shirts, etc)
Secretary
- Responsible for recording attendance and minutes of general meetings and providing a written copy to the Editor
- Records minutes of executive meetings
Treasurer
- Responsible for handling club funds including banking, writing cheques, and accurate bookkeeping
- Provides information on membership status (paid/not-paid) to membership coordinator
- Verbally report activity and balance of accounts at monthly meeting
Dive Coordinators (2)
- Preparation of the club event schedule and providing a written copy to the Editor
- Researching sites/facilities and making reservations where necessary
- Ensuring pre-collection of event related fees from participants
- Coordinating payment of charter services, etc
- Ensuring a qualified Dive Leader, the club First Aid kit, the club defib, and at least one club Oxygen kit are present at all club dives
- Ensuring proper record-keeping is rendered at club sanctioned dives
Editor
- Responsible for preparation of the monthly club newsletter
Social Events Co-ordinators (2)
- Responsible for Social Activities throughout the year
- Coordinates the Christmas party planning committee
Other executive duties include: coordinating memberships, tracking participation points, organizing the Christmas Party and other social activities, running fund-raisers
You don’t have to be in the club executive to get involved…helping hands are always welcome!!
The Points system was developed in 1991 to encourage participation by club members by offering an incentive to attend events. A grading schedule was developed (see below) to reward divers who upgraded their certifications or made other special contributions to the club.
One member of the executive is responsible for keeping track of points earned and members are responsible to advise the Points Co-ordinator of any additional certifications, etc which the co-ordinator would not normally be aware of.
Throughout the year, the club holds several fund-raising events such as the Yard Sale, car washes, and bake sales to earn money to place in a special Points bank account.
At the annual Christmas party in November, the money from the Points Account is used to purchase prizes for the Points Raffle. This is when you get to cash in your points! Members are issued free raffle tickets based on the number of participation points they have earned over the previous year. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased by members only who wish to take part in the raffle at a cost. All profits from the points raffle are rolled-over into the Points account for the following year.
Remember: every time you participate you earn points redeemable at the Christmas Party for free raffle tickets. It pays to participate!
Points Grading Schedule
Diver Improvement
- 50 points – successful completion of additional certifications (First Aid, CPR, SLAM Rescue Diver, Advanced, etc)
Diving
- 25 points – per day of diving. Participation in dive or serving as a non-diving beach master or spotter
Attendance
- 10 points – local = approximately 80 km or less (general meeting, local dive, special event, seminars promoting diver safety)
- 25 points – mid range dive or event (approx 250 km or less)
- 40 points – long range dive or event (approx 251 km +)
Volunteers
- 100 points – serving on committee or executive (full year)
- 25 points – stand for nomination in election
- 25 points – serving on special event (short term) such as organizing a one night event, bringing in a speaker
- 10 points – on site help
Recruiting
- 25 points – recruiting a new member
Donations
- 40 points – house for party
- 30 points – house for meeting, boat for diving, or major property for a club event
- 10 points – use of minor property for event