President's Message
I am honoured to serve as the President of PROBUS Canada’s 2024-2025 Board of Directors, who are elected by the clubs in our fifteen Districts. Our management team also includes three contract part-time personnel: General Manager Wendy Machmer, Financial Manager Doug Cucheron, and Webmaster Ron Baer. Together, we work to support our 242 clubs so that they can focus on providing fun, friendship, fellowship, and learning to their members.
This April, we welcomed six new District Directors to the Board. Like our clubs’ management committees, they are volunteers who give freely of their time and skills, and we are grateful for their contributions. In April we also lost our long-time insurance guru, Canon David Ricketts, who passed away days short of completing his second three-year term on the Board. His dedication and expertise were much appreciated.
The past couple of years have seen the Board launch many initiatives. We have completely redesigned our website to make it more accessible and user-friendly for our clubs and the public. The website now features a Club Reference Guide that provides information and resources to assist clubs in their day-to-day operations. We’ve also streamlined the processes our clubs use to keep their information and annual registration up to date. Our new comprehensive marketing and promotion program includes the creation of the Ambassador Program, designed to assist starting new clubs in underserved areas and in areas where clubs have long waiting lists. The insurance programs available to Probus members now include home and auto insurance in addition to health and travel insurance. The Board will continue to work on innovative ways to support our clubs and their members.
I am a charter member of the Thompson Rivers Probus Club in Kamloops and have served as District BC3’s Director since 2020. My visits to the clubs in my own and other Districts have given me the opportunity to learn from fascinating speakers and hear about the many activities and interest groups that clubs offer their members. I’ve often heard that Probus has enriched people’s lives. It has certainly enriched mine.
May 17, 2024
Inga Thomson Hilton