Gborho Ahmuyan Association Inc.

GBORHO AHMUYAN ASSOCIATION

USA � BY-LAWS AND CONSTITUTION

The Preamble

We, members of the Gborho Clan, an ethnicity of the Krahn tribe originating from eastern Liberia, West Africa, residing in the United States of America in order to form a more perfect bond, to ensure peace and tranquility amongst us; to create and maintain a workable avenue that will provide the blessings of freedom for ourselves, and our kinsfolk in and outside of Liberia and for our posterity, do hereby establish these by-laws and constitution in the name of �Gborho Ahmuyan Association�.

Article I: Name

The name of this association shall be: Gborho Ahmuyan Association, USA

Article II: Motto

The Motto of this association shall be: UNITY IS OUR STRENGTH

Article III: Objectives

The objective of this association is to promote unity and understanding among the Gborho, provide charitable community services whenever necessary to the communities in which we live and undertake programs geared at providing educational assistance and social services to the youth and elders in our communities.

Article IV: Membership

Section 1: The membership to this association shall be accorded to all Gborho citizens, their spouses and children who wish to, and individuals in the communities upon submission of application of intent to the General Secretary of the association with a non- refundable fee of twenty dollars.

Active Member- An active member is a member in good standing - A member who attends the association�s meetings regularly, participates in most of the association�s activities and is not delinquent or in default of any membership dues or fees.

Non-Active Member- Any member who does not attend meetings and is delinquent with his/her dues.

Section 2: Honorary Member- Honorary membership shall be conferred upon any individual or organization that has contributed to the general welfare of this association. The conferring of honorary membership shall be the duty of the President of this Association with advice and consent of the Council of Elders.

Article V: Dues and Fees

Each member is assessed one hundred twenty dollars per annual as membership dues. If a member wishes to pay by installment, it is ten dollars monthly paid to a designated local treasurer who reports all funds to the National Treasurer. The President with the approval of the Council of Elders may levy other fees/taxes.

Article VI: Organizational Structure

This Association shall have:

President as its chief administrative officer
Vice President
General Secretary
National Treasurer
Chaplain
Council of Elders

Article VII: Qualification for Officers

Section 1: The President

For anyone to qualify for the position of President, such person must meet the following criteria:

Be a Gborho citizen or a spouse of a Gborho citizen.
Must be an active member no less than six consecutive months prior to declaration of intent.
Must have been in North America no less than one year.
Must be a high school graduate, and legally employed with a steady income.

Section 2: Vice President

The Vice President must have the same qualification as the President

Section 3: The General Secretary

The General Secretary must:

Have a good command of the English language (written).
Be an active member and must have resided in North America for no less than six months.

Section 4: National Treasurer/ Financial Secretary

The National Treasurer must be

A high school graduate with bookkeeping knowledge
An active member for six consecutive months.
One who enjoys the confidence of the members?

Section 5: The Chaplain: An individual must:

Have high moral character
Be an active member
Be compassionate
Have knowledge of the Holy Bible.

Section 6: Council of Elders

Members of the Council of Elders are those whom we, members of Gborho Clan refer to as the older folks within the association as respect and courtesy must be extended to them by virtue of our tradition.

ARTICLE VIII: Duties and Responsibilities of Officers

Section 1: President

The chief administrative officer of the Association.
Must devise means at all national general meetings to raise funds, at least twice a year.
Is responsible to appoint all committee heads.
Is an ex-officio on all committees
Presides over all general meetings.

Section 2: Vice President

He/she acts in the absence of the President; must be ready to assume the responsibilities as President in case the President becomes incapacitated.
Carry out other duties as assigned by the President

Section 3: General Secretary

He/she is the custodian of all the association�s documents.
He/she shall record, prepare and read minutes of all meetings of the association.
He/she shall send out citation for all meetings.
He/she may perform other tasks deemed necessary by the President for the smooth operation of the association.

Section 4: General Treasurer

The treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the association.
He/she shall maintain all banking records of the association.
He/she must make a quarterly written financial report and as requested by the President.

Section 5: Chaplain

The chaplain shall conduct all religious activities of the association.
He/she shall, from time to time, visit or call on members to inquire about happenings in their lives.
He/she shall visit members in time of crisis: eg. Poor health, death, financial/family problems.

Section 6: Council of Elders

The council, by virtue of our tradition and as agreed by the association�s membership, is responsible to select the association�s leadership every two years. If it so desire and upon good leadership, an administration can be maintained by the council.
The council approves all financial transactions by the President.

ARTICLE IX: Bank Account and Withdrawal

Section 1: Banking

The association shall establish a bank account, which shall be managed by the treasurer.
There shall be three signatories to the association�s account. They are: Treasurer, Financial Secretary and the President. Minimum of two signatures are required to withdraw funds: the treasurer and financial secretary with the President being the alternate.
The President can approve the withdrawal of up to $50.00 for operation without the approval of the council. The council of Elders or the general body must approve all transactions in excess of $50.00.

ARTICLE X: APPOINTMENT AND TENURE

Section 1: Appointment

Appointment and selection of officers shall be held every two years between the first and last weekend in April by the Council of Elders.
The association�s fiscal shall commence the first of May.

Section 2: Tenure

1. All officers shall serve for a two years term with the option to seek additional terms if so desire and approved by the Council of Elders.

ARTICLE XI: General Meeting

National General Meeting shall be held once a year on a rotational basis. The venue and time shall be decided at the prior meeting.

ARTICLE XII:�Headquarters

The headquarters of this association shall rest with the incumbent President�s residence.

ARTICLE XIII: Removal

Section 1: Impeachable Offenses

The following offenses are considered impeachable if found guilty of any:

Murder or manslaughter
Extortion
Bribery
Embezzlement

Section 2 Non-impeachable Offenses:

1. Other charges such as misappropriation, unauthorized withdrawal of funds, if found guilty, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars and not more than three hundred dollars plus restitution. Failure to comply, the body has the power to call for an impeachment proceedings against the perpetrator.

ARTICLE XIV: AMENDMENT

This constitution may be amended at a national conference to be held once a year or at a special general meeting called for that purpose. In such case, the President, the Council of Elders, or whoever is seeking such amendment must make every effort to disseminate such information to all members.