Simsbury Spirit Sub-Committee Minutes
Community for Care
SPIRIT Council
DRAFT Meeting Minutes
December 5th, 2019
Eno Memorial Hall – Old Court Room
Attendance: Cheryl Cook, Kristen Formanek, Tenesha Grant, Rebekah Hatch, Lloyd Huie, Chris Kelly, Nicole Kodak, Nkosi Lee, Ed Murray, Diana Yeisley
Meeting Called to Order at 6:05
No Public Audience in attendance
Introductions were made
New Business
Minutes were reviewed from October 24th, no noted changes
Discussion regarding the co-chair position. Kristen will now be our staff liaison and Cheryl Cook and Nicole Kodak will be our co-chairs. The group was in agreement. We also talked about the need to have a second person available to take minutes. Rebekah volunteered to help with this.
A discussion was had regarding refreshments for the group. There is not yet a budget for this group. Social Services will continue to provide beverages and paper supplies. The group has decided to take turns bringing something to eat. As the meeting is during dinner time and many members are coming straight from work, the group would like to still have a light food option available.
A discussion was had regarding the Mission and Vision statement. The amended proposed Mission Statement is; Launched in September 2019, the Simsbury SPIRIT Council represents the community at large and serves as Diversity Champions to help Simsbury become more inclusive – fostering awareness, action, and a community where all voices are welcome and each and every individual can live, work, learn, and play in a safe environment with meaningful and healthy relationships.
A motion was made, seconded, and passed to adopt this as our mission statement.
The amended proposed Vision Statement is; To welcome, celebrate, and take action to support diversity and inclusion in Simsbury.
A motion was made, seconded, and passed to adopt this as our Vision Statement.
Discussion was had on updated talking points for use in our work in the community. The talking points are a good way to provide as with the same language in explaining who we are and how we came to be. We also discussed ways that we can start reaching out. There will be an upcoming show on SCTV in which Kristen and Cheryl will be participating. They will discuss how SPIRIT Council started and what it is becoming. The group discussed the possibility of having a regular show on SCTV to talk about the Council and any upcoming activities or programs.
We discussed the possibility of coordinating an upcoming program with Community for Care on Implicit Bias. There was also a suggestion of holding a progressive supper in the future. The group has decided to attend a showing of the movie Harriet together this coming Tuesday at 7:00 in Bloomfield. We discussed the possibility of the group seeking a grant opportunity through Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
Sub-Committee Reports
Nkosi reported on the town wide slogan. The sub-committee had several suggestions to consider and have decided that our slogan will be Building Tomorrow; Together. We discussed the need to vet the slogan to be sure that it is not in use or trademarked by any other group. We also discussed a future Facebook and Twitter presence.
Lloyd reported on the outreach sub-committee. They discussed using the mission and vision statements. They are going to work on establishing goals for outreach and ways to enlist support from the community.
Rebekah reported on potential expert resources. They are planning to reach out to Dekater and the Privilege Institute. We discussed the Annual White Privilege Conference.
Committee Reports
Nicole provided us with an update on the work being done by the Equity Council. At each meeting the group will be provided with an equity experience. This month they were looking at art and the experience of our beliefs.
Old Business
No further business discussed
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm. Next meeting to be held on January 23rd , 2020.
Respectfully Submitted
Kristen Formanek
SPIRIT Council