Membership
HOW DOES A PERSON/FAMILY BECOME A MEMBER?
Anyone seeking membership in CHLA needs to be nominated by a current member. The nominator needs to acquire three "seconding" letters that support the nomination. These need to be sent to the Membership Committee Chair, and approved by the membership committee.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP?
A prospective member (nominee) needs to be at least eighteen years of age. Two individuals who "generally reside together" (i.e. married couples with or without children, couples living together) may be sponsored under one membership. The nominee must meet one of the following residency requirements: be a full time resident of Cornwall, own a dwelling in Cornwall for personal use, or physically occupy a dwelling in Cornwall for at least 60 days during the calendar year.
WHO CAN NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR MEMBERSHIP?
Any member may nominate a person for membership. Emeritus Members and members of the Membership Committee may not nominate or second nominations for membership.
HOW MANY MEMBERSHIPS CAN I SPONSOR?
There is no limit to the number of nominations a member can make. However, each member in a membership can nominate or second only one nominee per year, and may not both write letters for the same nominee.
WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NOMINATOR?
The nominator must send an email to the Membership Chairman to officially nominate someone for membership. This email should include, as attachments, their nominating letter and the three seconding letters (from three different memberships) as well as the nominating form. Please send completed applications to Membership Committee Chair Susie Ott: lillyott@yahoo.com. Nominator's Form.
WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A NOMINATING OR SECONDING LETTER?
From Section 4.1 of the bylaws: "The nominating and seconding letters shall not be form letters and shall state the full name or names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the nominee, the length of time that the writer has known the nominee, and describe the nominee's family. The letter shall also explain how the nominee meets the requirements of membership, and shall explain why, in the opinion of the writer, the nominee is personally responsible and compatible with the membership of the association." Please include the email address of the nominee as well
Please send completed applications to Membership Committee Chair Susie Ott: lillyott@yahoo.com.
CAN I NOMINATE MY CHILD?
A member, who is currently in good standing and has been a member for ten years, may nominate their child for membership. The nominating letter should be completed as described above. No seconding letters are required.
WHEN IS AN APPLICATION COMPLETE?
An application is complete when the nominating and seconding letters and Nomination Form have been received by the Membership Chair. Please note: it is the responsibility of the nominator, not the Membership Committee or the nominee, to make sure that the application is complete.
WHAT HAPPENS THEN?
The Membership Committee Chair files completed applications in the order that they are received. The membership committee meets yearly, usually in May, and acts upon the applications. Upon approval, the new memberships are placed on the waiting list in the order they were received. Those approved for membership will be invited to join when a space becomes available, and provided they still meet the membership requirements.
SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT MAKE THE PROCESS GO MORE SMOOTHLY:
Write letters that help the membership committee get to know the nominees.
Do not submit form letters.
Send all letters in one email - it cuts down on confusion, incomplete letter writing and rewriting, and applications that remain incomplete for long periods of time.
Submit the nominator's information form CHLA Nominator Form! This ensures that you have submitted all the necessary information. Remember, the Secretary will need to track down the nominee at a later date.
You are under no obligation to nominate or second a nomination just because someone asks you to. If you don't know the applicant well enough to write a decent letter, or are uncomfortable about being asked to write a supporting letter, then don't! See if you can get someone else to do it instead.
Current Membership Information
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