MINUTES
of Endless Mountains Pennsylvanians for Human Life Meeting
(a local chapter of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation)
September 8, 2005

Time: Came to order at 7:42PM by moderator pro tem, J Kershner. R Lyle prayed.

Location: Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital, Wellsboro
Number in Attendance: 5
Minutes: Of 6/9/05 were approved as presented.

Matters of Business:

  1. Previous meetings
    No official meeting were held in July: only two were in attendance on 7/14. No meeting was held in August, because the second Thursday of the month conflicted with the Tioga County Fair when we had workers at our education table. Therefore, the last official meeting was held on 6/9.
    Note: our group should advertise meetings to held eleven times per year only [instead of twelve], since every year there is a conflict with the above fair in August.
  2. Re: officers
    Our Chairman Mario Branciforte has moved to New Mexico. Our Vice-Chairman Nick Cavagnaro is planning to move out of the area. Therefore, we are in need of electing new officers. But since only five are in attendance tonight, we will postpone elections until the October 13 meeting. The secretary will try to send out a letter to previous attendees to encourage attendance on 10/13.
    J Kershner agreed to serve as interim moderator in place of a chairman.
  3. Finances
    The Treasurer reported a balance of $1,583.82.
    The amount of $191.90 [with postage/handling] was spent by our treasurer for our group’s own set of soft prenatal baby models -- these arrived on time for use at the Tioga Co. Fair.
    Concerning our bank account: the requirement to have two signatures for a check has been changed to only require one. Mario Branciforte’s name has been removed, allowing treasurer Susan Strange to sign checks alone.
  4. Address of organization.
    The previous address for EMPfHL was the Brancifortes’ at 73 Walnut St, Wellsboro. Joel & Kathy Kershner agreed to have their address be the new one for EMPfHL: 21 E Elmira St, Mansfield, PA, 16933.
  5. Fairs & our education table
    A- Tioga County Fair, Whitneyville (8/10-12). Things went fine. Bob Lyle was interviewed on the local radio station, which offered us another interview sometime.
    For next year: consider making our own educational display [like the one we had borrowed for previous times from the Harrisburg office]; adapt our cloth banner or make a new “EMPfHL” sign to be hang above the table on the wall, for greater visibility to passersby.
    B- Fall Harvest Festival, Wellsboro (10/1, from 9AM to 5PM). Instead of selling baked goods, agreed to simply sell candy (lollipop baby pacifiers) alongside of the literature we hope to distribute. Three agreed to help.
  6. Life Chains
    The Life Chains for several towns in Tioga County are to be held on Sunday, 10/2, from 2:30-3:30PM.
  7. Real Alternatives in Mansfield
    On 8/23 this organization emptied the office they occupied in Grace Fellowship Church. The two workers explained again how they regretted the loss of state funding for this office, making this closure necessary.
    However, we tonight discussed preliminary information about inviting the CPC (crisis pregnancy center) from Canton to set up a satellite office where Real Alternatives used to meet. The Canton group is connected with the national group Care Net, and already has satellite offices in Towanda and Dushore. J Kershner spoke to their director, expressing that EMPfHL has an office they can use, plus possible funding of $100/month for the first year.

Next meeting: Thursday, October 13 at 7:30PM
Adjournment: At 8:50PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
J Kershner, Secretary