Please join us as we gather to celebrate our year, to recognize the contributions of members, supporters and volunteers and to elect our new board. All Sombrilla members in good standing can vote and memberships will be available at the meeting.

When: February 25, 6:00 – 8:15 pm
Where: Idylwylde/Bonnie Doon Library,  8310 – 88 Avenue NW
6:00 – 6:30 Welcome and Refreshments
6:30 – 7:45 Inspiration and stories from our projects followed by our business meeting
7:45-8:15 Conversations and Fellowship

Our AGM will be hybrid. Here is the zoom link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86573199962?pwd=RjhJSnVGNkxCUWtzRUZXL0I5ZTZiZz09
for those who would prefer to join us remotely. The link will be active from 6:30 to 7:45 pm.

New Bylaws for approval. We have updated our Bylaws to conform with present day practices, primarily more inclusive and consistent language, and to align with changes to the Societies Act of Alberta (Nov. 16, 2022). The new Bylaws were approved by the Board on November 12, 2024 and will be presented for approval at the AGM via a motion (noted below.) 

The Bylaws are being replaced in their entirety. Since they are NEW Bylaws, we are not listing all changes that have been made as would be required to “revise” them. However, we are providing an overview of the kinds of changes that have been made in the proposed NEW Bylaws.

1. Title page: 
   a. Date of the new Bylaws (past revisions are no longer relevant). 
   b. Lawyer’s name removed as we did not work with a lawyer in developing the new Bylaws
2. Page numbers added
3. Grammar and typos corrected
4. Proper nouns capitalized for consistency (i.e. Annual General Meeting, President, Members, Special Resolution, etc.)
5. Numbering of Articles updated and corrected
6. “He/she” replaced with gender neutral language “they”
7. Number of days notice required for AGM and other meetings changed from 14 to 21 to comply with Societies Act

Motion: To replace the Bylaws last updated March, 2018 with the proposed new Bylaws as presented and to be dated February 25, 2025.   You can find a copy of the present (March, 2018) here, and the proposed bylaws (January, 2025)  here. Print copies will be available at the AGM.

We are looking for new committee members and volunteers!
This is a great chance to get more involved with the projects you are supporting and to help plan Sombrilla’s direction for the future. We especially need volunteers to join our Board of Directors and Committees, to work on our website and social media, grant searches and writing, volunteer coordination and fundraising. If you are interested contact us using the link below and let us know, or chat with us at the AGM.

Please join us as we gather to celebrate our year, to recognize the contributions of our members, supporters and volunteers and to elect our new board. All Sombrilla members in good standing can vote and memberships will be available at the meeting.

This year we are happy to welcome Bill Howe as our keynote speaker. Bill will be speaking on the need to find ways to reduce the barriers to education and how Sombrilla projects are doing that in El Salvador and Honduras. 

The meeting will be hybrid again this year. There is a link to our Zoom for those who would prefer to join us remotely. The zoom link will be active from 6:30 to 7:45 pm.


Please note that there may be a library strike staring in the next few days. If the library is closed on February 27th due to the strike, we will make other arrangements. Watch for an email with a new location.

6:00 – 6:30 refreshments and socializing
6:30 – 7:45 Keynote and business meeting
7:45-8:15 refreshments and socializing

Keynote Speaker Bill Howe: Removing Barriers to Education

Bill is passionate about issues of education, global citizenship, student voice and student agency. After a year in Nicaragua and seeing the political activism and contributions of adolescents and young adults, he left a career in engineering to become an English Language Arts and philosophy teacher, believing that change will come through the engagement of youth.

Throughout his career he has been involved with numerous student-led activities, learned from and with students in various social justice groups and worked in every level of education, from K to post-secondary, consulting, Alberta Education, university, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association. Expanding his understanding and appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of education, he has had the privilege of travelling to many countries of the world and has had two brief assignments in Uganda through Project Overseas.

After 32 years in the classroom and completing his PhD in education addressing the challenges of education, polarization, and complacency, he continues to work with struggling students at Centre High and teaches periodically at the University of Alberta
.  
As a volunteer on several committees and boards, he is involved in numerous projects researching and supporting global citizenship, student mental health and belonging, and striving as much as possible to support education of, by and for compassion, relationships, and generative difference.