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King for Refugees
Constitution

 

1.      NAME

The name of the organization shall be King for Refugees, abbreviated as “KfR’.

2.      PURPOSE

The organization, King for Refugees, or KfR, shall be carried on without the purpose of gain for its mem- bers and any profits or other accretions to the organization shall be used in promoting its objects.

King for Refugees shall be a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to aid refugees who are or were approved by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and in accor- dance with and pursuant to a Sponsorship Agreement. In agreement with the purposes below, KfR shall strive to strengthen the community in and around King Township and connect people through KfR’s volunteer work, social activities, and fundraising activities by sharing new experiences, knowledge, and understanding.

         a.  To relieve poverty by providing to refugees or recent refugees settling in King Township;

                    i. The cost for basic day to day living expenses such as food, rent, and utilities:

                    li. Household goods such as furniture and clothing;

                    iii. Assistance in finding employment; and

                    iv. Information regarding other support services and programmes, some of which may be needed beyond their first year.

        a. To promote mental and physical health by providing to refugees or recent refugees set- tling in King Township;

                    i. Help in applying for health care coverage and guidance in selecting and access- ing appropriate medical service providers; and

li. Social and emotional support by introducing them to people with similar personal interests within KfR and in the community, and professional assistance if necessary. (Using interpreters when appropriate.)

b. To advance education by providing to refugees or recent refugees settling in King Township, and to local residents and organizations including schools;

i. Appropriate support for language training;

li. Guidance in the selection and registration of appropriate educational institutes;

ili. Information about our society (including banking, transportation, etc.), rights and responsibilities in Canada, and facilitating cultural exchange in King Township.

3.      ACTIVITIES

a. To raise money to support the above purposes of KfR;

b. To coordinate or collect donations such as furniture and other household items and clothes to be given to the Newcomers;

c. To identify and secure appropriate accommodation where Newcomers can live with dignity;

d. To form Settlement Groups which will execute the welcoming and settlement of Newcomers in King Township, with the support of all KfR members.

4.      AFFILIATION

KfR shall not be affiliated with any political party nor any organized religion.

5.      MEMBERSHIP

Voting membership is open to anyone who is committed to supporting KfR’s Purposes. All members shall have their full contact information on record.

6.      FEES

No fees are involved.

7.      FISCAL YEAR

The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 371.

8.      GOVERNANCE

KfR shall be governed by Directors, no fewer than three (3) Directors and no more than five (5), who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and who shall hold office for one (1) year, or until the next AGM.

Directors must be at “arm’s length’.

Directors are ex-officio members of the Planning & Administration Team.

The Directors may appoint someone to fill the position of a Director who has resigned during the year.

9.      STRUCTURE

The following Teams shall be formed and assigned specific responsibilities:

a. Accommodation

b. Communications

c. Donations & Fundraising

d. Planning & Administration

e. Special f. Welcome & Support

Within the scope of their responsibilities and consistent with their Guidelines, each Team shall make decisions, except for decisions triggering the expenditure of funds. For the latter, the Team must inform and receive approval from the Planning & Administration Team.

Each Team shall inform the Planning & Administration Team of decisions made and outstanding questions and issues.

10.      MEETINGS

a. The Directors shall meet, at the call of any Director, a minimum of two times a year. The Directors meetings are not open to general membership, except by invitation.

b. The Annual General Meeting shall be called by the Directors and held once in every fiscal year, not more than fifteen months after the last AGM.

c. A minimum of three additional gatherings of the general membership, e.g. meetings, pot lucks, orientations, training, etc., ought to be held each year.

d. All official meetings of Teams and General Meetings shall be open to the public and shall be held in public locations.

e. Quorum

i. Aquorum for a meeting of the Directors shall be two-thirds.

li. Aquorum for a meeting of the general membership shall be half, if a vote is being held.

11.     REPRESENTATION

The Directors shall have the authority to appoint a spokesperson to represent KfR.

12.     SIGNING OFFICERS

Designated signing officers for KfR shall be at least two of the Directors.

13.     FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

KfR shall be subject to the Charities Accounting Act. An annual financial statement shall be presented for approval at the AGM.

14.      AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this Constitution may be made by Directors should there be changes required by the CRA for the purposes of KfR’s application for official charity status (2017/2018). A two-thirds majority of the Directors will be required.

Once there are no further amendments required for the 2017/2018 application by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), then the constitution shall be amended by the Directors such that it reads in this section, only: “Amendments to this Constitution may be made at the Annual General Meeting or at a General Meeting, provided the membership has been given two weeks’ notice of the proposed amendment. A two- thirds majority of the members present will be required.”

15.      DISSOLUTION

There shall be two weeks’ notice of a motion to dissolve and no quorum is required. In the event that KfR is dissolved, and after payment of all debts and liabilities, any remaining funds, shall be donated to a charity registered under the Income Tax Act (Canada), that supports and/or aids refugees, which is to be determined by the outgoing Directors.

October 2017