Lindsay Forness Steers the Club through Difficult Pandemic Years

Lindsay Forness served as president from 2019 to 2021. The Board appointed a special Bylaws committee to review the changes proposed by the previous Board. This special Committee included a few board members and other long serving members of the Club. The revised Bylaws included the introduction of a number of best practices in a new Members’ section of the Standing Rules and were passed by members in December 2019. A busy holiday season included donations of hampers for the Family Centre and gifts for 97 seniors at the Frances Telford, Lorraine, Lefroy and Packwood seniors’ homes. The 8th Annual Charity Art Exhibition was a success and $13,000 was raised for P.A.L.S. A daytime Book Club was formed. March 2020 saw the closing of the Island and restrictions in response to the COVID pandemic. The Board continued to meet via Zoom, however many of the regular group activities were curtailed due to the limits on social gathering. The AGM that is normally held in May was postponed and eventually held via Zoom in October wherein Lindsay was elected to hold office for a 2nd term.

The Pandemic did not dampen our commitment to Philanthropy. For 2020 we awarded Grants of $3,000 to Friends of Hospice; $2,000 to Friends of the Living Reef and $1,000 to Bermuda Karate Institute. Relay for Life was a virtual event, and our members raised $8,600. For 2021 we donated a $9,000 grant to The Women’s Resource Centre’s Transformational Living Centre and a $2,400 grant to The Bermuda Diabetes Association. In 2021 we also received $2,600 from our volunteers at the PGA Bermuda Championship which we in turn donated to The Helping Hands Feeding Programme.