Extra note included from Michelle Linnen. See below
Welcome: Chris Tompkins
- I officially declare that the accepted date to start celebrating Christmas is AFTER American Thanksgiving NOT after Halloween. (many people disagreed in the “chat”. Jamie & Lauren put their tree up on October 30!)
Devo: Sunder Krishnan
- Psalm 11
- See PowerPoint attached
Goodbye to Michelle Linnen
Chris T:
- it's time to say good-bye to Michelle Linnen. When I think of Michelle I remember back to when I was taking a bit more of a lead with the finance department with Ron gone. It was evident that we needed help with payroll. There was so much on their shoulders. We had been praying about it alot, then in a random conversation that Sandra had, Michelle shared that maybe she could come back in a different role – it was an absolute answer to prayer. God orchestrated that in what was seemingly a random way, but He put together this cool season where Michelle could support the team in a real way. She is a reminder to me of how God works these things out for us.
Sandra:
- I have been given the sad task of saying good-bye to Michelle. You came back at God's perfect timing as we entered a difficult season. It was tough at times. You took payroll and you ran with it. It's in your nature and who you are to fully dedicate yourself. Your due diligence is so evident. You were my professional highlight many times. We are saying good-bye to an employee, but not a friend. The words that were submitted describe the “person” of you which says alot. Please know that no matter where God takes you, you are ALWAYS welcome at Muskoka Woods – there will always be a job here for you. I wish you the very best and God's blessing on you as you head into the next season of your life. Thank you for coming along at the perfect time and the amazing work that you did. You will be missed.
Note from Michelle:
- As I am finishing up my time at Muskoka Woods I would like to say a big “THANK YOU”! It has been a pleasure to be back at MW for the last 2 years! When we moved back to Ottawa in 2017, it did not cross my mind that it would be possible to be on staff again, but as Chris mentioned today – it came about in such a God way and was just the right timing. It has been a huge blessing to work with the “Funance” team 😊. Sandra, Chris, Ron and Jim, you welcomed me back so well and what a joy to work with you. Sonja and Bryson, I have loved being on a team together and getting to know you! I am so thankful for your amazing support in this decision and transition. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such an amazing organization! I have learned, grown and been impacted both professionally and personally. I will miss my involvement on a staff level for sure, but am so happy that many of you are good friends and I certainly hope we will keep in touch.
Thank you for the goodbye and lovely words today Chris and Sandra!
Blessings,Michelle
Organization Updates: Chris Tompkins
- Schools & Groups – looking ahead to early next year, there is still alot of uncertainty. We were forced to make a decision regarding limiting what we can do. School boards were not able to confirm their attendance, which affects our ability to properly arrange for staff. We will be open and hosting weekend groups with the limited number of staff that we have. Weekend groups don't require recreation activities, so they are not as dependent on staff. We can host student groups up to a certain size. Our hope is that we can host some of our bigger clients in May & June. You will hear more in the upcoming weeks. This isn't a surprise for us – we anticipated not having any business in the winter, so we are happy to be able to at least have some. Our plan is to get us back to a profitable position in the next few years without major disruptions. We are aiming to rebuild the business – summer will hopefully be run at full capacity. Our goal is to be in a healthy and sustainable position.
- Retreat – December 13 & 14. It's a little shorter than we have had in the past. Simcoe-Muskoka Public Health has tightened up some of their policies – which we aren't too worried about because we are already abiding by those policies. We are limiting our time and exposure, but we still want to be together to make this happen. We will start around 1pm on Monday December 13. For Toronto staff, we are still working out the testing. For Resort staff, we will be using the rapid antigen test. Our goal is to be done at 3pm on Tuesday December 14. Some teams are doing their Annuals on Wednesday December 15. Leslie will send an email out this Friday. Stay tuned.
- Growth Rings – should be completed by now – we used to keep them in files in the Toronto office, obviously we need to figure out another way to “store” these documents. Please email completed growth rings to Diane –diane@muskokawoods.com. We will be keeping them in confidential files in order to have access to them throughout your employment with Muskoka Woods.
- Summer job applications are being launched on Monday, November 29th. I want to encourage you to get on your phones and reach out to people and see if they want to come back. We need your help to recruit. There will be a family meeting next Wednesday for all summer 2021 staff to get some of the details out there such as vaccination status etc. I also encourage you to promote guest registrations as well.
- Thank you for everything you do. Stay tuned for more information about the retreat. I'm excited for guest registrations. It was a tough summer, but the word coming out from staff and families was so positive.
- See you next Wednesday.
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MW-Psalm-11.pptx