No Taps, for KAPS.

The Kaien Anti-Poverty Society saw a rewarding turn out at their recent general meeting, and with fifteen people standing for nomination, they had no trouble filling their nine board positions to keep the society alive and in obviously good hands.

As the weekend of January 21st was drawing to a close, there was a genuine fear that the Society which has been helping those in the most need for a last five years now, would have to close due to a dwindling core group of supporters. A public call to action brought a huge crowd out to the meeting and set up the Society for the current year and for those in the immediate future.

That newly elected board met last weekend for the first time and set forward on their path to increasing awareness of the requirements of those in need of a hand from their current situation.

The large amount of volunteers new to the program, will mean that they will have a larger pool to draw on to help out and can continue on with some of the highly valued projects that they offer to residents of the city.

The Daily news had details on the new board and their immediate plans in the Wednesday paper.

Turnout to bolster anti poverty group ‘sign of hope’
The Daily News
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Page one

A call to save the community’s anti-poverty organization was answered and then some recently. The Kaien Anti-Poverty Society (KAPS) elected a new board of directors at their third Annual General Meeting after the previous board expressed concerns that there were too few people to keep the organization going.

The new, nine-member board met last week for the first time, with outgoing board members passing the torch.

“We had standing room only at our AGM,” said Erika Rolston, outgoing board chair.
“This new board was elected out of 15 nominations. The community enthusiasm for continuing the work of KAPS is truly a sign of hope.

“I look forward to volunteering for this new board.”

The new board is a diverse group of people with a strong sense of the challenges facing people experiencing poverty and the commitment to fulfill a mandate to eliminate poverty.

They will take over well-known KAPS programs including the provision of free goods to those in need, programs that give out backpacks loaded with school supplies to disadvantaged kids and the operation of a safe after-school environment for many at-risk youth.

“We are really enthused and looking forward to being as productive as the last board who have accomplished so much in such a short time,” said Sunflower Porter, new board chair.
“We hope to live up to those expectations and exceed them.

“We are looking forward to the continuing support of the community of Prince Rupert and hope to see this support at future fundraisers and public events.”

Along with Porter, the Kaien Anti-Poverty Society 2007 Board of Directors includes: Katy Barker, vice-chair; Pamela Gonzalez and Isabel Howard, treasurers; Pat Lawson, secretary; Frances Roelofs, communication liaison; Lianna Faust and Charlotte Reece, directors-at-large; and Miguel Gonzalez, Free Store Manager.

Miguel Gonzalez encourages people to contact him at 627-5277 or 624-2896 for more information about the Free Store and KAPS.

The Free Store continues to accept donations and contributions from volunteers.