As I know that everyone reads these President’s Messages religiously, (literally, some read them on their way to church) that you are aware that SBMC is hitting our busy season at full speed.  However, for El Presidente, this is the time of just looking presidential, attending events and ensuring that laid plans don’t falter.

To give you an ‘inside look’ at what goes on in our organization, you have to understand that the last 3 to 4 months of any year are really about preparing for the upcoming year.  Each year, it is the 1st Vice-President who is constantly planning next year’s budgets, the events calendar, and the general direction the Club is to pursue. 
 
Last year at this time, I was meeting with Past Presidents who wanted to be informed about such things, and to offer suggestions on how to ‘not drop the ball’.  I worked with then Madam President, the Club Treasurer and the 2nd V.P. to set this year’s budget.  There were countless emails to/from local politicians and charity leaders about what projects our Club could feasibly handle for 2015.  There was a lot of thought given to existing projects.  Determining if they were part of the Club’s genetic makeup, or, if they were just things we did because, ‘it’s been that way for years’.  There were decisions made based on my opinion of what is best for the Club (now and in the future), and not just relying on our accomplishments of the past, to carry us on. 
 
Know this: to NOT move forward, is not to stagnate, but rather, to regress.  It’s a slippery slope to be relegated to mediocrity and finally non-relevance.  This can be a death-sentence for any business or organization.  I’ve seen it before and it is extremely difficult from which to recover.
 
Again this year, our future leadership is diligently setting next year’s schedule.  Now, I am not suggesting that everyone bombard them with your pet-peeve projects for next year, but if there is something that needs to be considered, now is the time to make it known…just not to me.
 
I am frequently told by local politicians, business leaders, and other leaders of local/national clubs that SBMC is truly a special organization and held in the highest regard.  They are impressed with the work that we put into our weekly meetings, and our level of involvement with Jacksonville’s political and charitable communities.
Current and past leadership teams have worked hard to attain this; the future leadership team is well-positioned to push this further next year.