President's Second Quarter Report March 28, 2015 Good day fellow Vincentians. Spring is finally here and I hope we can look forward to some well-deserved sunny days.
I hope to see many of you at our Ontario spring meeting in Windsor on April 10th and 11th.

2015 AGA Remember that the national AGA is in Hamilton this year from June 24-28th. Please consider attending, whether for the entire week or just a day or two. I can guarantee you will enjoy the time while gaining a better understanding of how and why we come together each year to celebrate our ministry and live our mission. Guido Kelly and his organizing team have done a great job of putting together a week full of events and informative workshops. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Society in Hamilton and will likely be the last AGA in Ontario for another 4 or 5 years. Let’s make this the AGA with the highest number of Vincentians from Ontario to ever attend. Please make sure your council is represented. See you there.

Ontario Regional Presidential Election
I’d like to discuss the upcoming nomination and election process we will be undertaking. All presidents will be receiving an information package from our nomination committee that will elaborate on the entire process.
My term ends on July 1st, 2016 but in accordance with our Rule we will begin the nomination and election process this spring.
I would encourage anyone with an interest to consider being nominated or nominating another member you feel is capable of the position. While there are certainly many responsibilities as regional president, it is also an honour and pleasure to meet so many dedicated Vincentians during my term.
I know there are many qualified members who can fulfill the duties of president.

Social Justice
I would like to thank all those who have joined our social justice network as district coordinators or council and conference representatives. The idea of forming this network is to give our membership information at their own council/conference level while also allowing them to have a real voice in future social justice activities. We also realize that we have an obligation to provide educational information about social justice to our members. There will be a social justice workshop held on May 30th in Burlington. All social justice reps. and all council level presidents have been invited to attend. If you are not currently involved in social justice at your council or conference but are interested in attending this workshop, please contact myself or our Administrative Assistant, Sarah Davidson.

I also encourage you to visit our Ontario website (www.ssvp.on.ca) and then click on social justice to learn more about this topic. We can make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbours in need by addressing the root causes of poverty and advocating for changes as well as developing programs that assist those living in poverty to gain some level of hope for a better future for their families.
There will also be several workshops conducted by members of this committee at this year`s AGA in Hamilton regarding social justice.

Spirituality
Sister Janine Rocheleau has chaired this committee for several years now and has helped to bring us back to our spiritual roots through her efforts at our regional meetings and through the work of her committee. Sister Janine will be stepping down as chair effective May 1st of this year. I would like to thank her for her work and obvious love for our humble Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Sister Janine- May God continue to bless you on your journey with Jesus Christ. I am also pleased to announce the new chair of this committee is Denise Bondy of Windsor. Denise has been a member of the Society for years and also a member of the spirituality committee. I know she will bring a great energy and insight o this position from a Vincentian and lay person’s perspective.
Denise will also be conducting a workshop at this year’s AGA.

Youth
While we are experiencing some growth in the number of youth and young adults joining the Society, there is still a great need to attract more youth.
Please consider ways you may be able to accomplish this task, perhaps by discussing with your parish youth ministry, local schools or school boards. If you have a member at your council or conference is interested in taking on this challenge, it could lead to even more success. Our Ontario youth committee chairperson, Jason Hunt, is available to offer advice and resource material and perhaps attend a meeting in your area to discuss youth development. You can find the contact information for Jason on our website.

Finally, as I enter my final year as president, I must thank my executive, committee chairs, all council and conference presidents and especially our members across Ontario. It is because of your love for those most in need that we have been able to accomplish so much. It is your dedication that continues to inspire me in both my Catholic faith and Vincentian spirituality.

Thank you and may God bless you.

Sincerely
Jim Paddon