Waado progressive union

Section1: The name of the organization shall be Waado Progressive Union (a.k.a. W.P.U.) and (hereinafter referred to as the “Union”) of Greater Kansas City.

Section 2: The Union may at its pleasure by a vote of the membership body change its name.

Section 3: The Union shall be a non-profit organization of Urhobo and Isoko people resident in Greater Kansas City, and shall seek to maintain a tax-exempt status.

Section 4: Nothing in Article 1 Section 3 precludes the Union from establishing for-profit subsidiary organizations for the economic benefit of the Union or its members provided that such subsidiaries shall be registered as separate legal entities.

Section 5: The Union shall have a seal and an emblem which shall be in the following form: a lion and a palm tree in the background.

Section 6: The Union shall have as its motto: Unity is Strength.

The following are the purposes for which the Union has been organized:

Section 1: To provide opportunities for association and interaction among the Urhobo and Isoko people of Greater Kansas City.

Section 2: To disseminate the Urhobo and Isoko cultural values, beliefs and traditions to Greater Kansas City community.

Section 3: To promote unity among the Urhobo and Isoko people in a safe environment with absolute respect for the laws of United States of America.

Section 4: To provide scholarship opportunities to the sons and daughters of members in American colleges and universities and abroad.

Section 5: To provide educational opportunities to community members on the language, customs and traditions of Urhobo and Isoko people.

Section 6: To foster community development by providing material and non-material assistance to individuals, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the Greater Kansas City area and abroad.

Section 1: Membership in the Union shall be opened to all sons and daughters of Urhobo and Isoko descents (either by birth or marriage).

Section 2: Membership in the Union shall comprise of voting, associate, and honorary members.

Section 3: Voting members shall be all that are in good standing (financial and attendance) and reside in the Greater Kansas City area.

Section 4: Associate members shall be all who are full-time students in American colleges and universities. Such members shall automatically become voting members upon completion of their post-secondary school studies.

Section 5: Honorary membership shall be opened to all who are Urhobo and Isoko citizens living outside Kansas City metropolitan and abroad; and those who are non-Urhobo and non-Isoko citizens but interested in the culture and traditions of the Urhobo and Isoko people.

Section 6: Any member may be suspended or expelled from the Union for conduct obviously contrary to the Constitution of the Union, or for conduct which impairs the rights of the members to enjoy the benefits of the Union.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Section 1: Members shall be entitled as follows to a monetary support or compensation.

Clause 1: All voting members shall be entitled to a maximum amount of fifty ($50.00) dollars and a greeting card in the event of an addition of a child (either by birth or by adoption) to their families.

Clause 2: All voting members or their children shall be entitled to a maximum amount of fifty ($50.00) dollars and a greeting card in the event of graduation, promotion, marriage, birthday, anniversary, naming ceremony, house warming, or any other occasion. .

Clause 3: All voting members shall be entitled to a maximum amount of fifty ($50.00) dollars, a greeting card, balloon or flowers, and hospital visit upon hospitalization; and a home-visit after discharge from a healthcare facility.

Clause 4: A member’s immediate family shall be entitled to a maximum amount of one-thousand ($1000.00) dollars plus a maximum amount of one-hundred ($100.00) dollars from individual members upon the death of a member toward his or her burial.

Clause 5: A member’s immediate family shall be entitled to a maximum amount of five-hundred ($500.00) dollars plus a maximum amount of fifty ($50.00) dollars from individual members upon the death of a member’s child, parent or in-laws toward the funeral.

Clause 6: Members or their children shall be entitled to a one-time five-hundred ($500.00) dollars scholarship award to be disbursed at two-hundred-fifty ($250.00) dollars per semester upon admission of members or their children to pursue an Associate, Bachelors, Advanced degrees or Diplomas.

Section 2: Interested members are entitled to receive an interest-free loan of not more than one-thousand ($1000.00) dollars to be paid back within six months. The loan shall be disbursed based on need and the circumstances of the borrower; and will be subject to the approval of the Members’ Benefits Committee.

Section 3: Interested members shall have the option to buy a discounted medical, dental, vision, and life group insurance based on availability and underwriters requirements or criteria.

Section 4: All Voting members’ children shall be entitled to participate in free summer classes that teaches the history, language, and culture of Urhobo and Isoko people; and/or college preparatory classes or programs such as ACT and SAT standardized tests. Non-Union members’ children may participate in the summer programs by paying a fee to offset materials costs.

Section 5: All members shall be entitled to enjoy the support and assistance of other members in search of college admissions, jobs, and career counseling.

Section 6: All members shall formally inform the Union in writing before they can be entitled to any benefits.

Members shall forfeit all benefits if they are unable to actively participate (financial and attendance) for three consecutive months in the operation of the Union.

The Union shall set aside the Third Saturday of August each year as “Waado Day” (also referred to as Waado Anniversary).

Section 1: Regular meeting of the Union shall be held on the last Sunday of each month.

Section 2: The Secretary shall e-mail every member a week before regular meeting at his or her e-mail address as it appears in the membership roll book in the Union a notice telling the time and place of such meeting. He or she shall also inform members of regular meeting date, time and place through telephone calls.

Section 3: The presence of not less than 51% of the members shall constitute a quorum and shall be necessary to conduct the business of the Union; but a lesser percentage may adjourn the meeting until the next regularly scheduled meeting set forth by this constitution. A quorum as herein set forth shall be required at any adjourned meeting.

Section 4: The President may call Special meeting of the Union when he or she deems fit for the best interest of the Union. Notices of such meeting shall be e- mailed by the Secretary to all members at their e-mail addresses as they appear in the membership roll book. Such notice shall state the reasons that such meeting has been called and the business to be transacted at such meeting. No other business but that specified in the notice may be transacted at such special meeting without the unanimous consent of all present at such meeting.

Section 1: At all meetings except for the election of officers, all votes shall be by voice through the process of “roll call” by the Secretary. For the election of officers, ballots shall be provided and there shall not be any place on the ballot that might tend to indicate the person who cast such vote.

Section 2: At any regular or special meeting, if a majority so requires, any question may be voted upon in the manner and style provided for the election of officers.

Section 3: At all votes by ballot, the President shall prior to the commencement of balloting, appoint a committee of three (3) who shall act as “Inspectors of Election” and who shall, at the conclusion of such balloting certify in writing to the President the results; and the certified copy shall be physically affixed in the minute book to the minutes of that meeting.

Section 4: No inspector of election shall be a candidate for office or shall be personally interested in the question voted upon.

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

2. Reading of the Minutes of the preceding meeting

3. Reports of Committees

4. Reports of Officers

5. Old and Unfinished Business

6. New Business

7. Adjournments

1. Central Executive Committee (C.E.C.)

2. Youth Affairs and Cultural Committee (Y.A.C.C.)

3. Community Programming and Special Events Committee (C.P.S.E.C.)

4. Hospitality and Courtesy Committee (H.C.C.)

5. Economic Development and Empowerment Committee (E.D.E.C.)

6. Members’ Benefits Committee (M.B.C.)

7. Discipline and Conflict Resolution Committee (D.C.R.C.)

Section 1: The Central Executive Committee shall be responsible for all special assignments as prescribed by the Office of the President.

Section 2: The Youth Affairs and Cultural Committee shall be responsible for all youth programming. It shall educate the community on Urhobo and Isoko culture, customs and traditions.

Section 3: The Community Programming and Special Events Committee shall be responsible for all Waado social activities and events, community development, and leadership.

Section 4: The Hospitality and Courtesy Committee shall be responsible for welcoming all new members to the community, make phone calls to members and visit them as the need arises.

Section 5: The Economic Development and Empowerment Committee shall be responsible for economic programming that will benefit members and the community at large.

Section 6: The Members Benefits Committee shall be responsible for administration of all benefits programs.

Section 7: The Discipline and Conflict Resolution Committee shall be responsible for members’ discipline, investigate and resolve conflicts among members as they occur.

Section 1: The elected officers of the Union shall be as follows: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Secretary (known as the Spokesperson or Otota) and other officers as necessary.

Section 2: Powers and Duties of Officers:

Clause 1: The President shall preside at all membership meetings of the Union. He or she shall be the spokesperson of the Union, representing policies, views and opinions of the Union in its relations with the Urhobo and Isoko people and the community at large. The President shall present to the general house a budget and a calendar of programs for the fiscal year at each January meeting. He or she shall be one of the officers that may sign checks or drafts of the Union, and has further powers and duties as prescribed by the Union.

Clause 2: The Vice President shall in the event of the absence or inability of the President to exercise his or her office become Acting President of the Union with all rights, privileges and powers as if he or she had been duly elected President. He or she shall be the spokesperson of the Union, representing policies, views and opinions of the Union in its relations with the Urhobo and Isoko people and the community at large. He or she performs all legal duties as assigned by the President.

Clause 3: The Secretary takes minutes of all meetings of the Union, files minutes, and submits required copies to all Union members. He or she is responsible for all Union correspondence and keeps copies of all correspondence on file. He or she shall apply and file any certificate required by any statue, Federal or State. He or she must be one of the officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the Union. He or she acts as historian and maintains all records of the Union.

Clause 4: The Financial Secretary shall render to the general house a quarterly financial report stating the income and expenditure of the Union; and such report shall be physically affixed to the minutes of the Union at such meeting. He or she shall file Federal and State Tax Returns each year, and also ensure that the Union’s Tax Exempt status is maintained.

Clause 4: The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all monies belonging to the Union and shall be solely responsible for such monies or securities of the Union. He or she shall cause to be deposited in regular business bank or trust company all monies belonging to the Union. He or she must be one of the officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the Union. He or she shall render to the general house on a regularly scheduled monthly meeting a written account of the finances of the Union; and such report shall be physically affixed to the minutes of the Union at such meeting.

Clause 5: The Publicity Secretary shall be responsible for disseminating the interests and programs of the Union to the general public through the media. He or she shall be the “Otota” (spokesperson) of the Union at various occasions and perform other functions as assigned by the President.

Section 3: No officer shall for reason of his or her office be entitled to receive any salary or compensation, but nothing herein shall be construed to prevent an officer for receiving any compensation from the Union for duties other than as an officer.

Section 4: All officers must be voting members of the Union in good standing as prescribed in this constitution.

Section 1: Officers are elected once every two years.

Section 2: Notice of election is communicated to members at the September meeting and potential officers are to file with the office of Inspector of Elections at the October meeting.

Section 3: All applications for offices must be accompanied by at least two signatures from active members.

Section 4: Elections of officers shall be conducted by secret ballot at the December meeting, and elected officers shall be sworn in at the January meeting.

Section 5: Petition by one-fourth (or 25%) of the total number of members is cause for a recall election. The offense must be stated in writing and submitted by a member. After the offense is submitted to the Union, the offending officer has the right to a 48-hour notice of a hearing by the D.C.R. Committee.. A recall election will be conducted as a “Special Election” and requires an affirmative vote of 51% of the total membership.

Section 6: The President of the Union shall serve not more than two consecutive terms, while all other officers may serve unlimited terms as long as they are re-elected.

Section 7: In the event an elected officer is unable to fulfill his or her term of office, there will be a “Special Election”. Any eligible member, including those already holding office can be nominated for a vacant officer position.

Section 1: An attorney may be employed as a legal advisor to advise the Union on legal and constitutional matters, and may also represent and protect the interests of the members on all legal matters.

Section 2: An auditor may be employed to advise the Union on all statues (Federal and State) relating to finances of not-for-profit organization. He or she shall be required to audit the outgoing executives and render a comprehensive Audit Report to the general house at the March meeting; and a copy of such report to be affixed to the minutes of the meeting.

Section 1: The Union shall assess members a one-time non-refundable registration fee of fifty ($50.00) dollars per family (husband, wife, and children) and thereafter, a monthly due of twenty ($20.00) dollars per voting member and shall be payable on the last Sunday of each month.

Section 2: The Union shall not assess associate members any monthly dues.

Section 3: Other sources of income includes but not limited to grants, fund-raising events and activities, and donations from individuals and corporations in U.S and abroad.

Section 4: All monies shall be deposited into the Union’s account at U.S. Bank through the Office of the Treasurer.

Section 5: Members WILL not be entitled to a refund of their contribution (money or time) if they cease to be members either voluntarily or by suspension or expulsion.

Section 1: The Union shall file Federal and State Tax Returns each year on or before the due date as established by the Internal Revenue Service Tax policies and guidelines through Office of the Financial Secretary. A copy of the Tax Returns (Federal and State) shall be affixed to the minutes of the Union.

Section 2: The Union shall maintain a Tax-Exempt status, and all Federal and State laws pertinent to this status must be adhered to.

Section 1: Proposed constitutional amendments or changes will be presented in writing to the general house at a regular meeting. The amendment will be voted on one meeting after the initial amendment was proposed.

Section 2: Approval by 51% of the general body present at a regular meeting will pass the proposed amendment. The amendment is immediately effective unless otherwise stipulated in the proposal.

Section 1: In the event the Union become defunct, all assets shall be transferred to another not-for-profit organization to be used to promote community programming and leadership development in our society.

Section 1: The Union shall be affiliated with the national Urhobo and Isoko organizations of North America and the world in general.

Section 2: A copy of the Union’s constitution may be filed with national Urhobo and Isoko organizations and all other governmental and non-governmental institutions as required by law.

Section 1: This constitution was approved on 27th day of February, 2005 by the entire membership of the Union as signed below:

1. Cletus Obahor

2. Patience Obahor

3. Paul Awusa

4. Allen Oghenejobo

5. Patricia Oghenejobo

6. Godfrey Panama

7. Faith Panama

8. Monday Egbedeju

9. Ovie Egbedeju

10. Alex Akpojarho

11. Ogba Ogaga

12. Kisiena Egbedeju