VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting via Zoom, in Victoria, BC

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Rhonda Duncan (Director), June Fukushima (Treasurer), Kevin Keliher
(Secretary), Joe Barrett (Director) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Guests: Sunday Night Sit Coordinators were invited to attend, they were not able to attend.
Absent: None
Agenda Items:
1) Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Kevin to approve the agenda. Carried.
2) Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting February 20th, 2024
Motion from June to approve February 20th, 2024 minutes. Carried.
3) Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a) Margo McLoughlin Retreat March 16 & 17
Thanks to Louise Takeda and Jessica Baldwin (Managers), June Fukushima
(Registrar), Bruce MacRae (Sound) & Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator).
Total number of Registrants: 59
Attendance: Saturday: 38, Sunday: 29, Both days: 26
b) Adrianne Ross April 27th
Thanks to Mary-Ann Enthoven (Manager), June Fukushima (Registrar), Bruce
MacRae & Brick Brown (Sound), Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator), Joyce Elliott
and Beth Trotter (Hosts).
Total number of Registrants: 107
Attendance: 80
Registrations closed for this retreat on April 25th. A capacity of 100 was set. An
adjustment with Luma was not made when early registrants canceled that
allowed for more than 100 people to register. As well, some retreat volunteers
had not registered resulting in those numbers not being included in the capacity
setting. There was feedback from one participant that they could hear the
managers talking, and heard voices from those eating lunch with the teacher. In
addition, they found the room was too full and they were not able to find a
suitable sitting area. A participant asked why VIMS was holding one-day retreats
as in the past we offered weekend retreats. June replied that it was due to
Goward House’s and the teachers’ availability. The Plan moving forward is to
have a maximum of 100 registrants.

4) Financial Updates
a) Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts February 29, 2024

Chequing: $ 6,161.70
Savings: $ 5,968.42
TOTAL: $12,130.12

Accounts March 31, 2024

Chequing: $ 5,511.79
Savings: $ 5,976.02
TOTAL: $11,487.81

Accounts April 30, 2024

Chequing: $ 5,212.10
Savings: $ 5,983.39
TOTAL: $11,195.49

Balance as of May 12, 2024

Chequing: $ 6,090.93
Savings: $ 5,983.39
TOTAL: $12,074.32

b) Annual insurance paid – $750; Annual Zoom paud – $240.69; HostPapa annual
paid – $426.91; May Retreat – Goward House rental paid – $500.00
c) Coast Capital Statements – available for viewing.
d) Financial Reports from Wei Wu: Sent by email.
e) T2 Return. Motion from June to contract with accountant Pat Conway prepare
VIMS T2. The cost will be $630.00. Carried.
f) Kelly Arason is updating the spreadsheet that records income and expenses.
June provides information for categorizing the data. The spreadsheet is updated
at the start of each month and then shared with Wei Wu who prepares the
reports. June appreciates that this monthly task requirement is being shared with
another volunteer.
5) Sunday Night Sits (SNS)
a) Update from Joe regarding Sunday Night Sits. Joe reported that the group has
been using Meet-Up for the past 6 months. It is being used by a small number of
the community. It’s unclear if it is bringing in participants. The SNS coordinators
met and decided to let this run out and not be renewed.
b) Update on volunteer support and teaching schedule. The schedule is almost
filled till July. There will be no program in August. On June 23rd following the
group meditation period there will be a social time to appreciate those who have
facilitated the SNS this past year. Jess Baldwin no longer lives in the Victoria

area. She is leaving a big hole (e.g., door opener, committee member). It is
hoped to find someone else to replace her.

6) Communication – Newsletter, Website, Social Media, MailChimp
a) Jess Baldwin was also our Social Media coordinator. With her gone it was
decided to allow VIMS Social Media presence to continue without monitoring at
this time. In case we need to make changes in the future Joe agreed to contact
Jess to get the necessary passwords etc. Bruce was not able to complete the
newsletter recently. Sizan Denis was hired to complete the newsletter at a cost of
$50.00.

7) Registration Set-Up and Retreat Announcements:
a) Suzan and June are meeting regularly and this continues to go well.
8) 2024 Completed Retreats:
2024 Completed
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

Mar 16 & 17 Margo
McLoughlin (Y)

Goward House In person
only

Louise Takeda & Jess
Baldwin (Managers), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound), Bruce (EMERG
Responder), Kevin (VIMS
Dana), Bruce (Lost &
Found),____ Retreat Bins
Prep for next Retreat

Apr 27 Adrianne Ross

(Y)

Goward House In person
only

Marianne Enthoven
(Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound), Host:Joyce Elliott

9) 2024 Upcoming Retreats:
2024 Upcoming
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

May 25 Kristina Bare (Y) Goward House In person
only

Joe Barrett (Manager):
June (Registrar), Bruce
(Sound)

Aug 17 & 18 Ajaan Geoff (Y) UVIC
Conference Rm

Hybrid Brock/June (host), TBA
(Manager), Bruce (Sound),
Suzan (Zoom Coordinator
& Host), June (Registrar)

Sept 14 & 15 Kate Davies (Y) Goward House In-
Person
Only

TBA (Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce (Sound)
Brock & June (Host).
Oct 19 & 20 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward House Hybrid TBA (Manager), TBA
(Zoom Coordinator), Brock
& June (Host), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

Nov 23 Brock Brown (Y) Goward House In-
Person
only

TBA (Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

10) Next Council Meeting date: June 18th, 2024 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
11) 2024 AGM Meeting Date: July 16th, 2024. Brock will invite VIMS Members to
attend. Those who have not attended for the past few years will be asked if they
wish to step down.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting at June and Brock’s, Victoria, BC

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Rhonda Duncan (Director) (via zoom), June Fukushima (Treasurer), Kevin
Keliher (Secretary), Joe Barrett (Director) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Absent: None
Agenda Items:
1) Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Kevin to approve the agenda. Carried.
2) Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting July 19th, 2023
Motion from June to approve October 10th, 2023 minutes. Carried.
3) Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a) Tempel Smith October 22nd – One-Day Hybrid Retreat at Goward House.
Thanks to Brock Brown – Retreat Coordinator, June Fukushima – Registrar,
Joyce Elliott – Manager, June Fukushima and Jess BaldwinZoom Coordinator,
Bruce MacRae – Sound. RETREAT STATS: Goward House: 67 attended; 85
registered. Online attendance: 28 attended; 52 registered.
b) Howie Cohn November 11th & 12th – Two-Day Hybrid Retreat at Goward
House. Thanks to Brock Brown – Retreat Coordinator, June Fukushima –
Registrar, Kathy Jago and Josephine Tobin – Managers, Metta VanderVliet –
Zoom Coordinator, Bruce MacRae and Jonathan Mark Huot – Sound. Special
thanks to June & Brock for hosting Howie. RETREAT STATS: Goward House:
Sat: 70; Sun 70 attended; 89 registered. Online attendance: Sat: 30, Sun: 22
attended; 44 registered. 5 people registered for the online option thinking they
had registered for the in-person option. Howie mentioned that if he had known
ahead of time he would have invited members of his large online community. In
future VIMS will send teachers links to the online registration ahead of the
retreat.
c) Several people emailed giving praise to Suzan Denis for her professional Zoom
hosting Howie’s retreat and to the technical team.
d) 911 was called at Howie’s retreat to attend to a participant who lost
consciousness for a few minutes on Saturday morning. The participant was
attended to by retreat participant Dr. Miguel Lipka prior to and while emergency
services attended to the participant. The participant declined going to Emergency
and continued to attend the retreat on Saturday and Sunday with no further
medical incident.

e) Medical Events: Some discussion regarding how to respond if there is another
such event at future retreats. It was decided an Emergency Procedure Protocol
needed to be created as soon as possible.
f) Feedback from a participant on single-use washrooms at Goward House. This
individual cannot use stairs and was therefore restricted to the downstairs
washrooms. As is common some people forgot to secure the door open when
leaving causing long waits for others. Council recommended placing a sign inside
the washroom door reminding one to secure the door open upon exiting. Also,
the manager will make sure to remind people to knock if they are waiting awhile.

4) Financial Updates
a) Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts October 31, 2023

Chequing: $ 6,649.99
Savings: $ 5,938.84
TOTAL: $12,588.83

Accounts November 27, 2023

Chequing: $ 7,776.25
Savings: $ 5,938.84
TOTAL: $13,715.09

b) December Expenses: Suzan Denis (Howie’s Retreat): $525 ($150 admin; $375
Zoom Hosting). Brock Brown (Howie’s retreat food costs):$107.50;Sunday Night
Sit (Helga Beer Yoga Studio December rent): $121.50
c) December Income: Sunday Night SIt (2 evenings)
d) Year-End Balance for 2021: $17,245.38 and 2022: $15,768.70
e) Coast Capital Statements (October & November 2023) will be available for
viewing at a future meeting.
f) Financial Reports: sent by email to council members.
g) The 2024 Budget was reviewed. Motion from June to approve the 2024 Budget.
Carried.
h) Gifts to Charities: It was decided to postpone gifts to charities at this point.
i) T2 Return: Pat Conroy to be hired again.
5) Sunday Night Sits
a) Update from Joe regarding Sunday Night Sits. Joe felt this was very successful.
14 participants this past Sunday. Half of these new attendees are coming each
week. The team model is working well. Kevin to contact Victoria Camera Club to
see if we can again borrow their digital projector for January 28th.

6) Communication – Newsletter, Website, MailChimp

a) Bruce records the teacher's talks and uploads these to the VIMS website. He
includes relevant information from the Q&A sessions while protecting the privacy
of the speaker. It was suggested participants could forward their questions in
writing if they wish to remain anonymous. Suzan’s sound recordings function only
as a backup.

7) Procedures for Dana Collection:
a) Rhonda provided a written 8 point procedure for Dana collection. Some revisions
were suggested (e.g., designate one council member to handle VIMS Dana, and
another person to collect theTeacher’s Dana). Rhonda will make necessary
changes to this new protocol.
8) 2023 Completed Retreats:
2023 Completed
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

Mar 4 & 5
Completed

Margo
McLoughlin (Y)

Goward House Hybrid Kevin Keliher (Manager)
Apr 1 & 2 Tuere Sala (Y) Goward House Hybrid Also March 31, 7-8:30
Zoom evening session.
Tuere stayed at Brock &
June’s. Manager: Louise
Takeda, Sound: Bruce,
Zoom Coordinator: June
Zoon Host: Suzan Denis

Apr 29 & 30 Jeanne Corrigal
& James Lowe
(Y)

Goward House
April 29. Mary
Lake Sanctuary
April 30

In person
only

Jeanne & James stayed
at Josh S.'s home.
Manager: Rhonda & Liz
(Sat), Joe (Sun). Sound on
Saturday: Bruce,

May 20 & 21 Ajahn Jotipalo

(Y)

Goward House Hybrid Ajahn Jotipalo to stay at
Brock/June’s. Manager:
Joe (Sat), Mary-Ann (Sun),
Sound: Brock (Sat), Bruce
(Sun), Zoom Coordinator:
June (Sat), Kevin (Sun),
Zoon Host: Suzan Denis

June 11 Ajahn
Tiradhammo (Y)

Goward House Hybrid June F (Manager), Metta
(Zoom Coordinator), Bruce
(Sound). Housed at June
& Brock. June 12 meal
offering Mary Lake
Sanctuary

June 12 Ajahn
Tiradhammo (Y)

Mary Lake
Sanctuary

In-
Person
only

Dana Meal Offering

Sept 23 Brock Brown (Y) Goward House In-
Person
only

Rhonda (Manager), Bruce
& Brian Chapel Sound

Oct 22 Tempel Smith

(Y)

Goward House Hybrid Joyce (manager), June &
Jessica (in training) Zoom
Coordinator, Bruce Sound
Nov 11 & 12 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward House Hybrid Josephine Tobin & Kathy
Jago (Managers), Metta
Zoom Coordinator. Bruce
Sound. Housed at June &
Brock’s home

9) 2024 Upcoming Retreats:
2024 Upcoming
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

March 16 & 17 Margo
McLoughlin (Y)

Goward House In
Person
Only

Managers: Louise Takeda,
Jessica Baldwin, Sound:
Bruce MacRae

April 27 Adrianne Ross

(Y)

Goward House In
Person
Only

Manager, Sound.

May 25 Kristina Bare (Y) Goward House In
Person
Only

Manager, Sound.

Aug 17 & 18 Ajaan Geoff (Y) UVIC
Conference
Room

Hybrid

Sept 14 & 15 Kate Davies (Y) Goward House In
Person
Only

Manager, Sound.

Oct 19 & 20 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward House Hybrid Manager, Sound.
Nov 23 Brock Brown(Y) Goward House In
Person
Only

Manager, Sound.

10) Next Council Meeting: Tuesday, February 20th, at 6:30 p.m.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Friday February 28, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting at home of Brock Brown, in Victoria, BC

One member via Zoom

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Rhonda Duncan (Director, via Zoom), Kevin Keliher (Secretary), Joe
Barrett (Director) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Absent: None
Agenda Items:
1) Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Kevin to approve the agenda. Carried.
2) Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting October 29, 2024
Motion from Joe to approve October 29th, 2024 amended minutes. Carried.
3) Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a) Margo McLoughlin one day Retreat February 22nd at Goward House
Thanks to Joe Barrett & Carol-Anne Owen (Managers), Rhonda Duncan & Kiko
Brown (Co-Registrar), Bruce MacRae (Sound) & Brock Brown (Retreat
Coordinator). Thank you also to Louise Takeda (Retreat Operations). Would be
helpful for the manager to know the number of registered participants ahead of
time, to determine the number of chairs to set-up. Retreat Sign-in sheets to be
filed at Brock Browns’ home.
Total number registered: 81
In-Person attendance: 59
b) Remembering June Fukushima and her contributions to VIMS. We will miss
June’s presence and we recollect all the positive contributions she made in her
life including her contributions to making the dharma available to so many. In
loving memory.
4) Financial Updates
a) Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts January 31, 2025

Chequing: $ 5,726.90
Savings: $ 6,051.59
TOTAL: $11,778.49

Notes: Outstanding cheque to Suzan Denis $125 (not cashed yet). Cheques
issued for insurance ($750), HostPapa & MailChimp ($386.10) & Sunday Night
Sit (March-May) and Goward House rent

b) Financial Reports for January 2025 were sent by email.
c) Motion from Bruce to approve January 2025 Financial Report. Carried.
d) Motion from Kevin to accept revised 2025 Budget. Carried.
5) Sunday Night Sits (SNS)
a) Update from Joe regarding Sunday Night Sits. Joe reported the number of
participants and Dana received continues to be strong. Joe will start forwarding
Kelly Arason’s SNS monthly Financial Summary to council members. George Nyi
has taken on maintaining SNS’s presence on Social Media.
6) Communication – Newsletter, Website, Social Media, MailChimp
a) Bruce reported that audio recordings were temporarily removed and will be
returned shortly. The email sign-up feature on our website was malfunctioning,
but has also been repaired.

7) 2025 Completed Retreats: Margo McLoughlin’s February retreat has been completed.
8) 2025 Upcoming Retreats: at Goward House unless indicated otherwise. Plan is to have
the first three retreats In-Person only. This will simplify volunteer requirements and
overall workload. Bruce agreed to get others (e.g., Metta or George) to manage Sound
when he is unable. This will most likely be the last time Christina will visit Victoria.
Rhonda to transport Christina from Parksville and back. Thank you Rhonda.
2025 Upcoming
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

April 12 & 13 Tempel Smith

(Y)

Goward
House

In person
only

Joyce Elliott (Manager),
Bruce (Sound), Kiko &
Rhonda (Co-Registrars).

May 10 & 11 Kristina Bare (Y) Goward
House

In person
only

Mary Ann Enthoven
(Manager), Kiko & Rhonda
(Co-Registrars), Bruce
(Sound).

June 14 & 15 Christina
Feldman (Y)

Shoal Centre
in Sidney

To Be
Determined

Louise Takeda (Manager),
Brock (Host), Kiko &
Rhonda (Co-Registrars),
Bruce (Sound).

Sept 20 & 21 Tuere Sala (Y) Goward
House

Online Only Metta VanderVliet
(Manager), Kiko & Rhonda
(Co-Registrars), Bruce

(Sound).

Oct 18 & 19 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward
House

To Be
Determined

Rhonda Duncan
(Manager) , Kiko &
Rhonda (Co-Registrars),
Bruce (Sound).

9) Discussion regarding whether to have Christina & Howie’s retareats hybrid or in-person
only. Leaning toward in-person only. To be determined.
10) Louise Takeda is doing an excellent job as head of the Retreat Operations Committee
(ROC) and as Volunteer Coordinator. June’s passing has left a vacancy. Motion from
Kevin to invite Louise on council. Carried.
11) Next Council Meeting date: April 22nd, 2025 6:30 p.m.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting via Zoom, in Victoria, BC

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Rhonda Duncan (Director), Kevin Keliher (Secretary), Joe Barrett
(Director) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Absent: June Fukushima (Treasurer)
Agenda Items:
1) Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Kevin to approve the agenda. Carried.
2) Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting June 18, 2024
Motion from Bruce to approve June 18th, 2024 minutes. Carried.
3) Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a) Ajaan Geoff retreat August 17 & 18 at University of Victoria
Thanks to Jacqui Balfour (Manager), Kiko Brown (Registrar), Metta VanderVliet &
Jonathan Huot (Sound) & Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator). Thanks also to
Brock Brown & June Fukushima for hosting the monks.
Total number of Registrants: 129 In-Person and 290 Online.
Saturday Attendance: In-Person 105, Online 145
Sunday Attendance: In-Person 76, Online 140
Wi-Fi was $300/day. We thought it was $300 for both days. Total cost was
$3,500 for two days all included (i.e., rental, Wi-Fi & travel). We paid ½, $1750
per organization (VIMS & Aranya Refuge). Loss was about $1,000, however the
council felt it was a valuable contribution to the community and well worth this
loss.
b) Kate Davies retreat September 14 & 15.
Thanks to Louise Takada (Manager), Rhonda Duncan (Registrar), George Nyi
(Sound) & Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator). Thanks also to Brock Brown &
June Fukushima for hosting Kate.
Saturday Attendance: In-Person 31,
Sunday Attendance: In-Person 26. Loss was $500.
c) Howie Cohn retreat October 19 & 20.
Thanks to Rhonda Duncan & Christine Mauro (Managers), Rhonda Duncan
(Registrar), Bruce MacRae (Sound), Metta VanderVliet (In-House Zoom
Coordinator) & Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator). Thanks also to Brock Brown
& June Fukushima for hosting Howie. Thanks also to Nona Avren for taking care
of the retreat bins.

Saturday Attendance: In-Person 52, Online 26.
Sunday Attendance: In-Person 40, Online 26. Close to even.
d) Due to a health challenge in their family Brock & June have recently reduced
their participation in the organizing and running of retreats. They leave big shoes
to fill. Brock will let Heidi (Goward House booking agent) know that other board
members can sign if Brock is not present.

4) Financial Updates
a) Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts October 28, 2024

Chequing: $ 6,561.02
Savings: $ 6,021.10
TOTAL: $12,582.12

Notes: Outstanding cheque to Suzan Denis $650 (not cashed yet)
Financial Reports for Jan 1 to Sept 30 sent by email
b) Margo McLoughlin asked for $50 travel reimbursement for leading the Sunday
Night Sit. Motion from Brock to approve travel reimbursement to Margo. Carried.
c) Motion from Bruce to give Kelly Arason permission to transfer funds from PayPal
to the VIMS bank account. Carried.
d) Motion from Brock to approve the 2025 Budget. Carried.
e) Brock expressed concern regarding financial losses for the last 3 years.. He then
presented three possible ways to reduce operating expenses moving forward. 1)
Could we do without insurance? Neither Goward House nor UVIC requires VIMS
to carry insurance. Would purchasing insurance for a day or weekend retreat be
sufficient? This decision does not need to be made until the summer of 2025. 2)
Could our Internet cost be reduced? Reducing our retreat recordings to a 12
month period would save approximately $200. A cut-off at 20GB was proposed.
3) Could we submit the tax return ourselves? We could use a copy of the 2023
tax return as a guide. If we run into further sustainability issues in the future the
one thing to keep would be In-Person retreats.

5) Sunday Night Sits (SNS)
a) Update from Joe regarding Sunday Night Sits. Joe reported that all the
organizers/coordinators worked on a budget for 2025. George Nyi did an
excellent job of leading a Sunday Night Sit. Moving forward Joe will be more
accurate when requesting rent payments from VIMS.
6) Communication – Newsletter, Website, Social Media, MailChimp
a) Bruce reported no change, things are continuing to run as normal. He will look
into reducing the size of the website (i.e., deleting files to keep no more than 12
months of recorded talks – max 20GB). Bruce will be away from December 10th
to February 10th.

7) 2024 Completed Retreats: all retreats in 2024 have been completed.
8) 2025 Upcoming Retreats: at Goward House unless indicated otherwise. Plan is to have
the first three retreats In-Person only. This will simplify volunteer requirements and
overall workload. Bruce agreed to get others (e.g., Metta or George) to manage Sound
when he is unable. Registration will continue to be managed by Kiko Brown & Rhonda
Duncan. Venue rental for Christina Feldman retreat (June 14 & 15) will cost
approximately $1,200. Motion from Kevin that we proceed with plans to reserve Shoal
Centre in June. Carried. This will most likely be the last time Christina will visit Victoria.
Rhonda to transport Christina from Parksville and back. Thank you Rhonda.
2025 Upcoming
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

Feb 22 Margo
McLoughlin (Y)

Goward
House

In person
only

Joe Barrett (Manager),
Kiko & Rhonda (Registrar),
Bruce (Sound).

April 12 & 13 Tempel Smith

(Y)

Goward
House

In person
only

Joyce Elliott (Manager),
Bruce (Sound), Kiko &
Rhonda (Registrar).

May 10 & 11 Kristina Bare (Y) Goward
House

In person
only

Mary Ann Enthoven
(Manager), Kiko & Rhonda
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

June 14 & 15 Christina
Feldman (Y)

Shoal Centre
in Sidney

To Be
Determined

Louise Takeda (Manager)
, , Brock & June (Host),
Kiko & Rhonda (Registrar),
Bruce (Sound).

Sept 20 & 21 Tuere Sala (Y) Goward
House

Hybrid Metta VanderVliet
(Manager), Kiko & Rhonda
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

Oct 18 & 19 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward
House

Hybrid Rhonda Duncan
(Manager) , Kiko &
Rhonda (Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

9) Discussion regarding ways to reduce Brock’s workload (e.g., finding Retreat Managers,
Sound Person and In-House Zoom Coordinator). Joe & Rhonda agreed to discuss in
more detail the possible development of a Retreat Operations Subcommittee.
10) Next Council Meeting date: January 21st, 2025 6:30 p.m.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting via Zoom, in Victoria, BC

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Rhonda Duncan (Director), June Fukushima (Treasurer), Kevin Keliher
(Secretary), Joe Barrett (Director) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Absent: None
Agenda Items:
1) Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Kevin to approve the agenda. Carried.
2) Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting May 14, 2024
Motion from Joe to approve May 14th, 2024 minutes. Carried.
3) Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a) Kristina Bare Retreat May 25th
Thanks to Joe Barrett (Manager), June Fukushima (Registrar), Bruce MacRae
(Sound) & Brock Brown (Retreat Coordinator). Thanks also to volunteers Nona
Avren, Yarrah Anstey and Lauren Wright
Total number of Registrants: 83
Attendance: 56
4) Financial Updates
a) Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts May 31, 2024

Chequing: $ 5,467.59
Savings: $ 5,991.01
TOTAL: $11,458.60

b) Financial Reports for January – May 2024 from Wei Wu sent by email.
c) June asked Kell Arason to look at the Sunday Night Sit finances in order to give
her an overview of what is involved in tracking income and expenses. Kelly and
June shared this information with the other SNS Coordinators for their review and
consideration. Overall the SNS program has a net surplus however 2 recent
months had a net loss due to lower than normal dana. SNS Coordinators will
continue to monitor the monthly dana/expenses.
d) Brock purchased a used Shure BLX wireless headset microphone for VIMS for
$200. This can be used by the teachers on retreats. Motion from Joe for VIMS to
reimburse Brock. Carried.

5) 2024 Victoria IMS AGM
a) Date Confirmed: July 16th, 2024 – Gather at 6 p.m. at Brock & June’s home,
Meeting to begin at 6:30
b) Motion from June that the 2024 AGM Agenda and Directors’ Reports be
approved. Carried
c) As previously agreed VIMS Members who have been invited but were not able to
attend several past AGM’s will be asked if they wish to end their membership.
When contacted Rod House agreed to resign his position. However, attempts to
contact John Hilditch via email (bounced back) and phone (disconnected) were
unsuccessful. Brock will attempt to find John’s home address and mail him an
invitation and request he indicate if he wishes to remain a VIMS Member.
d) It was decided that we will invite guests to this AGM. These guests will include
SNS coordinators Louise Takeda, Metta VanderVliet, Kelly Arason. We also will
invite David Axon who monitors the victoriainsight@gmail.com email account.
Actions: Send AGM documents (i.e., Agenda, Minutes of 2023 AGM, Directors’
Reports and Financial reports) to attendees. These documents are to be sent out
no later than July 1st.
6) Sunday Night Sits (SNS)
a) Update from Joe regarding Sunday Night Sits. Joe reported that things continue
to be running well. Louise has been establishing the schedule for the fall. This
coming Sunday night sit will be followed by a social time to appreciate those who
have facilitated the SNS this past year.
b) There will be no SNS in August.
7) Communication – Newsletter, Website, Social Media, MailChimp
a) Bruce reported no change, things are continuing to run smoothly.
8) Registration Set-Up and Retreat Announcements:
a) Monica is a new volunteer with skills in the area of technology. Plan is to
investigate Google Work Spaces as a better way to manage registration. It allows
multiple people to access and use the same gmail account.

9) 2024 Completed Retreats: all retreats at Goward House except the August 17-18.
Retreats are in-person only unless noted otherwise.
2024 Completed
Retreats

Date Teacher Venue Format Notes

Confirmed (Y/N)

Mar 16 & 17 Margo
McLoughlin (Y)

Goward House In person
only

Louise Takeda & Jess
Baldwin (Managers), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound), Bruce (EMERG
Responder), Kevin (VIMS
Dana), Bruce (Lost &
Found).

Apr 27 Adrianne Ross

(Y)

Goward House In person
only

Marianne Enthoven
(Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound), Host:Joyce Elliott

May 25 Kristina Bare Goward House In person
only

Joe Barrett (Manager),
June (Registrar), Bruce
(Sound). Joe’s recent
Dana talk generated an
increase in groups’
generosity. The
importance of Dana talks
was discussed.

10) 2024 Upcoming Retreats:
2024 Upcoming
Retreats

Date Teacher
Confirmed (Y/N)

Venue Format Notes

Aug 17 & 18 Ajaan Geoff (Y) UVIC
Conference Rm

Hybrid Brock/June (host), TBA
(Manager), Bruce (Sound),
TBA (Zoom Coordinator),
June (Registrar). Suzan
Denis (Zoom Host),
Contract with UVic
Degrees Catering. Rental
cost: $3507, Aranya
Refuge to pay 50%. VIMS
paid 50% ($1753.50)

Sept 14 & 15 Kate Davies (Y) Goward House In-
Person
Only

TBA (Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce (Sound)

Brock & June (Host).
Oct 19 & 20 Howie Cohn (Y) Goward House Hybrid TBA (Manager), TBA
(Zoom Coordinator), Brock
& June (Host), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

Nov 23 Brock Brown (Y) Goward House In-
Person
only

TBA (Manager), June
(Registrar), Bruce
(Sound).

11) Next Council Meeting date: September 17th, 2024 6:30 p.m.

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Victoria Insight Meditation Society
Annual General Meeting Minutes

June 9th, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Online Meeting, Victoria, BC

Agenda Items:

1. Call Meeting to Order.
Brock Brown brought the meeting to order.

2. Establish Quorum.
A quorum was established with eight members present.
Council Members: Brock Brown, June Fukushima, Kevin Keliher, Rhonda
Duncan.
Members: Brian Chapel, Joan Glover, Joyce Elliott and Sandra Joy
Absent with Regret: Council Member Bruce MacRae, Council Nominee Joe
Barrett.

3. Review and Approve Agenda.
Motion from Joan Glover to approve the agenda. Carried.

4. Approve Minutes from the AGM of June 24, 2021.
Motion from Rhonda Duncan to approve the minutes. Carried.

5. Financial Statement January to December 2021.
Motion from June Fukushima to accept the 2021 financial statement. Carried.
Action: June Fukushima will ask VIMS’ volunteer bookkeeper Wei Wu to update
the financial statement (i.e., add budgeted expenses and final total for Margo’s
2nd retreat).

Dec 31 2021
Chequing: $  1,967.37
Savings: $  13,792.61
Total: $   15,759.98

6. Review of Financial Records.
Joyce Elliott reviewed financial records. She reported books are in good shape,
well organized, all the numbers lined up, all invoices and deposits (e.g., PayPal)
were present to support the numbers in the financial records.

7. Determine if audit is required.
Joyce Elliott's opinion was that a financial audit was not necessary at this time.
Motion from Joyce Elliott that no financial audit be done. Carried.

8. Directors Reports (pre-circulated).
Motion from Joan Glover that Directors’ Reports be accepted. Carried.
The decision to stop using Constant Contact was discussed. The new software
program Lu.ma (free), had its trial run and worked well. Reasons for ending our
involvement with Constant Contact (CC) were: the CC expert (Brian Chapel) was
ending his time on council, and CC was expensive. Lu.ma is free, and in terms of
updates Lu.ma has more of a future. Plan to also change CC newsletter to
MailChimp, which is also free.

9. Election of Officers
Brock Brown (President)
Bruce MacRae (Vice President)
June Fukushima (Treasurer)
Kevin Keliher (Secretary)
Rhonda Duncan (Director)
Joe Barrett (Director) Joe submitted a letter to the Victoria IMS Board
Chairperson Brock Brown giving consent to be a Board member.

Motion from Brock Brown that the slate of officers be accepted. Carried.
Members thanked Brian Chapel for his many years as a Council member.

10. Meeting Adjournment.
Motion from Brock Brown to adjourn this meeting. Carried.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting at June and Brock’s home

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Joe Barrett (Director), Rhonda Duncan (Director), June Fukushima
(Treasurer), Kevin Keliher (Secretary) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President).
Absent:
None
Agenda Items:
1. Review and Approve Agenda
Motion from Joe to approve agenda. Carried.

2. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting September 21st, 2022
Motion from June to approve September 21, 2022 minutes. Carried.

3. Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.
a. Christina Feldman October 15-16 Retreat. Thanks to Sandra Joy for driving Christina
from Parksville to Victoria, June Fukushima and Brock Brown – hosting Christina, June
Fukushima – Registrar, Brock Brown – Retreat Coordinator, Joyce Elliott and Joe Barrett –
Managers, Bruce MacRae – Sound, June Fukushima – Zoom Coordinator and Suzan Denis –
Zoom Host. VIMS hired a driving service to drive Christina back to Parksville from Victoria
following the retreat at a cost of $350. VIMS also gave Christina $800 towards her travel costs
from the UK. RETREAT STATS: Goward House: Saturday 47, Sunday 41. Online: Saturday 55,
Sunday 52.
a. Ajahn Candasiri November 12-13 Retreat. Thanks to Sandra Joy for hosting Tea with
Ajahn Candasiri on Friday evening, Katell – Ajahn Candasiri attendant, June Fukushima –
Registrar, Brock Brown – Retreat Coordinator, Josephine Tobin and Kathy Jago – Managers,
Bruce MacRae – Sound, Metta VanderVliet – Zoom Coordinator and Suzan Denis – Zoom Host.
RETREAT STATS: Goward House: Saturday 44, Sunday 34. Online: Saturday 47, Sunday 36.
a. Ajahn Candasiri’s answers to questions was a rich part of the retreat she recently led.
Bruce asked permission to post these Q & A sessions on the website. It was agreed the
answers only would be posted.
a. Motion from Joe for Brock to purchase a USB Interface to a maximum of $300 to help
with future hybrid retreats. Carried.

4. Financial Updates
a. Coast Capital Account Statements
Accounts September 30, 2022

Chequing: $   4,380.00
Savings:    $   8,830.62
TOTAL:     $ 13,210.62

Accounts October 31, 2022

Chequing: $   7,097.24
Savings:    $   8,838.12
TOTAL:     $ 15,935.36

Accounts November 30, 2022

Chequing: $   9,417.16
Savings:    $   8,845.51
TOTAL:     $ 18,262.67
Projected Year End Balance: $15,442.67
$2,285 still to be transferred to Milntuim Hermitage, as well as a $575 payment to
be made in December to S. Denis. Motion from June to approve sending $2,285
CA to Milntuim via PayPal. Carried

b. Coast Capital Statements available for viewing at the meeting.
b. November 2022 Financial Report from Wei Wu sent by email and for viewing at
the meeting. Motion from June to approve November 2022 financial statements.
Carried
b. Donation to be made to Dharma Resources – Dharma Seed ($200 USD), Birken
Forest Monastery Video Production Fund ($250 CA), and Wat Metta Book Fund
($200 USD). Motion from Brock to approve donations to Dharma Seed, Birken
and Wat Metta. Carried
b. 2023 Budget – projecting approximately $4000 deficit. Motion from June to
approve 2023 VIMS Budget without scholarship fund. Carried.
b. Suggestions to decrease costs in 2023: some retreats in-person only (e.g., Ajahn
Jotipalo), and increase suggested Dana for VIMS. Motion from June that the
suggested dana for one day retreats be $30 and that the suggested dana for two
day retreats be $50. Carried.
Motion from June to approve Event & Directors’ Insurance. Carried.
Motion from June to contract with  Patrick Conroy to complete VIMS T2 for fiscal
year 2022. Carried.
2023 VIMS Budget Approved Dec 14 2022

5. Communication – Newsletter, Website, Constant Contact
a. Plan is to switch from Constant Contact to Mail Chimp for the VIMS Newsletter. Bruce
will contact Constant Contact and get more information regarding possible reimbursement. As of
Dec 2022, there are 1,122 people on VIMS mailing list.

6. Sunday Night Community Sit:
a. No change. Mention of this will be removed from further newsletters.

7. 2023 Upcoming Retreats:
a. All events at Goward House unless indicated otherwise.

2023 Upcoming Retreats

Mar 4, 5
Margo
McLoughlin (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid Kevin Keliher (Manager)

Apr 1, 2
Tuere Sala (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid Also on March 31, 7-8:30 Zoom evening session

Apr 29 Jeanna Corrigal with James Lowe (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid
April 30 suggestion is for Mindful
hiking/walking – location TBD. Jeanne
and James to stay at a supporters home

May20, 21
Ajahn Jotipalo (Y)
Goward House
In-Person
Joe Barrett (Manager)

Sep 23
Brock Brown (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid Rhonda Duncan (Manager)

Oct 22 Tempel Smith (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid

Nov 11, 12
Howie Cohn (Y)
Goward House
Hybrid

b. Volunteer Support – Brock requested people  offer support to assume required
positions for upcoming retreats. Several positions were filled. Brock to find others
to fill remaining positions.

8. 2023 Retreats – Dana Count.
a. Plan to continue to collect Dana before lunch and the end of each retreat day. Dana for
the teacher to be given to them at the retreat's end. No need to count it. VIMS Dana to be
placed in a sealed envelope and counted by two council members at a later date.

9. Next Council Meeting: Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30 p.m.

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. Online Meeting
Hosted in Victoria, BC

Present:

Brock Brown (chair), Joe Barrett (Director), Rhonda Duncan (Director), June Fukushima (Treasurer), Kevin Keliher (secretary) and Bruce MacRae (Vice-President). 

Absent:

None

Agenda Items: 

• Review and Approve Agenda
  Motion from Kevin to approve agenda. Carried.
• Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting July 21st, 2022
  Motion from June to approve July 21 2022 minutes. Carried.
• Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.

1. 1. Bruce MacRae and Brock Brown purchased sound equipment from Long & McQuade. Problems encountered in setting and testing the new equipment (compatibility with Zoom). Therefore, we will use the old PA system for the daylong at Goward House. Plan to return  the new sound system to Long & McQuade.

• Financial Updates

1. 1. Coast Capital Account Statements

Accounts July 31st, 2022
Chequing: $  2,243.69
Savings:    $ 13,813.31
TOTAL:     $ 16,057.00

Change in account balance from June 2022 – Expenses: S Denis hosted May retreat, P Conroy tax return, website host change and society annual fee. No income. 

Accounts August 31st, 2022
Chequing: $  893.69
Savings:    $ 13,823.23
TOTAL:     $ 14,716.29 

Change in account balance from July 2022 – Expenses: Goward House for Sept and Oct retreat rentals. $450.00 – one day and $900.00 for two days. No income.

1. Coast Capital Statements sent as a scan to Directors by email.
2. Financial Report from Wei Wu sent to Directors by email.
3. Donation to Wat Buddha Dhamma for printing of a book by Ajahn Tiradhammo. Motion from Rhonda that Victoria IMS send $200 dollars Australian to Wat Buddha Dhamma for the first book printing of “Beyond I Making” in the name of VIMS. Carried.

• Communication – Newsletter, Website, Constant Contact

1. 1. Bruce reported that he will give Suzan Denis access to the VIMS server (Host Papa) so she can upload audio files. VIMS has paid for another year for the newsletter.

• Sunday Night Community Sit: 

1. 1. No change.

• 2022 Completed Retreats: 

1. 1. February 19. Margo McLoughlin (Teacher), Joanna Stonechapel (Registrar), Kevin Keliher (Manager). Online 9-4 COMPLETED
   2. March 19 & 20. Tempel Smith (Teacher), Joyce Elliott (Manager), Sheila Whincup (Registrar). COMPLETED
   3. April 9, 10 & 11. Tuere Sala (Teacher), Metta VanderVleit (Manager), June Fukushima (Registrar). COMPLETED
   4. May 21/22 Brock Brown & Margo McLoughlin hybrid retreat at Goward House. COMPLETED.

• 2022 Upcoming Retreats:

1. All events at Goward House unless indicated otherwise.

 

2022		Upcoming Retreats
Date	Teacher Confirmed (Y/N)	Venue Booked	Format	Notes
Sep 24	Brock Brown (Y)	Goward House	Hybrid	Kevin Keliher (Manager), June Fukushima (Registrar, Zoom Coordinator & Sound Tech)
Oct 15 & 16	Christina Feldman (Y)	Goward House Aim for retreat at 50 (set 65 as max	Hybrid	Joyce Elliott, Joe Barrett (Managers), June Fukushima (Registrar, Zoom Coordinator), Bruce MacRae (Sound Tech)
Nov 12 & 13	Ajahn Candasiri (Y)	Goward House Aim for retreat at 50 (set 65 as max)	Hybrid	Kathy Jago, Josephine Tobin (Managers), June Fukushima (Registrar), Metta van der Vliet (Zoom Coordinator), Bruce MacRae (Sound Tech)

 

1. Volunteer Support – Preparation of bins, Registrar training (June).

June requested more support as she is involved with all phases of retreat operations. She reviews the Registration set-up in lu.ma with Suzan, is the Registrar, prepares the Retreat Bins, prepares the Manager’s remarks, and has been the Zoom Coordinator at Goward House. Since the  hybrid model has made things more technical, June is finding it easier to be the registrar for each retreat, instead of training a new registrar for each retreat. Rhonda volunteered to take care of and store the retreat bins. 

1. There was discussion regarding the total number of participants at Goward House. Aim for Christina Feldman’s retreat to have no more than  50 participants. (Registrations will stop at 65. This factors in the usual 30% cancellation and no-show rate. ).
2. Venue Research (Joe). Japanese Tea House on Gorge (beautiful, but quite expensive). Another venue is in the Highlands; Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary. Parking is a challenge, small and good rate.

• 2023 Retreats – discussion. 

1. 1. Possible teachers to ask 1) Tempel Smith, 2) Tuere Salsa, 3) Ajahn Jotipalo, 4) Adrianne Ross, 5) Howie Cohn, 6) Brock Brown and 7) Margo McLoughlin. Looking at three in Spring and three in the fall.

• Next Council Meeting: Wednesday, November 23rd at 6:30 p.m.

 

VIMS Council Meeting Minutes
Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. Online Meeting
hosted in Victoria, BC

Present:
Brock Brown (chair), Brian Chapel, Rhonda Duncan, June Fukushima, and Kevin Keliher (secretary)

Absent with Regrets:
Bruce MacRae.

Agenda Items:
1. Review and Approve Agenda
Motion from Brock to approve agenda. Carried.

2. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting January  20th, 2022

A change in the circulated draft minutes was noted in item #3b: $250 USD for Dharma Seed was changed to $200 USD for Dharma Seed. Motion from June to approve minutes. Carried.

3. Business arising from the Minutes and Updates.

1. 1. No new business

4. Financial Updates

1. 1. Coast Capital Account Statements
      Accounts January 31st 2022
      Chequing: $1967.37
      Savings: $13,793.78
      TOTAL: $15,761.15

Accounts February 28th, 202
Chequing: $2,417.37
Savings: $13,794.84
TOTAL: $16,212.21

The CRA sent notice of completion of filling of the T2 for the 2020 fiscal year. Pat Conroy’s bill was $630 includes tax. 

5. Sunday Night Community Sit:
Due to the COVID-19 situation the in-person Sunday Sit remains on hold. This decision will be revisited in the fall.

6. Communications – Newsletter, Website, and Constant Contact.

1. 1. Motion from June: Victoria IMS contract with Suzan Denis to provide services related to setting up the retreat registration process and emails at $25 per hour. The contract will include training time with Brian Chapel. Carried.
   2. Constant Contact now requires two-factor authentication. This has complicated sharing the registration process with different registrars. Contracting with someone like Suzan Denis to be the permanent registrar would simplify this process. Another option is to change from Constant Contact to Lu.ma. June suggests using Lu.ma software for the May retreat as it is free and has a simpler authentication process June is also willing to coordinate the next Constant Contact registrar process for the April retreat as she is the Registrar. To re-evaluate this in a few months.

7. 2022 AGM.

1. 1. Reports due before the next Board meeting, by May 5th.
   2. Nominations for new Board members. Council considered potential board members. Brock Brown to follow up with one person who was nominated.
   3. Change date of AGM to June 9th, 2022 at 6:30.
   4. June suggested that new members be considered. Two potential members will be contacted. Adding new members is a Board decision.

8. 2022 Completed Retreats: 

1. 1. February 19th – Margo McLoughin – Joanna Stonechapel Registrar, Kevin Keliher Manager. Online 9am – 4 p.m. Attendance Saturday: 40

9. 2022 Retreats:

1. May 21, 22 retreat is planned as a hybrid. This will include an in-person component. With the BC government changes in COVID-19 related safety protocols, Council reviewed the decisions for in-person retreats. Council agreed to:

• Participants will be required to be double-vaccinated
• Maximum registration of 50 participants with the expectation that 30% of those registering will cancel and that the number of participants will be approx. 35.  Goward House maximum is 110.
• Chairs/meditation sitting will be set up 2 meters apart.
• Masks will be required except for when seated in meditation.
• A door will be left open for air circulation.
• Hand sanitizer will be available in common areas – supplied by VIMS.
• The downstairs men’s washroom will be single-use for all genders. A stool will be used to prop open the door to indicate it’s not in use.
• A kettle will be available for those wanting to make tea. No other supplies will be set out.
• Participants eating inside will be asked to sit apart from one another.

Kevin shared documents from the Victoria Camera Club that could be used as a template for securing  participant’s consent with Victoria IMS retreat COVID-19 protocols.

Rhonda has prepared new dana boxes that have slits on the top to minimize handling of the dana boxes when placing donations in the boxes,

All events at Goward House unless indicated otherwise.

 

2022		Upcoming Retreats
Date	Teacher Confirmed (Y/N)	Venue Booked	Format	Notes
Mar 19/20	Tempel Smith (Y)	Online	Online	Joyce Elliott Manager. Sheila Whincup Registrar
Apr 9/10	Tuere Sala (Y)	Online	Online	Friday evening talk. Metta Manager, June Registrar
May 21/22	Brock (21) & Margo (22)	Goward House	Hybrid	Manager Margo (21) & Brock (22)
Jun 25/26	Bonnie Duran(Y)	Shoal Center	Hybrid	David Axon Manager
Sep 17	Brock Brown (Y)	Goward House	Hybrid
Oct 15/16	Christine Feldman (Y)	Goward House	Hybrid
Nov 12/13	Ajahn Candasirii (Y)	Goward House	Hybrid	Nun coming from Scotland, Katherine Leslie Manager

10. Next Council Meeting: Thursday, May 12th at 6:30 p.m.