President's Report 2006

Ken Mandzuik

I am pleased once again to provide my annual report at the end of another good year for MARL. This year presented us with some challenges that we were happily able to deal with. For the first time in many years, MARL did not take part in the Asper Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program. This has been a key part of our education strategy for some time but I am happy to report that our Education Committee is already working on an exciting new program with the generous financial assistance of the Winnipeg Foundation. Another challenge that we faced this year came with some unanticipated lease costs due mostly to increased heating bills in our space. We recently were able to negotiate a new lease for another term, which will lower make our costs more manageable and remove the possibility of similar expensive surprises.

This is my last report to MARL as its president, as after six years on your board, term limits kick in to prevent presidency for life. I would like to take this chance to offer my thanks to a number of people. First is thanks to our membership. Without your continued support and interest in human rights and civil liberties, there would be no MARL. I encourage you to keep involved and spread the word of what MARL does. An increased membership will ensure that MARL will be able to continue its work well into the foreseeable future.

I also would like to thank the members of our board for their support, dedication and hard work over the last year. Despite family and work commitments, all members of our board have made time for MARL. We could not function at the level we do without their volunteer sacrifice, and I thank them for their dedication (and for putting up with my skewed sense of humour and reality at our board meetings). I offer a special thanks to Peter Sim who is leaving our board, after being involved with MARL for many years. Thanks too are owing to the United Way-our main funder. Without the continued support of the United Way there would be no MARL.

My final thanks go to our Executive Director. Valerie Price has steered the board and the organization for as long as I have been around. She is an invaluable resource and one of our greatest assets. Valerie, thanks for keeping the board and organization working so well. Thanks to you and Bill for your hard work and support and for representing MARL so well to the outside world.

Over the summer, we will be identifying our next President, who will formally take the reins at our first board meeting in the autumn. I will continue to serve on the board in an ex officio capacity as past president. Happily, mine are not big shoes to fill, and I look forward to working with our new board.