May 31, 2020 - Facebook Message from Kris Hudspeth, CASI President and Keith Karaff, CASI Executive Director
Kris Hudspeth -
Good Afternoon from Victoria Texas. Thank you for joining Keith and I today. I’d like to start off thanking the VASA Pod and their members for the fellowship this weekend and being such gracious hosts.
This weekend the Board took the time to meet and discuss the state of the organization, work on planning for TICC and the GPM, and analyze the financial health. It was a very productive meeting, with a full day workshop on Saturday full of lively discussion, and an effective Board meeting today.
TICC has weighed heavily on our minds through this pandemic. While we continue planning for our annual trip to the desert, I must remind each of you that our cookoff is dependent 100% on Brewster County approving our Mass Gathering Permit.
Today we discussed the impact that COVID has had on our organization financially and what changes are needed. At the winter meeting the Board has agreed to suspend the Director Reimbursement for Board Meetings. We have agreed to additional cuts for TICC Budgets, and GPM budgets. Additionally, the time has come for the Board to institute a Facility Usage Fee for TICC. All qualified cooks, show teams, old 320 members, and Directors will be charged a $25.00 usage fee at TICC starting this year. Friends of CASI members and CASI Sponsors will be excluded. This is a big change for our organization, and one we did not take lightly.
We have also had quite a few questions about the 30 day requirement for cookoff listings, and if that will still require this as cookoffs start to come back online. Today, we are reducing this requirement to 15 days, through the end of the 2020 chili year. This will help the Organization be flexible in our ability to quickly help our local communities.
Good Afternoon from Victoria Texas. Thank you for joining Keith and I today. I’d like to start off thanking the VASA Pod and their members for the fellowship this weekend and being such gracious hosts.
This weekend the Board took the time to meet and discuss the state of the organization, work on planning for TICC and the GPM, and analyze the financial health. It was a very productive meeting, with a full day workshop on Saturday full of lively discussion, and an effective Board meeting today.
TICC has weighed heavily on our minds through this pandemic. While we continue planning for our annual trip to the desert, I must remind each of you that our cookoff is dependent 100% on Brewster County approving our Mass Gathering Permit.
Today we discussed the impact that COVID has had on our organization financially and what changes are needed. At the winter meeting the Board has agreed to suspend the Director Reimbursement for Board Meetings. We have agreed to additional cuts for TICC Budgets, and GPM budgets. Additionally, the time has come for the Board to institute a Facility Usage Fee for TICC. All qualified cooks, show teams, old 320 members, and Directors will be charged a $25.00 usage fee at TICC starting this year. Friends of CASI members and CASI Sponsors will be excluded. This is a big change for our organization, and one we did not take lightly.
We have also had quite a few questions about the 30 day requirement for cookoff listings, and if that will still require this as cookoffs start to come back online. Today, we are reducing this requirement to 15 days, through the end of the 2020 chili year. This will help the Organization be flexible in our ability to quickly help our local communities.
Keith Karaff -
Michael and I have been having some serious discussions about CASI after the summer ends. With the GP meeting coming up and the organization continuing in this state of uncertainty after the crisis subsides, he agrees with me on several things and I would like to pass these on.
While we have been handling things for the organization there are still MANY things that would need to be handled after the GPM in September. With the turmoil and unknown within the organization, he and I both feel that it really would not be right to hand off the organization in this state to a new ED because that person would need to be brought up to date on so much rather quickly. Also, since we moved rule changes to next year, the new ED would also have to deal with that issue. This would be a massive, overwhelming learning curve.
After many discussions with Michael, we have come to the same conclusion. With the turmoil that has effected every person, every business, every organization; everyone has had to bite the bullet and find new. Creative ways to survive. For the Board, all the decisions we have made and the all the decisions yet to come, the turmoil, while subsided, still exists and could for an extended period of time. For many of the reasons listed above, I found myself in a difficult place. My devotion and dedication to CASI and the family is now more ingrained on my heart than ever before. My desire and need for us to succeed is as great.
I know the toll a short transition takes on a new ED and that’s without an organization in a complete distruption to the status quo. Again, after many talks with Michael I could not with a clear conscious burden an incoming ED with all this. It is not in my nature to runaway and deflect the hard times.
About an hour ago, I proposed to the Board the following: I asked the Board to extend my term by one year ending in September 2021. They accepted my proposal.
It is my desire to help CASI through this crisis for the next chili year. The organization needs as little disruption as possible at this time and under the circumstances, doesn’t need to burden a new with all the issues and concerns that continue to face the organization. I feel it could be detrimental to this organization that, like so many of you,
lives in a special place in my heart.
Thank you for your time and commitment, but most of all, I want to thank you for your
support and dedication to help ensure we come through this better than before.
Thank you
Michael and I have been having some serious discussions about CASI after the summer ends. With the GP meeting coming up and the organization continuing in this state of uncertainty after the crisis subsides, he agrees with me on several things and I would like to pass these on.
While we have been handling things for the organization there are still MANY things that would need to be handled after the GPM in September. With the turmoil and unknown within the organization, he and I both feel that it really would not be right to hand off the organization in this state to a new ED because that person would need to be brought up to date on so much rather quickly. Also, since we moved rule changes to next year, the new ED would also have to deal with that issue. This would be a massive, overwhelming learning curve.
After many discussions with Michael, we have come to the same conclusion. With the turmoil that has effected every person, every business, every organization; everyone has had to bite the bullet and find new. Creative ways to survive. For the Board, all the decisions we have made and the all the decisions yet to come, the turmoil, while subsided, still exists and could for an extended period of time. For many of the reasons listed above, I found myself in a difficult place. My devotion and dedication to CASI and the family is now more ingrained on my heart than ever before. My desire and need for us to succeed is as great.
I know the toll a short transition takes on a new ED and that’s without an organization in a complete distruption to the status quo. Again, after many talks with Michael I could not with a clear conscious burden an incoming ED with all this. It is not in my nature to runaway and deflect the hard times.
About an hour ago, I proposed to the Board the following: I asked the Board to extend my term by one year ending in September 2021. They accepted my proposal.
It is my desire to help CASI through this crisis for the next chili year. The organization needs as little disruption as possible at this time and under the circumstances, doesn’t need to burden a new with all the issues and concerns that continue to face the organization. I feel it could be detrimental to this organization that, like so many of you,
lives in a special place in my heart.
Thank you for your time and commitment, but most of all, I want to thank you for your
support and dedication to help ensure we come through this better than before.
Thank you
