I would like to acknowledge and thank Jodi Appleton for her dedicated years of service to the Federation. Jodi will be very much missed as she not only worked efficiently and effectively to provide the Federation with administrative services, but also introduced new ideas and technology to the Federation—all alongside a hardworking team of volunteers, and in the later years, staff.
When Jodi started, the Federation had been mismanaged and she worked hard to turn an organization in the red to the black again. Over the years, Jodi carefully monitored the costs and kept the organization within a manageable budget. She expanded membership from about 2500 members to over 6000, making the Federation a truly province-wide organization. When a major club considered leaving the Federation because of high member dues, she ensured they were heard and their concerns addressed.
Jodi introduced the Member Club Grant program, funded from donations, and found innovative ways to supply trail markers that saved the Federation and member clubs dollars. She and a knowledgeable committee handled the very important insurance coverage, implementing a seamless renewal process for the member clubs. With guidance from Robert Kennedy, a leading lawyer in the outdoor commercial recreation and adventure tourism industry in BC, Jodi worked extensively to update the Federation’s universal liability waivers and risk management program to protect our member clubs, trip leaders and volunteers.
Each AGM, she managed to herd the 25 plus directors in attendance to set goals, develop a strategic plan and assign committee responsibilities in a way that brought us all together as a team. She brought new ideas to Cloudburst that made it look like a professional magazine. With a good understanding of the internet and social media, Jodi recognized the need for strong social media communications and created a Communications Coordinator position, which is currently filled by Stacey Santos. We are fortunate to have Stacey take on many of Jodi’s duties and Jodi has kindly agreed to train Stacey in payroll, accounting and other functions that are critical to our ongoing operations.
Mostly, though, I will very much miss Jodi’s easy smile and her way of getting us to move forward, guiding from “within” rather than from “above.” Her consensus-building skills and diplomacy will be very much missed. A number of member clubs appreciated the extra time that she spent to help with websites, liability waivers, or whatever other challenges they were grappling with.
Jodi was not only a very effective staff member, but she also believed passionately in what the FMCBC stands for and what we, as an organized group, can accomplish to promote outdoor non-motorized recreation.
Good luck Jodi in all your future endeavours. We will truly miss you!
