Hi everyone,
These past two weeks have been really crazy for me. Power was out for 48 hours; I was supposed to go to my retreat in the forests of Mendocino, Ca to install a new part to fix a pump, so we would have water for the winter. I stayed home and ate melting ice cream instead, and watched a Quentin Tarantino movie on my iPad by candlelight with my wife, as 70+ mph winds howled. That was 2 weeks ago. It seems my route was blocked by the Kincade Fire. The highways north from SF were closed. Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated from areas East of 101 from Geyserville, west to the pacific at Stuarts Point, south to Jenner..Wow. I waited until the next week to go to fix the problem with the pump. I was concerned about Mike, so I texted him to make sure he was ok. As I suspected, Mike was helping evacuated animals, but was safe.
I have been busy with many things over the past year. My own health issues have been continually changing theses past few years. I have had some interesting and shocking surprises. Perhaps I should take the chance to share this with you in detail, if I get the time to hit the blogs.
During this time I have also been spending a lot of it reflecting upon, researching BrainTalk Communities Inc., and thinking about everything that is, well, frankly broken. Really, I came up with the Nonprofit organization, and that perhaps we need a little attitude adjustments.
As a healthy NPO, BTC Inc needed to be fixed. We cannot continually operate our online community, accept donations, unless our organization is perfectly in good standing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Then, the next step would be to make sure this was ok with the IRS. Yes, but only until the end of tax year 2019. We need to get busy and refile now! It will be good until tax year 2022.
We are making progress. 2020 should see a new year for BrainTalk.
I have been working hard on a plan for a revival of BT for a while now. Though I feel that we, as a community, are ready to begin the first levels of preparation.
As one who came here as a member, I know have done my best to never forget this perspective when looking at the community. Now as Directors of the community, I'd hope that you might think of Mike and myself not as "administrators" but more “ambassadors” if you will, doing our best in keeping your perspectives in mind for what is in the best interests of the community for all members, both current, and future, for a healthy neurological community of patients and caregivers, seeking peer support and information.
As the community grows, we plan that new directors may be transitioned from our community to the board of directors, thus creating a more member weighted board of directors, and member run organization.
Responsibilities of actually getting things done for BrainTalk Communities Inc may eventually fall upon us. The members. The ones that care about this community the most.
I ask, who is going to run it the best? Those that observe and study it, or those that depend upon it?
We the Members can become the so called "Powers that be."
I originally volunteered back in 2002 as a BT epilepsy chatroom mod. Now look where I ended up.
Well actually, I originally, like many others, flocked to BrainChat. I became a chatroom junkie thanks to BrainChat and fellow members back then. Those were fun times.
I seem to also remember a time when the policy here at BrainTalk/BrainChat was to always evolve with the times. That policy has been neglected for too long. We need a boost to get us out of years of obsolescence. I am requesting that we budget for some extensive upgrades to bring us up to date.
We will have our BrainChat back! A modern technology version of it. Perhaps a BrainTalk app for your tablet and phone sound nice?
We will see what blows in.
Please have patience, there's some official filings to be done. That stuff takes time.
Once the filings are complete, and the NPO BrainTalk Communities, Inc. is 100% in good standing, and we are ready to move with everything,
I will make another announcement regarding the status of the NPO, any relevant filings, and our next steps.
These past two weeks have been really crazy for me. Power was out for 48 hours; I was supposed to go to my retreat in the forests of Mendocino, Ca to install a new part to fix a pump, so we would have water for the winter. I stayed home and ate melting ice cream instead, and watched a Quentin Tarantino movie on my iPad by candlelight with my wife, as 70+ mph winds howled. That was 2 weeks ago. It seems my route was blocked by the Kincade Fire. The highways north from SF were closed. Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated from areas East of 101 from Geyserville, west to the pacific at Stuarts Point, south to Jenner..Wow. I waited until the next week to go to fix the problem with the pump. I was concerned about Mike, so I texted him to make sure he was ok. As I suspected, Mike was helping evacuated animals, but was safe.
I have been busy with many things over the past year. My own health issues have been continually changing theses past few years. I have had some interesting and shocking surprises. Perhaps I should take the chance to share this with you in detail, if I get the time to hit the blogs.
During this time I have also been spending a lot of it reflecting upon, researching BrainTalk Communities Inc., and thinking about everything that is, well, frankly broken. Really, I came up with the Nonprofit organization, and that perhaps we need a little attitude adjustments.
As a healthy NPO, BTC Inc needed to be fixed. We cannot continually operate our online community, accept donations, unless our organization is perfectly in good standing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Then, the next step would be to make sure this was ok with the IRS. Yes, but only until the end of tax year 2019. We need to get busy and refile now! It will be good until tax year 2022.
We are making progress. 2020 should see a new year for BrainTalk.
I have been working hard on a plan for a revival of BT for a while now. Though I feel that we, as a community, are ready to begin the first levels of preparation.
As one who came here as a member, I know have done my best to never forget this perspective when looking at the community. Now as Directors of the community, I'd hope that you might think of Mike and myself not as "administrators" but more “ambassadors” if you will, doing our best in keeping your perspectives in mind for what is in the best interests of the community for all members, both current, and future, for a healthy neurological community of patients and caregivers, seeking peer support and information.
As the community grows, we plan that new directors may be transitioned from our community to the board of directors, thus creating a more member weighted board of directors, and member run organization.
Responsibilities of actually getting things done for BrainTalk Communities Inc may eventually fall upon us. The members. The ones that care about this community the most.
I ask, who is going to run it the best? Those that observe and study it, or those that depend upon it?
We the Members can become the so called "Powers that be."
I originally volunteered back in 2002 as a BT epilepsy chatroom mod. Now look where I ended up.
Well actually, I originally, like many others, flocked to BrainChat. I became a chatroom junkie thanks to BrainChat and fellow members back then. Those were fun times.
I seem to also remember a time when the policy here at BrainTalk/BrainChat was to always evolve with the times. That policy has been neglected for too long. We need a boost to get us out of years of obsolescence. I am requesting that we budget for some extensive upgrades to bring us up to date.
We will have our BrainChat back! A modern technology version of it. Perhaps a BrainTalk app for your tablet and phone sound nice?
We will see what blows in.
Please have patience, there's some official filings to be done. That stuff takes time.
Once the filings are complete, and the NPO BrainTalk Communities, Inc. is 100% in good standing, and we are ready to move with everything,
I will make another announcement regarding the status of the NPO, any relevant filings, and our next steps.
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