CARE drafting bylaws to enhance accountability and transparency

The non-profit Commonwealth Advocates for Recovery Efforts is in the midst of drafting its bylaws that will serve as its basic rules, policies, and procedures and enhance accountability and transparency.

According to CARE director Jenny Hegland, the bylaws have not been finalized and input will be sought from their subcommittees: the steering committee; communications, resource development and donations management; case management and spiritual/emotional care; construction; workforce recovery; public health; and volunteer management.

In section 3 under article 2 of the draft, “CARE is organized exclusively for the charitable purpose of and the promotion of social welfare by providing coordinated management of the long-term recovery to residents of the CNMI…who do not have adequate personal resources for basic needs as a result of disaster.”

The draft states that its board of directors is to be referred to as the steering committee.

The draft defines the roles of the subcommittees as follows: volunteer management facilitates volunteer involvement in community recovery projects such as the ongoing debris removal; construction is defined as the coordination and scheduling of all rebuilding projects for cases approved by the CARE process; workforce development is the promotion of job placement and workforce training opportunities in activities performed by CARE; case management and spiritual/emotional cares provides coordination with network partner case managers and provides counseling to address the emotional and spiritual needs of clients; communications, resource development and donations management disseminates relevant information to the public about the plans, ongoing work and successes as well as the management of its website and the securing of grants and funding received; and the public health committee promotes health resources and addresses unmet needs during the recovery stage, which to date, includes the implementation of a mobile clinic.

Presently, the chair for the steering committee is Lauri Ogumoro of Karidat; chair for communications, resource development and donations management is Glen Hunter; chair for the construction committee is Sonya Dancoe; chair for workforce recovery is lieutenant governor chief of staff Matthew Deleon Guerrero; and chair for volunteer management is Shelane Borja.

If you’d like to volunteer or would like additional information on CARE, log onto www.cnmicare.com. (Daisy Demapan)