Response to Shulie - IMPORTANT (time sensitive)

[Johanna Berke]

Hello all, 

Lauren and I drafted an email responding to Shulie's request for information. It is due back to them TODAY. Can everyone weigh in on it please as soon as possible. The two most important issues are: 

- Do we release the names and addresses of the members (I think we absolutely should as it's not confidential information and it sends a hostile message where I think this transaction should be completely polite. We can email the membership to let them know the info has been requested and we are releasing it.)

- Do we release our names? (I again am of the opinion that we do -- as long as we make it overly clear that we are all volunteers with no official roles and do not take any official responsibility for what occurs in the playroom.)

And suggested edits to the text also welcome, particularly where there are notes in ALL CAPS. 

Thanks!

ORIGINAL EMAIL:

Dear Ms. Forsch,

 

The Board of Directors of East River Housing has decided to review the East River playroom. The Board has instructed me to ask you for the following information:

 

1. a list of all current members and their home addresses;

2. a list of anyone involved in managing the operations of the room (if there is anyone in addition to you);

3. a list of all current playroom "rules";

4. an explanation regarding how playroom leadership is chosen, length of leadership terms, etc.;

5. a list of all scheduled party or other playroom rental dates;

6. an explanation regarding who collects the membership dues, how such funds are maintained, and an explanation of how the funds are spent (cleaning, toys, etc.).

 

Please submit the above information to me at your earliest convenience, but by no later than Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or wish to discuss.

 

Thank you,

Shulie Wollman

OUR RESPONSE

We are so pleased to hear that the Board of Directors is taking an interest in the playroom. Below is the information requested.  

 

1. Current playroom members and home addresses

 

LIST NAMES AND ADDRESSES HERE - Heather and Hadassah, do we have all of this info? Do we have emails for everyone to email and let them know?

 

38 East River

17 Hillman

4 Amalgamated

 

 

2. Volunteers involved in operations of the room

 

The playroom is staffed solely by volunteers. There are no official positions. The volunteers accept no responsibility for anything that happens in the playroom. THIS PREVIOUS LINE COULD BE TWEAKED - ANYONE? All volunteers sign the waiver we ask families to sign (copy attached.) 

 

OPTIONAL, if we decide not to release names: Due to the liability involved and the refusal of the ERBOD and management to provide liability coverage for volunteers, as requested 18 months ago, we are not comfortable providing names. We can share that there are nine volunteers - five from East River and four from Hillman – covering the following areas of responsibility.

 

Volunteer responsibilities include REMOVE NAMES PER ABOVE IF NECESSARY:

 

·       Johanna Berke, weekend cleaner, membership

·       Brian Crowley RESPONSIBILITY HERE

·       Lauren Forsch, graphics

·       Greg Henry, finances

·       Heather Hubbs, membership

·       Malky Jungreis, membership

·       Hadassah Max, communications

·       Sherry Tom, weekday cleaner and supplies, maintenance requests       

·       Jill Zelkind, parties     

 

We are currently looking for someone to handle toys and will announce this. In addition several families helped with our renovation.

Volunteers have meetings as needed.

 

 

3. Playroom Rules & Responsibilities:

 

As posted on our website EastRiverPlayroom.com.

 

RULES

To keep the room clean, safe, and inviting, there are just three basic rules and a few responsibilities. Infractions of the playroom rules will result in a disciplinary meeting of the playroom committee where action will be taken as necessary, including the option to immediately terminate membership with no refund.

 

·       Each family must have one designated adult caregiver (at least 18 years old) who is responsible for the children in that family and up to one additional child. No caregiver may look after three (or more) children from three different families while in the playroom. This is NYS law.

·       No shouting, name-calling or bullying from adults to children or other adults. Please do not physically touch another person, adult or child, without their verbal consent. This includes removing shoes.

·       No sick children are allowed in the playroom. (Symptoms include wet cough, green mucous, and/or being within 24 hours of a fever or diarrhea.)

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

It is our responsibility to keep the playroom clean, safe, and inviting. Reports of continued shirking of your responsibilities will result in a written warning. Three warnings and your membership will be suspended and the membership fee will not refunded.

 

·       The Infant/Baby area is reserved for children 18 months and younger. 

·       Members and caretakers are responsible for helping their children clean up toys before leaving.

·       Members and caretakers are responsible for vacating during professional cleaning hours. 

·       Food is only allowed at the tables. It is our responsibility to minimize crumbs/spills that attract pests.

·       Members should use their own entry card to get into the playroom. Do not give strangers or non-members access. It is a safety concern and an extra strain on the room.

·       Shoes must be taken off in the play areas. No shoes are allowed outside of the taped guides. 

·       The Playroom is a nut and seed free environment.

·       Please respect others' dietary restrictions and allergies. Food should only be offered to children with their caretaker’s consent. Keep high allergen foods off tables.

·       Diapers may be changed only at the diaper changing station. Soiled diapers go in the garbage can outside only.

 

 

4. Playroom Volunteers – How they are chosen

    

If there are not enough volunteers then a message is sent out to membership asking if anyone is interested in volunteering. We are currently looking for someone to handle toys.

 

5. Scheduled 2013 Party Dates

1/12

1/19

2/17

3/2

3/10

3/17

8/4

 

6. Dues

 

Playroom dues are collected via PayPal or in person. We are not eligible for a tax ID number so we cannot open a bank account – therefore funds are held in a personal PayPal account. NOT SURE IF WE NEED TO SPECIFY ABOUT TAX ID OR JUST SAY FUNDS ARE HELD IN A PAYPAL ACCOUNT. Dues are used to pay for daily cleaning, new toys, furniture, supplies and anything else necessary for the smooth and successful functioning of the playroom.

[Brian Crowley]

I am for releasing the names of members with noticing of the same being sent to those members. I am also ok with sending the volunteers names too. I would say that "The volunteers are not responsible for what happens in the playroom. It is always the responsibility of the caretaker present to make sure his/her charge's activities are safe--as per the waiver signed by all members."

My responsibilities are Meetings and letters of warning. 

I think we should include a statement about the cleaning person in the section on staffing. She "staffs" the room as much as we do. 

It seems unnecessary to mention ineligibility for a tax ID. 

Best,

Brian 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ERPlayBoard" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to erplayboard...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

[Lauren Forsch]

So, how's this? I added some info at the bottom. Too much?
I think we should plan to send by 430pm if there are no objections.

:) Lauren
****************************

We are so pleased to hear that the Board of Directors is taking an interest in the playroom. Below is the information requested.  

1. Current playroom members and home addresses

38 East River; 17 Hillman; 4 Amalgamated

Parent/Guardian Name(s)    Address (Building, Street, Apt#)
Brian Crowley    530 Grand St E6C
Lauren & Evan Forsch    530 Grand St E7D
Gissette Goris and Henry Goris    573 Grand Street, Apt. D806
Amy Leith, Chris Robinson, Mary Leith    453 FDR Drive, C105
Shoshana & Abe Laks    453 FDR, C903
Matt Morningstar, Alan van Capelle, Brynetta Bailey    530E Grand, 12C
Abby and Mike Rubin    475 FDR Drive L805
Aviva & simcha mermelstein    568 grand street, 504
Carrie Sammarco; Damion Sammarco    504 Grand St
Aja Pittman Bret Pittman     573 grand street d1207
Tracy/Alex Wolf    572 Grand Street, G1606
Hadassah Max and Jonathan Arnold    570 Grand Street, H1801
Noah Wildman, Elizabeth Wildman    500C Grand st, apt 5E
Alichka and Robert Lawsky    453 FDR Drive, C1206
Catharine Lyons, Brad Worrell    577 Grand St F1507
Nicole McKenzie, Olin McKenzie    504 Grand Street, D65, NY NY 10002
Johanna Berke, Jerry Winter    568 Grand Street, Apt J1607
Doreen Szeto, Patrick Oliver    550G Grand Street, #12D
Rachel Feinerman, Steven Weiss    577 Grand Street #F505
Peter Chin/Anna Tsu    453 FDR Drive, C1405
Adam Shlachter, Zimra Panitz    570 Grand Street H1302
Aaron and Abby Brody.  Jessica Smith (babysitter)    573 Grand St. D701
Heather Hubbs, Michael Bauer    573 Grand Street, Apt D1505
Dovid Fishelis, Feige Fishelis    577 grand st #104
Rayna & Joran Shlachter    453 FDR Drive #1506
Miriam Katz    575 Grand  St  E 405
Jessica & Stu Loeser    475 FDR Drive, L901
SILVIA ESPINOZA    504 Grand St Apt-G52
golan and michelle BenLulu    457 f.d.r. drive apt.507
Alex Raij, Eder Montero, Adriana Aramburru    504 grand st apr b21 NYC! NY
Liza Miller, Matthew Gold    453 FDR Dr, #C703
Laurie Bernstein, Julian Swearengin    455 FDR DR APT B-1905
Leah Blumenthal, Joseph Blumenthal    550 G Grand Street Apt 7F
Jacob and Melissa Livshultz    550H Grand Street, Apt. GE
Jennifer Ross, David Cho    500C Grand St. #3F
Gina Dwyer, Daniel Dwyer    500A Grand St, 9C
Michel & PT Walkley    572 Grand St G702
Sharon Saltz/ Alan Saltz    473 FDR Dr Apt k707
Gunti Singh, Jason Cooke    575 Grand St
Jessica Lowe, Ryan Janssen    573 Grand Street D1606
Martha Hornthal, Kathleen Kincaid    550 Grand St, Building J, Apt 3E
Ramon and Catherine Peña    453 FDR Drive C-904
Monique&michael Fruchter    475 FDR Drive
Shira,Chaim Packer    453 FDr Dr
KALMAN AND MALKIE NOCHLIN    500C GRAND STREET APT 6H
Kirsten Williams and Matthew Kronengold    530 Grand Street D10A
Tovah Finkelstein Chaim Finkelstein, Mezia Roketshiviili    573 Grand Street D101
Sherry Tom & Gordon Palumbo    577 Grand Street #F703
Annah & McGregor Smyth    550 Grand St., Apt. J7C
Jill and Brett Zelkind    550 Grand Street Apt. H10C
Julie and Jared Lansky    575 Grand St. E905
Dov Goldman, Rozaline Goldman    573 grand st. apt. #d2001
Lauren & David Russo    530 Grand Street APT d5a
Kevin Kelliher,  Tricia Levi    550 Grand St. Apt J9H
Valerie Nolan, Steven levine    573 Grand Street, D905
Bonnie Zweig Amir Nakash     572 grand street. G502
Brenda From    500-B Grand St. #1-A
Tim, Hannah    573 Grand Street, D207

2. Volunteers involved in operations of the room

·       Johanna Berke, weekend cleaner, membership

·       Brian Crowley, Meetings and letters of warning

·       Lauren Forsch, graphics

·       Greg Henry, finances

·       Heather Hubbs, membership

·       Malky Jungreis, membership

·       Hadassah Max, communications

·       Sherry Tom, weekday cleaner and supplies, maintenance requests       

·       Jill Zelkind, parties     

We are currently looking for someone to handle toys and will announce this. We have two families replacing batteries that do not participate in the committee. In addition several families helped with our renovation.

Playroom dues are $200 per family and collected via PayPal or in person. Dues are used to pay for daily cleaning, new toys, furniture, supplies and anything else necessary for the smooth and successful functioning of the playroom.
We have operated in the black for two+ years and have a reserve set aside for future renovations.

In addition to the information you requested we would like to furnish the following information

List of Accomplishments

No Shoe Policy - The room has been much cleaner since instituted
Daily Cleaning - The room stays clean and organized
Mini Renovations - We replaced worn furniture and toys and revamped the baby area to make it safer and more comfortable for our newborns and their caretakers. Several things had to be tossed due to water damage.

Membership Drive Party - We had dozens of new families come out to see the space and realized membership growth of 20%!

We look forward to hearing from you soon. It would be great if there was a direct board contact to help when problems arise. In the past these have ranged from issues with the physical space (leaking pipes, broken toilet) to security issues.

Best Regards,

The East River Playroom Volunteers

--
Lauren 4sh
lkfo...@gmail.com

(917) 627 8572
www.laurenforsch.blogspot.com

Ev: www.evan4sh.com • eva...@yahoo.com • (917) 545 1642

EZ: www.ezekiel4sh.blogspot.com • ezFo...@gmail.com
Em: emFo...@gmail.com

[Hadassah Max]

Looks fine to me. Thanks for pulling it together. Just curious about the rationale for adding the extra info at the bottom though.

 

Hadassah

Playroom dues are $200 per family and collected via PayPal or in person.Dues are used to pay for daily cleaning, new toys, furniture, supplies and anything else necessary for the smooth and successful functioning of the playroom.

[Johanna Berke]

Didn't reply all... see below. 

On Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 2:55 PM, Johanna Berke <johann...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all, 

Lauren I like the stuff at the end. 

Greg and Malky aren't on the list of members! (Unless I missed them?) They need to be. 

I added back the language about volunteers not being responsible... I think this is very important to have in there. 

Need to include a cop of the waiver (says "copy attached.")

Formatting needs to be neatened up a bit... I would volunteer for this but not sure I will have enough baby-free time before 4:30. Lauren, or anyone -- can you do this?

Thanks!

Johanna

The playroom is staffed solely by volunteers, there are no official positions. The volunteers are not responsible for what happens in the playroom. It is always the responsibility of the caretaker present to make sure his/her charge's activities are safe--as per the waiver signed by all members (copy attached.) 

·       Johanna Berke, Liaison with weekend cleaner, membership

·       Brian Crowley, Meetings and letters of warning

·       Lauren Forsch, Graphics

·       Greg Henry, Finances

·       Heather Hubbs, Membership

·       Malky Jungreis, Membership

·       Hadassah Max, Communications

·       Sherry Tom, Liaison with weekday cleaner, supplies, maintenance requests       

·       Jill Zelkind, Parties