January Message from the Chair
On behalf of the Board at the Home County Folk League – Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family.
At the first Board Meeting in November, I was elected to serve as Chair of the Board for the coming year. I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and bring you up to speed on some activity at the Board.
My name is Sara Lanthier and I spent my childhood in London and moved when I was 13. Five years ago, I decided to return to the city to be closer to family and to raise my son here. He is now 14 and attending Beal Secondary. I’m an avid music lover and when I was looking for a way to give back to my new city, Home County seemed ideal.
This is my third year on the Board. Last year, I served as Secretary of the Board, Festival Co-Chair and Chair of the Governance Committee. With Leigh-Anne stepping down, I volunteered to take on the position and am happy to be working with a strong Executive Committee made up of Paul Tomlinson (Treasurer); Jen Heidenheim (Vice-Chair) and Chris McAuley (Secretary).
My ‘intention’ for 2023, both personally and at Home County, is ‘Communication’. To that end, I, along with the Board, want to be as open as possible this year with issues currently facing Home County.
In November, the Board started a Strategic Planning process to look to the future and how we proceed as a League and a Festival. Post-Covid, we are facing some substantial issues that put us at a crossroads. The two substantial issues are financial resources and people resources – both of which are key for us to continue in the same way in the future.
The reality is this, as costs of all sorts continue to rise at a rate not seen in decades and revenues not keeping pace (and, in some cases, shrinking), the current Festival's financial model (based almost entirely on Vendor Fees, Grants and Donations) is at serious risk of becoming unsustainable. In addition, people’s priorities have shifted over the pandemic. Finding people to give of their free time to lead the organization is extremely challenging. This is not a problem only facing Home County. Not-for-profits of all kinds are complaining of the same issues. Times have changed.
The Board is examining these challenges closely and weighing different options for the future. We are doing this in consultation with our Festival Organizing Committee; past leadership at Home County; and Funding Partners. We recognize that this is a very important process and one that must be done so we can all work towards a common goal: that the Folk League is able to continue its mission to bring Canadian Folk Music and the spirit of the Festival to the HOME counties and beyond for years to come. This was presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting in November. After a well-deserved break over December, our discussions and planning for the future will continue this Spring. The 48th Annual Home County Music & Art Festival is all systems go and will continue as is – July 14, 15 & 16th in Victoria Park and we are excited! In the spirit of communication, you can reach me at sara@homecounty.ca with any questions or concerns that you may have.
I look forward to meeting and hearing from you over this year! If any one is looking to be a leader at Home County, or to assist, Festival Organizing meetings begin this month and we still need volunteers. Please reach out to me if you’re interested.
My first Home County as a Board member was a memorable one! (pictured with Jenny Renbsy)