11/18/2011
There appears to be some misunderstanding what occurred with the Mehlville-Oakville Alumni Association. We hope to clarify some points.
The mission statement has always been for the MOAA to give back to the schools. The MOAA was not setup or designed as a club for alumni parties.
The prior officers worked and struggled for years attempting to bring the organization to life and maintain their mission statement. We followed in their shoes and were met with the same struggles.
In 2009 papers were filed with the state to make the organization a non-profit, public benefit corporation. That gave the MOAA some tax benefits. With that came multiple rules.
The state regulates how a non-profit is run and how the money is used. All money from events is considered a donation. The officers are legally held responsible for the organization and the actions of any workers.
There were several factors that lead to the decision to dissolve the non-profit corporation.
• Loss of key members
o Attendance at meetings and events dropped from 15-20 to 6-8
o Resigned officers
o Overworked and burned out workers
• Inability to attract additional members
o Alumni unwilling to participate due to constant bickering at meetings and events
o Frustration and anger towards each other about the organizations problems
• Inability to meet our financial goals
o This year was our best year and we spent twice as much as we generated
o We would not have been able to give back to the schools beyond this year
o Depleted cash reserves
• Chasing the dollar syndrome
o Succumbed to the temptation of developing programs to attract the dollar without success.
o Frantic fundraising efforts
o Non-profit status was placed in jeopardy
We consulted with a Lawyer and the Attorney General. The assets were not mismanaged we followed the states directions and we were required to turn all the assets over to the state or donate them to a non-profit. The schools qualified as a non-profit. Since this was in accordance with our mission statement all assets were split between the two high schools. The assets were not mismanaged we followed the guidance of the Lawyer and the Attorney General.
The money was ear marked to replace and maintain the senior pictures in a frame with Plexiglas covering. That was a project the MOAA started in the 1980’s. Both schools did not have the funds to continue or maintain the photos. The physical assets were also given to the schools. Both principals were grateful for the donations and will put them to good use.
We came to realize that with the current economy everyone is struggling and they do not have the expendable cash they may have had in the past. Your time is also tied up with work and family. We would encourage you to make donations to your school as money permits. They always have a list of needs. We would also encourage the alumni to attend your reunions and associate with one another in a social setting.
The MOAA Officers
