St. Lucy's - Bylaws

of Saint Lucy's Auxiliary to the Blind

Article 1 - Name

The name of this non sectarian organization shall be SAINT LUCY'S AUXILIARY TO THE BLIND.

Article 2 - Object

The object of this organization shall be, in general, to engage in or sponsor projects and activities which will ultimately benefit and give assistance to Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh.

Article 3 - Membership

Section 1. Active Membership
A member shall be considered active who is interested in the welfare of the Auxiliary, attends its meetings, serves on any committee of the organization or its projects, or renders support of the Auxiliary through contributions.

Section 2. Election of Members
Applications for membership must be signed by the applicant.

Section 3. Honorary Membership
Honorary Membership may be conferred upon any person in recognition of outstanding service to the Auxiliary. Nominees for Honorary Membership must first be approved by the Board of Directors and elected by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting at the following meeting of the Auxiliary.

Section 4. Junior Membership
Junior Membership is offered to any young lady who has recently been presented at a Medallion Ball. It is offered to encourage them to become a part of the Auxiliary. Such Junior Membership may be retained for five years after the year in which they were presented. They are then eligible to become full active members.

Section 5. In Good Standing
After acceptance, active and junior members shall be considered in good standing if their annual dues have been paid.

Article 4 - Dues

Section 1. Annual Dues
The amount of the annual dues shall be set periodically by the Board of Directors. They shall be payable in advance upon receipt of notice.

Section 2.
Any member in arrears for payment of dues for two consecutive years will be so notified by letter. If dues are not paid upon receipt of such letter the member shall be automatically dropped from membership in the Auxiliary and shall not be reinstated until all current dues are paid.

Section 3. Honorary Members
Honorary members shall be exempt from payment of dues.

Article 5 - Meetings

Section 1.
Regular meetings shall be held four times a year. There will be a spring meeting, date to be determined by the President annually. The other three meetings will be held during the months of September, November and January. In case of emergency or lack of a quorum at any meeting, the Executive Committee may select a different date.

Section 2.
The November meeting shall be the election meeting.

Section 3.
The regular meeting in January shall be the annual meeting and shall be for the purpose of receiving reports, installing officers and conducting any other business that may arise.

Section 4.
Special meetings may be called by the President or by the Executive Committee. The purpose of the meetings shall be stated in the call. At least two weeks notice shall be given.

Section 5. Quorum
Twenty members of the Auxiliary shall constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting of the Auxiliary.

Article 6 - Officers and Their Election

Section 1. Officers
The officers of the Auxiliary shall be a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President and Liaison to Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, Recording Secretary, Assistant Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Controller. The officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Auxiliary.

Section 2. Nominations
The Nominating Committee shall consist of five members, two to be appointed by the President from the Board of Directors and three to be elected at large at the May meeting. Such five members shall elect their own chairman. It shall be the duty of this committee to nominate a candidate for each office to be filled in that particular year. A list of nominees shall be sent to all members with the notice of the November meeting.

Section 3. Elections
The officers shall be elected at the November meeting. The President, First Vice President and Corresponding Secretary shall each serve a one-year term and/or until their successors shall have been elected and installed. The First Vice President shall be elected each year to serve a one-year term in that office and to succeed to the office of President for a one-year term. The Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Controller shall be elected to serve a two-year term and/or until their successors shall have been elected and installed. Officers may be reelected. The Second Vice President shall be elected in the odd numbered years. The Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Controller shall be elected in the even numbered years. All terms of office shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they were installed.

Section 4.
Election shall be by ballot unless there is only one candidate for each office to be filled when election may be by voice vote.

Section 5. Vacancies
A vacancy in any office for which these bylaws do not provide a successor shall be filled by vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Duties of Officers
A. President. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Auxiliary or of the Board of Directors. She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee.

B. Vice Presidents. The Vice Presidents in their order, shall perform the duties of the President in her absence or inability to serve.

C. Recording Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to keep a record of the proceedings of all business meetings of the Auxiliary and/or the Board of Directors.

D. Assistant Recording Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Assistant Recording Secretary to be a working arm of the Recording Secretary, to give assistance to her as needed and to assume the duties of the Recording Secretary in her absence or inability to serve.

E. Corresponding Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to attend to correspondence and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Auxiliary, the Board of Directors or the President. She shall keep a correct list of the members and their addresses and send out proper notice of all meetings to the members.

F. - Treasurer. The Treasurer will keep a complete and accurate record of all receipts and disbursements and reconcile all accounts. She will forward all records from the year, which includes deposits, payments. She shall deposit all funds in a depository authorized by the Board of Directors and she shall sign all checks for authorized expenditures. She will deposit all dues, which are forwarded to her by the membership. When requested, she will prepare financial statements for the Board and make available a detailed report of monies in the checking accounts. She shall confer with the Controller on any financial matters.

G. - Controller. The Controller shall be the custodian of all accounts of St. Lucy’s Auxiliary to the Blind. She will handle any correspondence needed with stock accounts and money market funds. She will be in communication with our auditors for all tax issues. She will write tax exemption letters for donations to St. Lucy’s Auxiliary to the Blind and confer with the Treasurer on any financial matters.

Article 7 - Board of Directors

Section 1. Composition
The elected officers of the Auxiliary plus the chairmen of the Standing Committees shall constitute the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Meetings
There shall be at least two meetings of the Board of Directors in each fiscal year. The President shall call the meetings for times which she deems most suitable. Special meetings may be called by the President or the Executive Committee if it is deemed necessary.

Section 3. Duties
The Board of Directors shall conduct the business of the Auxiliary between regular meetings of the Auxiliary and assume such other responsibilities as are authorized by these bylaws.

Section 4. Quorum
Five members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at a meeting.

Section 5. Executive Committee
The eight elected officers shall constitute an Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and may act for the Board when necessary between Board meetings. The Board of Directors may delegate specific duties to the Executive Committee from time to time.

Article 8 - Committees

The President shall appoint such standing committees as the Board of Directors may from time to time deem necessary to carry on the work of the Auxiliary. All committees shall meet at least once a year.

The President shall designate special committees with the approval of the Executive Committee. A special committee shall function until the need for it has ceased to exist, at which time the committee shall be dissolved.

Article 9 - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Auxiliary shall be from February first through January thirty-first.

Article 10 - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER NEWLY REVISED shall govern the Auxiliary in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

Article 11 - Dissolution

In case of dissolution of the Auxiliary ordered under the same provisions as Amendments, any monies, assets or property owned or held by the Auxiliary shall, after payment of any and all debts and expenses then due and owing by said Auxiliary, be paid over to Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, said monies to be given to fund one or a combination of specific projects which would directly benefit the blind. Such projects are subject to the consideration, review and final approval of the Board of Directors, and subsequent approval at any meeting of the Auxiliary of a two-thirds vote of those members present.

Article 12 - Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Auxiliary by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting provided that a copy of the amendments has been sent to each member at least two weeks before the meeting at which they are to be considered.