Le mot du Délégué général
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Dear Friends,
During its convention in Bonita Springs at the end of last month, the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, Inc. elected a new president to replace Jane Bernbach, who has come to the end of her two three-year terms on the board of directors. The Délégation générale would like to thank the outgoing President for the work she did in the spirit of Délégation and Federation cooperation, initiated by Carole Crosby, and would also like to congratulate Mimi Gregory on her election. In implementing an amendment adopted by the Federation’s General Assembly, the new president will officially assume her responsibilities on January 1, 2009.
In January, the Alliance Française worldwide network will assemble in Paris for the annual Colloque. As a reminder, the dates are the 27th – 29th and registrations should be sent directly to the Fondation.
There is another annual meeting approaching that will reunite executive directors, pedagogical and cultural directors and media librarians of the Alliance Française’s American network. This meeting will be hosted by the Alliance Française de Houston on February 19th and 20th and registrations are now being accepted. A pre-program is already available, subject to change.
To wrap up this note, a few administrative details:
As of mid-November, we are still waiting for some of this network’s Alliance Française chapters to send their by-laws, as was requested by the Fondation Alliance Française.
The by-laws, which are to be sent in English and in French if a French version exists, must be sent to us as soon as possible. Please also send a copy of the letter of recognition from the Alliance Française de Paris or from the Federation, when the latter was authorized to act in that capacity. As officially registered organizations within the state where they were founded, every Alliance Françiase chapter should be able to obtain a copy of the by-laws by enquiring with the state or with the IRS, if the Alliance is listed on the federal 501(c)(3) register.
I would also like to draw your attention to the importance of regularly verifying with the government whether these by-laws conform to the state’s statute law. It is also important to verify whether the license granting the organization its legal existence needs to be renewed regularly, as is the case in some states. Several Alliances Françaises are now in delicate situations and in need of help from an attorney for not having seen to this formality…
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wish you a very happy holiday.
Cordially,
Thierry