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PROJECT TAG BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
JULY 11, 2009

Meeting was called to order by Chair Troy C. at 4:05pm. Also in attendance were Tom P.(Co-Chair), Gene S.(Secretary), Gaylon T.(Treasurer), Lou Anne S., David M., Scott J., Nathan J., Jolie S., and John M., plus 2 guests.

Nathan read the Project TAG Mission Statement.

OLD BUSINESS

Tom moved and Lou Anne seconded to accept the minutes from the June meeting. Motion carried.

Troy reported that the Adopt-A-Highway Application for Project TAG has been approved by TXDOT. Our stretch of highway begins at the intersection of Hwy 69 and FM 346 heading south for two (2) miles. Gene reviewed the rules and regulations required to maintain our application. All clean-ups will be in conjunction with East Texas PFLAG with possible dates of August 8th, August 15th, and August 22nd for the first gathering. No decision was made pending coordination with PFLAG.

NEW BUSINESS

Pride Night will be held at Outlaws July 11th with doors opening at 9pm. Gene gave a report of the plans made for the event, thanking all Board members that volunteered to attend and to Jason for letting us be involved.

Movie Night has been moved to July 18th at the home of Jolie S.

Gaylon gave the monthly financial report. Balance in the account is $1152.91 with $625.48 designated for and raised by the Bobcats Football team. That leaves an operating balance for Project TAG of $482.23.

John gave the report of the Social Committee. At this time, there are no events currently planned. In the meantime, the Social Committee will be facilitators providing support for any clubs or groups. The Committee meets at Caffe Tazza the first Sunday of the month at 10am.

MONTHLY CLUB REPORTS -

Troy passed out the updated club membership contact listings.

Camping Group - John is currently moderating this group but asked if Lou Anne might take on that responsibility.

Bobcats Football - A Car Wash fundraiser is planned at Ken’s Pizza located at 4504 S. Broadway on August 1, 2009 starting at 9am. The team plans to attend the Inferno Bowl in San Antonio on July 24th, the Pegasus Bowl in Dallas on September 19th, and the National Flag Football GayBowl in Washington DC starting October 8th. Sponsors are still needed for some players to offset costs of the trip to Washington.

TAG The Arts - Gene reported that there are currently 26 members that have expressed interest in attending cultural events. Plans are being discussed for attending several live performances and Gene has been in contact with numerous venues on the upcoming seasons.

Bowling - The first gathering of the Bowling group will be on July12th at Green Acres Bowling Alley in Tyler. David is trying to make this a monthly event with new dates to be announced.

Tennis Tuesdays - Scott reported that the Tennis group is meeting at Pollard Park in Tyler every Tuesday. The time has been moved back to 6pm during the summer months due to the heat. All skill levels are encouraged to attend.

Activism -- This group is currently looking for a new moderator.

Chorale - Dan A. has become the new Music Director for Tyler Unity Center and had agreed to organize a Chorale for those interested.

Film Club - Jolie will be hosting the next meeting and viewing at 7pm on July 18th.

Board Games - Lou Anne will host the first Game Night on July 25th at 6:30pm. You can bring your own games or play the ones provided. Additional dates will be scheduled at this first meeting.

Writers Club - Thomas K. will host. No meetings currently scheduled.

Theater Productions - Spencer Y. is moderating this group.

Support Group - Nathan J. is moderating this group. A HIV Group and a Woman’s Group are also being discussed. No meeting times are scheduled at this time.

There has been interest shown for a Book Club and Baseball/Softball Team but at this time there are no moderators or hosts for either group.

OTHER UPDATES

Development Committee Report - Scott J. passed out worksheets describing board member duties along with a time table of items to be considered. Among the responsibilities, this committee will be responsible for (but not limited to) raising operating funds, grant writing, and establishing budget plans. The first meeting will be held at the home of Jolie S. on July 18th at 4pm. The members of the Executive Committee attendance are required to be in attendance but all Board and Project TAG that are interested are encouraged to make plans to join us.

Troy opened a discussion on the progress for the transition of the Facebook page over to Project TAG. Several options are under consideration.

Standing meeting times remain the same. Social Committee meets the first Sunday of the month at Caffe Tazza starting at 10am. Project TAG Board Meetings are held the second Saturday of the month at Tyler Unity Center starting at 4pm. All members are encouraged to attend.

CHAIR REPORT

The seminar with Toby Johnson has been delayed until November or December and will be held in conjunction with the East Texas PFLAG meeting. Toby is the author of The Gay Perspective. A fundraising dinner will be organized before the meeting and copies of Toby’s book will be on sale that night.

The Tridd forums have been revamped to include new clubs and groups. All moderators are encouraged to post event announcements to these forums, and then asked to contact Troy to get a link to the calendar.

Troy suggested that all members of Project TAG revisit the on-line application. There are several new clubs/groups that have been added and we need a current count of those interested in those clubs/groups.

All members are encouraged to submit articles to the You’re It newsletter. These news items do not need to be lengthy. Submit items to Troy.

The Tridd Calendar has been updated to include all current events and meeting times.

OPEN DISCUSSION

It was suggested that we try to get Project TAG added to the 211 Directory.

Troy informed all members in attendance that Total Healthcare is a clinic in our area providing quality health and dental care. They can be contacted at (903) 533-7400.

The recent articles in the Dallas Voice were discussed.

Troy requested that we begin ‘scouting’ for names of possible new Board Member candidates and bring those suggestions to the next meeting.

Gaylon T. is currently working on the “Pink Pages” which will list gay-friendly businesses in the East Texas Area. This listing may eventually lead to the sales of advertisements or donations from those businesses.

Gene S. asked all Board Members to start considering possible dates, locations, and events for the Valentine Dance.

With no further business before the Board, Tom moved and Scott seconded to adjourn the meeting at 5:40pm. Motion carried.