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On May 7th this year, Helping Hearts hosted our first-ever Annual General Meeting held at Kerrisdale Community Center. Here is a summary of the meeting:
Roles and Introductory Nominations
The meeting was called to order by Kaleb Adatia who served as Chair for the entirety of the meeting. Gaon Yoon was appointed to me meeting minutes nominated by Christopher Lee.
Finance Report by Rylan Do
Rylan Do then presented the financial reports for the fiscal year of April 2022 to May 2023. Mr. Do stated that the revenue during the fiscal year was $13,325 including a grant of $1500 provided by VanCity. He also noted that the expenses for the fiscal year were $11,071.55. Mr. Lee posed a question about the most significant costs. Mr. Do explained that the revenue was mainly spent on food for volunteers, donut sales and tables. Mr. Do states that $14,000 was made from donut sales, various grants, and more and aims to receive higher grants in the next year.
Chief of Staff Report by Jasmine Zhang:
After opening words on the vision of Helping Hearts, Ms. Zhang was pleased to present the annual Helping Hearts Awards for the year 2022-2023 to outstanding Helping Hearts Members. Awards are a big part of the recognition at Helping Hearts and are only given once a year. Thank you to our IT Director, Nickolai Junnosov for creating the 3D-printed awards.
Golden Heart Award
The highest honour granted by Helping Hearts, the Golden Heart Award is granted annually to one individual for exceptionally exemplifying the values of Helping Hearts, and for truly being “the Change We See” in the community. The recipient of this award is a true model of what Helping Hearts is.
This year, Rylan Do went above and beyond in his roles as both the Finance Director and Club President for Vancouver College. He embodied the values of the foundation throughout all of his actions and would go to great extents to ensure the success of projects, usage of money, and preparation. His continuous passion and drive to help those around him are truly contagious. Many times, Rylan would step up and do jobs that no one else wanted to do. When times were tough and busy, Rylan would still reach deadlines and fulfil each of his jobs with massive effort.
I greatly apperilciate that Kaleb and Chris thought of me for this award. I couldn't be any more excited to see how Helping Hearts will flourish in the coming years. -Rylan Do
Adatia-Lee Leadership Award
The Leadership Award is granted annually to the Volunteer-Staff or Executive Team member who shows extensive leadership, being an inspiration and a role model to all.
This year, we were proud to honour Norah Benjamin with this award for her outstanding impact and service to Helping Hearts. In fact, Norah is one of the longest-serving members of the Helping Hearts Team and is currently serving in the role of Marketing Director. Her leadership in taking a prominent role in the organization has been seen throughout many of the different sectors of Helping Hearts. At every event, Norah is a leader and role model to those around her, demonstrating the true meaning of our motto. Many of the initiatives and events would have been much more difficult if it weren't for her behind-the-scenes help in transportation. Her work behind the curtain maintaining the name and brand of Helping Hearts should also not go unnoticed!
Thank you so much for this award helping hearts! I’m so excited to see how we grow as an organization and see what we accomplish as a group! -Norah Benjamin
The Rising Hearts Clubs' Award
The highest honour granted to clubs by Helping Hearts, the Rising Hearts Clubs' Award is granted annually to one club that has furthered the mission of Helping Hearts, encouraging its members to advance new initiatives, develop with our goals, and participate in the community all with exceptional leadership, collaboration, and uniqueness. The recipient of this award is a true model of what a Helping Hearts Club is. This year, the Vancouver College Club Branch received this award due to their impact being the largest out of our 3 clubs. Although this was our first year, and many of the clubs didn't have enough permission to reach the goals they wished to achieve, Vancouver College was able to have a donut sale and raise over $3000 for the foundation. At events, VC students attended more than any other school.
Congrats to Rylan Do and Thomas Chow, the co-club presidents this year.
Christopher Lee, Co-CEO Speaks
As always, Christopher Lee blessed the audience with another one of his impeccable and inspirational speeches. Chris covered a variety of goals Helping Hearts had met over the past year and provided insight into the future of the organization.
Here is a clip of his speech:
Motions for Change:
During the meeting, there were a couple of changes that the HHYF Community should note.
First, the fiscal year of Helping Hearts has officially been changed and set to the time of the school year (September is the start of the fiscal year).
Secondly, there was a bylaw resolution CL-001 made by Christopher Lee containing a couple of changes to our organization's bylaws and rules.