Don Ghiz Invites Members to Weigh In on the Future of HOS
Dear Fellow Orchidists,
This month we celebrate another successful Houston Orchid Society Annual Show. Huge thanks go to Holly, Sarah, Ken, Winnie, and the members and judges who volunteered their time with heroic efforts that made our show a success. We even raised a bit of profit this year!
As we sweep this year’s show into our memory books, we have already begun thinking about how we can make our show and our society more successful for the future. I was heartened to see a few younger members brave the task of putting up their own display, and members young and old interact with the passing public to encourage membership. At the end of the day, we must admit that the bulk of putting this show together rested on the shoulders of Holly and her peers who have been making this show happen every year.
One of our officers said it so well: “The visual that sticks with me from this past show is the ‘crowd’ of people working diligently on the Galveston display juxtaposed with the few people we had intermittently helping Ken with the HOS display. The show should really be an all-member effort, and then it would also be enjoyable.”
I am writing to you today to see if we can bolster the same kind of community effort that the Galveston society has. I am sure our officers would love the help, and imagine how heartened we would all feel the next time we win a trophy for our combined efforts.
We recognize that just saying “We want you for the orchid army” doesn’t get us far. We need to sit down as a team and figure out exactly how we plan to work together.
With that in mind, our officers and board members have decided to dedicate our May meeting to an open membership discussion about the future of Houston Orchid Society. We want to hear about what we can do to encourage participation, since we know choosing to be part of this society takes some of your valuable time from doing something else. And we want to make your membership worth it. So be thinking, and please come to the May meeting with your thoughts about how HOS can survive in your busy personal lives. Everything is on the table, all comments welcome.
Come to us with your ideas for what you would like to contribute to put your personal stamp on our society. If you are you an artist, would you like to stage a “live” drawing at the show? If you are an engineer, would you like to help us with building and setup? Would you like to help facilitate something that would enrich the HOS experience for all, whether it be at our show or our monthly meetings? Are you interested in assuming an officer position but are nervous because you wouldn’t know what to do? Maybe it’s time to sign up to assist one of our officers to learn the tricks of the trade! We would love to hear your thoughts.
At the end of the day, I am a person who loves orchids, and I want to continue to love orchids together with you all who surely feel the same. Let us come together to explore ways to rejuvenate our society and keep it going for our children and grandchildren.
All the best,
Don Ghiz