CONSTITUTION
Preamble:
Madam Edith T. Poah, being deeply concerned about the welfare, survival, and sustainability of unfortunate children deem it necessary to establish a foundation to be known as “BLESS THE CHILDREN FOUNDATION.”
To establish and maintain workable machinery that will provide the needs and promote the general welfare of CHILDREN, do hereby form this non-political and non-profit organization. This Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable purposes.
ARTICLE I: NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization shall be called BLESS THE CHILDREN FOUNDATION and shall be referred to as BTCF.
ARTICLE II: MOTTO
Build Strong Children! They are our future.
ARTICLE III: EMBLEM OF THE FOUNDATION
Section I: The Emblem symbolizes an intertwine relationship without regard
to Circumstances. It denotes blessing, unity, warm feelings, Cheer,
happiness, dignity, royalty, spirituality, purity, Fresh, growth, and abundance.
Section II: The Emblem comprises: Shamrock, purple color, white color, green color, blue color and yellow color.
Shamrock: blessing, unity, intertwine relationship without regard to circumstances
Purple color: Royalty, spirituality and dignity
White color: Purity
Green color: Growth and abundance
Yellow color: Warm, cheer and happiness
Blue color: Trust, reliability and belonging
ARTICLE IV: Goals and Objectives
Section 1: To promote, and retain the beauty of youth / childhood life for children.
Section 2: To create an atmosphere conducive for the promotion of peace,
love, freedom, and self-esteem particularly for those in need.
Section 3: To encourage the pursuit of academic excellence and other life sustaining
and developmental approaches for a better future.
Section 4: To be and remain a non-profit, socio-cultural organization,
providing assistance to children. Raise funds for essential projects for the
sole benefit of children and community.
Section 5: To network with other organizations in promoting social justice and peace.
ARTICLE V: Membership
Section 1: Membership shall be accorded to all individuals with an expressed
intend through written/ membership form. Membership shall be accorded
to all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, creed, geographic
location or age. With children under eighteen, an oral or written parental
consent is required.
Section 2: Every person wanting to become a member of BTCF must fill in
a membership form and submit it to the Director of Human Resources. The applicant must pay $25.00 as registration fee.
ARTICLE VI: Organizational Structure
Section 1: The organizational structure of BLESS THE CHILDREN FOUNDATION (BCTF) shall consist of three (3) principal organs:
(A) Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
(B) Board of Directors (BOD)
(C) Administration
ARTICLE VII: COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1: The Executive Officers shall be headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who position shall be permanent.
Section 2: The Executive Officer shall consist of Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
Director of procurement & finances (DP&F), Director of Planning and Operation (DPO), Director of Human Resources and staff
development (DHR&SD), and Director of public Relations (DPR)
Section 3: The Chief Executive Officer shall have the power to appoint all officials
of the Foundation. He / She shall suspend, remove, transfer, or terminate
the service of any official due to poor job performance and other reasons
and behaviors not in the best interest of the Foundation. The CEO shall
dedicate task to any official within the Foundation as may deem necessary.
Section 4: The Director of procurement & Finances shall supervise all
financial activities of the Foundation. He/she shall prepare and submit
to the CEO all annual financial statements. He/she shall keep all financial
records of the Foundation.
Section 5: The Director of Planning & Operation shall head the operational arm
of the Foundation. He/she shall plan activities of the Foundation including
fund raising and other activities as may be directed by the CEO. He/ she
shall plan all projects and submit them to the CEO for approval.
Section 6: The Director of public relations shall supervise and carryout public
relations (PR) for the Foundation and perform other duties as it relates
to information. He / she must speak on behalf of the Foundation with
the consent and advice of the CEO.
ARTICLE VIII: COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: The Board of Directors (BOD) shall comprise of seven
(7) members. These members shall be appointed by the CEO and
shall have the following officers: (1) Chairman, (2) Vice Chairman
and (3) Secretary.
Section 2: It shall be the second highest decision-making body in the Foundation.
It shall work along with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the
smooth operation of the Foundation.
Section 3: It shall develop its own code of conduct and develop an operation
manual for its members consistent with the Constitution of the
Foundation and inform the CEO of same in writing.
Section 4: It shall have the authority to monitor all programs and projects by
the Administration on how they are executed.
Section 5: It shall give approval to all disbursements that are above the amount of
one hundred dollars ($100.00) and shall ensure that all disbursements
are in line with budgetary allocation.
Section 6: It shall meet quarterly to review the program (s) and progress of
the Foundation and make appropriate recommendations to the Administration for implementation. It shall also meet in
emergency sections as may be deemed necessary.
Section 7: It shall have the authority to request a meeting with members of
the Foundation to address issues pertinent to the growth and development
of the Foundation.
ARTICLE IX: COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Section 1: The Administration shall be comprised of the following officers:
(1) President
(2) Vice President
(3) Secretary
(4) Treasurer
(5) Financial Secretary
(6) Chaplain
Section 2: The Administration shall serve as the administrative arm of the
Organization and shall have the authority to conduct the day-to-day Affairs of the organization.
Section 3: It shall conduct, coordinate, and implement decisions and policies
approved by the BOD
Section 4: It shall formulate programs and policies and submit them to the Board
of Directors (BOD) for review, adjustment and approval for the
enhancement of the objectives of the Organization.
Section 5: It shall prescribe its own code of conduct and develop an operation
manual for its members consistent with the Byelaws and Constitution of
the Foundation.
Section 6: It shall meet periodically to review progress and also meet in
emergency as may be deemed necessary by the President.
Section 7: It shall have the authority to request a meeting with the Board of
Directors. In this meeting the Chairman of the Board of Directors (BOD)
shall preside.
ARTICLE X: DUTIES OF OFFICERS:
Section 1a: The President shall be the Administrative Head of the Organization
and serve as official spokesperson.
Section 1b: The President shall have the authority to establish committee and
appoint its Chairperson.
Section 1c: The President shall preside over all meetings of the Administration
and a meeting of the general membership.
Section 1d: The President shall submit a budget to the Board of Directors (BOD):
for approval.
Section: 2: VICE PRESIDENT
Section 2a: The Vice President shall serve as the Deputy Executive head and
also Deputy Spokesperson of the Foundation.
Section 2b: The Vice President shall perform any other assignment that may be
given to him/her by the President.
Section 2c: The Vice President shall assume the leadership of the organization in
the event of suspension, resignation, impeachment, incapacitation or
death of the President and shall serve the remaining term of the
President. In the case where the Vice President is to serve the
remaining term of the President, he/she shall have the right to
nominate a member to replace him/her as acting Vice President
and such nomination shall meet the approval of the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO).
Section 3: GENERAL SECRETARY
Section 3a: The General Secretary shall be the Chief custodian of all administrative
documents and/or records of the organization.
Section 3b The Secretary General shall prepare agenda, citations, and minutes of
a meeting of the Administration. He/she shall read and subsequently distribute said minutes to members after appropriate adjustments.
Section 3c: The Secretary General shall prepare, update and maintain a listing of
all members of the Board of Directors (BOD), members of the Administration, and members of all Committees.
Section 3d: The Secretary General shall take minutes of a joint meeting between
the Board of Directors (BOD) and the Administration.
Section 3e: The Secretary General shall perform other functions assigned him/her
by the President and shall report to the President.
Section 4: TREASURER
Section 4a: The Treasurer shall serve as the Chief Disbursing Officer and
custodian of the bank book (s) of the Foundation.
Section 4b: The Treasurer shall collect and deposit into the Foundation’s accounts,
all dues, donations, contributions, funds raised from programs hosted
by the Foundation. The said monies shall be deposited within one to
two (1-2) business working days into the Foundation’s bank account.
Section 4c: The Treasurer upon depositing said funds into the Foundation’s
bank accounts shall officially inform the Financial Secretary
for proper documentation by submitting said deposit records to
the Financial Secretary.
Section 5: FINANCIAL SECRETARY
Section 5a: The Financial Secretary shall be the chief custodian of the
financial records of the Foundation such as cash receipt
books, deposit and withdrawal slips and bank statements.
He/she shall issue receipts to members and others that paid
money to the Foundation.
Section 5b: The Financial Secretary shall prepare consolidated quarterly financial reports and/or statements of the Foundation and submit
same to the President; such reports shall include project(s) and
all financial activities within that quarter.
Section 6: CHAPLAIN
Section 6a: The Chaplain shall provide guidance and leadership for all religious
and spiritual matters of the Foundation.
Section 6b: The Chaplain shall invoke spiritual blessings on all gatherings of
the Foundation.
ARTICLE XI: FINANCIAL AND BANKING POLICY
Section 1: The Organization shall establish and maintain account(s) at a recognized and federally ensured banking institution (s)
in the United States of America.
Section 2: The SIGNATORIES to the bank accounts shall be as follows: (1) the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who shall
be signatory A; (2) the President, who shall be signatory B;
and (3) the Treasurer, who shall be signatory C.
Section 3: SIGNATORIES ELIGIBLE TO MAKE WITHDRAWALS:
The following combinations are the only signatories eligible
to make withdrawal (1) the CEO, who is signatory A,
(2) the President, who is signatory B and (3) the Treasurer, who is signatory C. In short, A & B or A & C shall carryout
withdrawal.
Section 4: BUDGETARY ALLOCATION: All withdrawals shall be
done in line with budgetary allocations and the funds shall
be used for the intended purpose.
ARTICLE XII: TERNUE OF OFFICE
Section l: The tenure of office shall be as follows:
Section 2: All Board members shall serve for three (3) years. And
may be reappointed by the CEO based on good performance.
Every appointed official including members of the Boar of
Directors can be suspended / terminated for poor
performance. All officials are subject to annual evaluation.
Section 3: All ad-hoc Committees shall serve under the supervision of
the President.
ARTICLE XIII: MEETINGS
Section 1: The Board of Directors (BOD) and the Administration shall
meet jointly once a year to review the implementation of
decision reached. Such meeting shall be held at least two (2) months before the end of every year. The two groups
shall also meet under emergency to discuss issues pertinent
to the growth and development of the Foundation.
Section 2 The Administration shall hold a quarterly meeting with
the membership to inform them on the affairs of the organization.
ARTICLE XIV: AMENDMENTS
Section I: Amendment shall be made to this constitution from
time to time as the body sees fit. The Chief Executive
Officer shall appoint a constitution review committee.
Section 2: A copy of proposed amendment of any of the provision
of this constitution shall be submitted to individual
member thirty (30) days prior referendum.
Section 3: A simple majority vote is required at referendum to carryout amendment. Thereafter, all amendment(s)
voted on at the referendum automatically become laws.
Article XV: Dissolution of the Association
Section 1: The Association shall be dissolved by the CEO.
Upon dissolution, the Association’s assets shall be
donated in such a manner as to support the Association’s
mission and in accordance with the laws governing
the operation of nonprofit 501c (3) corporations in
the United States. The beneficiaries shall be determined
by the CEO. A special meeting of the membership shall
be held to oversee the dissolution process.
DONE ON THIS 6TH OF MARCH IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWO THOUSAND TWELVE (2012) IN THE CITY OF Philadelphia, BY THE CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE. CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE:
1. Mr. Benjiman D. Wilson——————————————-Chairman
2. Mrs. Urdin Dixon————————————————Co.Chairman
3. Mr. Isaac T Kannah sr. ———————————————-Secretary
4. Madam Edith T. Poah————————————————–Member