MTRC's Annual Report for 2002

The Annual Sponsors Meeting was held on October 26, 2002, at 10:00 a.m. at Snyder's Willow Grove Restaurant, Linthicum, Maryland. There were fifty-seven in attendance of which forty-two were either sponsors, siblings, or members Trustees representing the Board included Marsha Carow, Chairman; Jeff Dahlka, Treasurer; Patty Wolfe, Secretary; Louise Michaux Gonzales; Bill Ward; Kim Knapp; and Colleen Sinclair-Prosser. Beverly Rill, Marilyn Folus, Koret Watts, and Linda Heinsohn represented MTRC staff. Guest speakers included William Gering, BB&T, and Natalie Blakeman.

Marsha Carow presented the Annual Report to the Sponsors. She introduced Jeanne Walsh, Bridget Pettebone, and Corky Andrews as MTRC Volunteers and presented each with a gift of appreciation. Dorothy Baranauskas was recognized for her years of service on the MTRC Board and as the Volunteer Committee Chairman. Plans for MTRC to incorporate as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation for the purpose of separating from the Arc of Maryland are underway. Questions from the floor included:

Will MTRC remain a 501(c)3? Yes
How will this effect Arc of Maryland's involvement in selecting MTRC board members? Per the Trust Agreement, MTRC elects board members and the Arc ratifies their election. Once the separation is completed, the MTRC Board of Directors will nominate and elect successor directors pursuant to the MTRC Bylaws.
Will Board Members be elected by the membership? No, the Board of Directors will nominate and elect new Directors.
Will MTRC 's name change? The name will be Maryland Trust for Retarded Citizens, Inc.
Can the word "retarded" be removed? Several years ago, the membership was contacted to see if the name should change. The result of the returned ballots was that the membership wanted to keep the name the same.
There is confusion as to who is a member of MTRC. Is it the client or the parent? The Member of MTRC is the person with the disability receiving the advocacy service. The Sponsor is the parent or person who enrolled the Member into the MTRC program and provides the advocacy now.

Jeff Dahlka, Treasurer, provided a financial report. He advised that the investment fund was moved to Deutsche Bank Alex Brown in July 2002. The funds are now being invested per an investment policy developed by the Board of Trustees. Jeff advised that MTRC is working on a bare bones budget and outside funding will be needed for specific projects identified by the Board.

The annual presentation was a panel discussion, moderated by Colleen Prosser, entitled "Trustees - How to Select and Direct". Panel members included Natalie Blakeman, a family Trustee; Louise Michaux Gonzales, Esquire; Patty Wolfe, Financial Planner; William J. Gering, BB&T Trust Officer; and Beverly Rill, MTRC.

The first "Annual Service Provider Award" was awarded to Charlotte Smith, Service Coordinator with Service Coordination Systems. MTRC Sponsor, Judy Volkman, nominated Charlotte.

Following the presentation, those in attendance enjoyed a buffet luncheon and time for socialization. The Barbershop Quartet, Port of Call, performed during the luncheon.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Beverly J. Rill
Director of Administration

MTRC, Inc.

MTRC's Annual Report for 2002