RAC-tivity
It's HERE! RAC Members' On-line Monthly Bulletin!
RAC-tivity for November 2005.
Building and Planning. That is mode RAC is now entering. Building capacity at the board and staff levels and starting to look at long range planning, to accommodate our new direction as a national association. What enables us to make these changes now? With our members� help we have almost eliminated our debt and we are projecting strong financial growth over the next two years.
Building Capacity. Every organization depends on and succeeds with effective and responsive leadership. This month three vital areas will receive our focus: your RAC Board of Directors; a new PCT/Education Subsidiary Board; and Chapter or regional development.
Board of Directors. Combining experience with innovative ideas will be the hallmark of the recently elected board. Periodic training culminating with a face-to-face board retreat in May will shape our board to fully accept the trust and responsibility you have given them. Communicate your concerns with them, give your feedback and encouragement, and most of all keep in touch. The email address and phone numbers of the five people elected in Halifax are in the �About RAC � section of this website.
Our Bylaws allow 7 members to serve on the Board, so if you are interested and have time to give to your Association, we would be happy to hear from you. The Board would especially like to have representation from the Maritimes or Central Canada (Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Northern Ontario).
PCT/Education Subsidiary Board. Members� support is high for the separation of the Education component from the Membership side of RAC. We are proceeding with caution and will keep you updated every step of the way, leading to a vote at an upcoming AGM. The first step is to establish a subsidiary board to oversee PCT/Education operations on behalf of all members. This voluntary board will be set in motion ready to assume its responsibilities in January 2006.
Chapters/Regional Development. The Board of Directors is committed to strengthening RAC at the local level. This will assist us all to keep abreast of changes in Reflexology and updates from within RAC. The first tele-conference among Chapter Chairs and RAC staff will take place in late November. These quarterly conferences will help us find ways to support chapters and provide them with the resources to provide more local programming, attract more local membership or develop new chapters.
For information on a chapter near you, or steps to create one, please contact Vicki Rempel at RAC Head Office.
French Translation. We are following though with our promise to French-speaking members to make all of our written material available in both official languages. Applications will be completed this month with Heritage Canada for funding assistance with translation. In the meantime, if you or anyone you know has translation skills, please ask them to get in touch with Philip Lander, RAC�s interim Executive Director.
Kelowna BC is the lovely site of the 30th anniversary RAC Conference and we have invited Hanne Marquardt, one of the world�s foremost reflexology teachers, to be our guest presenter and workshop leader. Hanne will be leading Study Days in Montreal and Toronto in October 2006 in addition to Kelowna, as we try to maximize the number of RAC members who can work with her.
September 22, 23 and 24, 2006 are the dates to mark in your reflexology calendar for RAC�s 30th anniversary Conference. Dates for Montreal and Toronto, as well as prices and application forms will be sent soon to all RAC members.
RAC is 30! 2006 marks the 30th year anniversary for RAC. To celebrate we will be publishing a commemorative newsletter. If you have information that is newsworthy or has a historical perspective or perhaps some photos that evoke the beginnings of RAC we would love to hear from you.
Please contact Vicki at Head Office in Winnipeg with your articles and information.
New Products. We are encouraged by the warm response of our members to the following NEW products, unveiled at the 2005 AGM;
French colour brochure; Hundreds sold! More French products eagerly requested.
Dr. Wickler Foot video on 2 DVD�s (multi-reader compatible): 36% of our stock has been sold in less than one month!
Hanne Marquardt�s book, �Reflexotherapy for the Feet�: 40 orders placed. This is the first time it�s been offered in an English edition. The more we order, the less the book will cost. Have you ordered YOUR copy yet?
Press Kit CD-ROM: 100% sold out! MORE disks in production!
Additional products are being considered for development, including new sizes of RAC charts, RAC Manuals on CD-ROM, AGM workshop DVDs, AGM narrated photo album DVDs, and some ingenious inventions and innovations from our members. Tell us what YOU would like find in our RAC boutique!
Insurance. Look for information about a new insurance program in the membership renewal package being mailed in early November.
Lackner McLennan has designed a Professional Liability and General Commercial program that we think stacks up favorably in the marketplace. When one looks at insurance coverage, many aspects need to be considered, and it�s not always obvious what�s best.
Ultimately it�s every member�s choice to carry insurance, although the Board of Directors highly suggests you do.
Contact Lackner McLennan directly at 519-579-3330 or Toll Free: 1 (800) 265-2625 or visit their website at www.lacknermclennan.com.
Newsletter. Look for the year�s second semi-annual newsletter to appear in your mailbox in November, or by email, our preferred method of delivery. It contains reports from the International Council of Reflexologists Conference in Amsterdam and RAC�s Conference in Halifax, as well as Chapter information, and other articles to keep you informed.
Change of Address. Please make sure you give us all changes to your postal and email addresses so that we can keep you informed.
Keeping in Touch.
Please keep in touch through the Head Office from Monday to Friday:
E-mail: [email protected]
Toll free: 1-877-722-3338
Phone: (204) 477-4909 in the Winnipeg area
Fax: (204) 4774955
The contact names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the Board of Directors and Philip Lander, RAC�s interim Executive Director, can be found by scrolling down on the �About RAC� page of this website.
We welcome your feedback and questions!
RAC-tivity for September and October 2005.
This is a combined report because the work involved in staging the Conference and Annual General Meeting took us out of the office for a two-week period.
�New� seems the operative word for RAC right now � an exciting theme!
Halifax 2005 is a fading and happy memory for those who attended, and where a new Board of Directors was elected and a �new direction� for RAC spelled out. As we close off the reporting on the Halifax Conference and prepare the required government forms, we are already well into the planning for next year.
Kelowna BC is the lovely site of the 30th anniversary RAC Conference and we have invited Hanne Marquardt, one of the world�s foremost reflexology teachers, to be our guest presenter and workshop leader. Hanne will be leading Study Days in Montreal and Toronto in October 2006 in addition to Kelowna, as we try to maximize the number of RAC members who can work with her.
September 22, 23 and 24, 2006 are the dates to mark in your reflexology calendar for RAC�s 30th anniversary Conference. Dates for Montreal and Toronto, as well as prices and application forms will be sent soon to all RAC members.
New Board. Susan Lippert (Alberta) and Marie McLelland-Leger (Ontario) are welcome new members, each bringing a wealth of business and professional skills to the table. They join returning members Carol Faguy (Quebec), Chiquita Hessels (BC) and Donald Cater (Quebec) to form the core group who will lead RAC through its changes. If the first two meetings are an indication this will be a strong, spirited group and member interest is in good hands.
Our Bylaws allow 7 members to serve on the Board, so if you are interested and have time to give to your Association, we would be happy to hear from you. The Board would especially like to have representation from the Maritimes or Central Canada (Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Northern Ontario).
New Direction. Approval of the Resolutions at Halifax enables the Board to start with the study to separate the two distinct components of RAC � membership and education � into two organizations. The education arm will soon be under the direction of a �Subsidiary� Board and will be given authority to administer the education programs on a daily basis. The Subsidiary Board will report to the RAC Board.
By removing these administrative duties from the Board�s schedule, work to strengthen membership programs can take on a more accelerated pace.
No decision to separate the education component from membership will take place without a full report to membership and a vote at a future AGM with 2007 being the earliest possible time for the separation to happen.
New Products. We are encouraged by the warm response of our members to the following NEW products, unveiled at the 2005 AGM:
French colour brochure: Hundreds sold! More French products eagerly requested.
Dr. Wickler Foot video on 2 DVD�s (multi-reader compatible): 36% of our stock has been sold in less than one month!
Hanne Marquardt�s book, �Reflexotherapy for the Feet�: 30 orders placed.
This is the first time it�s been offered in an English edition.
The more we order, the less the book will cost.
Have you ordered YOUR copy yet?
Press Kit CD-ROM: 90% sold!
Additional products are being considered for development, including new sizes of RAC charts, RAC Manuals on CD-ROM, AGM workshop DVDs, AGM narrated photo album DVDs, and some ingenious inventions and innovations from our members.
Tell us what YOU would like find in our RAC boutique!
Insurance. We welcome the opportunity to do business again with Lackner McLennan, RAC�s old reliable insurance broker.
Lackner McLennan has designed a Professional Liability and General Commercial program that we think stacks up favorably in the marketplace. When one looks at insurance coverages, many aspects need to be considered, and it�s not always obvious what�s best.
Ultimately it�s every member�s choice to carry insurance, although the Board of Directors highly suggests you do.
Contact Lackner McLennan directly at 519-579-3330 or Toll Free: 1 (800) 265-2625 or visit their website at www.lacknermclennan.com.
Newsletter. Look for the year�s second semi-annual newsletter to appear in your mailbox in November, or by email if you have asked for it that way. It contains reports from the International Council of Reflexologists Conference in Amsterdam and RAC�s Conference in Halifax, as well as Chapter information, and other articles to keep you informed.
Chapters. The Board and Staff are committed to working with chapters and provide support to make RAC stronger at a regional level. France Trudeau from Toronto has agreed to replace Diane Wiebe as the Chapter Liaison and will be communicating with chapters on a regular basis. The information she transmits will then be distributed to all chapter members to keep everyone up to date.
RAC has made a bulk purchase of Reflexology World magazines and so each chapter will be updated about the global reflexology scene every four months. Another quarterly initiative will be a tele-conference with chapter Chairs where ideas and information will be shared on a regular basis.
�Being part of a regional chapter brings a wealth of knowledge to so many
aspects of the practice of reflexology: licensing: government recognition,
or lack of it: networking: keeping in touch with other modalities or those in
alternative medicine: and the opportunity to bond with colleagues in the
profession�
France Trudeau, Toronto Chapter.
For information on a chapter near you, or steps to create one, please contact Vicki Rempel at RAC Head Office.
Change of Address. Please make sure you give us all changes to your postal and email addresses so that we can keep you informed.
Keeping in Touch.
Please keep in touch through the Head Office from Monday to Friday:
E-mail: [email protected]
Toll free: 1-877-722-3338
Phone: (204) 477-4909 in the Winnipeg area
Fax: (204) 4774955
The contact names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the Board of Directors and Philip Lander, RAC�s interim Executive Director, can be found by scrolling down on the "About RAC" page of this website.
We welcome your feedback and questions to know how you feel about the changes at RAC.
RAC-tivity for August 2005!
Preparation for Halifax 2005... is occupying most of our time in RAC Board and Staff offices across the country. In less than one month�s time we will be coming together for our annual face to face meetings. It�s an important time of year for RAC.
Halifax 2005. Final preparations are underway for the 29th Conference & Annual General meeting. Our Nova Scotia cousins in NSARP and RAC are looking forward to provide lots of �down east� hospitality. Please see the RAC website for details about NSARP and the workshop lineup for the Conference.
Tuesday August 23 was the release date for the hotel on the discounted room rate. Hotel reservations should be made as soon as possible to guarantee the $125.00 room rate (single or double occupancy). This rate will continue to remain the same based upon availability. If the hotel begins to fill up the rate will increase.
Voting at Annual General Meeting. Can�t make it to the AGM in Halifax? You can still vote by proxy on the proposed Special Resolutions and make a difference in your association.
A package was mailed to all members who are eligible to vote. Please look for this important document in your mailbox and please exercise your right as a member and give direction to the Board. Names of each member who votes by mail/fax, or in person at the Annual General Meeting, are entered into a draw for a Free 2006 RAC Membership.
Your signed proxy must arrive by mail or fax at RAC�s Winnipeg office by 12:00 pm, September 1, 2022 to have your vote counted and your name entered into the draw.
Kelowna 2006. We have confirmed the dates of September 22, 23 & 24, 2006 for RAC�s 30th Conference. The conference marks the commencement of World Reflexology Week (24th to 30th). To coincide with harvest time in British Columbia our theme will be �Fruitful in Unity�.
We are in discussions with a very notable member of the world Reflexology community to be our special guest and workshop presenter for those dates. As well as her presentation and workshop in Kelowna, we hope to offer day study sessions with our guest in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Details will be made public at Halifax 2005 and on RAC�s website in early October.
The Board has agreed that this significant milestone needs to have a special appeal to all members, which this guest is sure to provide.
If you would like to be a member of the 30th Annual Conference Planning Committee, please contact Phil Lander [email protected]
Newsletter. The fall/winter newsletter (published twice a year) is scheduled for a November mailing and work is underway. The next one will be May 2006.
If you have a story to tell or have read a book members might be interested in, we want to know about it. Please get in touch with Vicki in Winnipeg and she will guide you in the process as well as offer encouragement.
For advertising rates, contact Deborah Murphy at Clockwork Communications [email protected]
Fall Courses and Modules. Most RAC teachers are gearing up for fall classes. Changes were last made to the Foot Course in 2003, and the Ear/Hand Course in 2000. So if you were RAC Certified before these changes were introduced your knowledge may be out of date. Is this the year you take a refresher course?
RAC also offers 12 Advanced Modules of Reflexology and Pathology. This program offers in-depth training in pathology - the medical classification system of disease and organ malfunction.
Upgrading keeps you current and the public confident in their Reflexology choices.
Contact Vicki at Head Office in Winnipeg for details and information.
Change of Address.Please make sure you give us all changes to your postal and email addresses so that we can keep you informed.
Keeping in Touch. Please keep in touch through the Head Office from Monday to Friday:
E-mail:[email protected]
Toll free: 1-877-722-3338
Phone: (204) 477-4909 in the Winnipeg area
Fax: (204) 4774955
The contact names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the Board of Directors and Philip Lander, RAC�s interim Executive Director, can be found by scrolling down on the "About RAC" page of this website.
We welcome your feedback and questions to know how you feel about the changes at RAC.
The July Edition of RAC Members' On-line Monthly Bulletin!
RAC-tivity for July 2005. Many of our members are enjoying hot summer weather and time with family, friends and loved ones. Staff and Board are working behind the scenes in a number of initiatives.
Congratulations to Deborah Murphy, RAC�s newsletter editor. She and her family have welcomed a new baby boy to their happy home in Halifax.
Insurance is always a hot topic for discussion. We are working on two separate issues at present.
The RAC Board believes that all practicing Professional reflexologists should carry Liability or Errors and Omissions Insurance. We are working with a national insurance provider to see if we can get a RAC members� group discount, at a better price than currently offered.
Many members have asked if reflexology treatments could be covered by group insurance plans. Thanks to the work of Peter Freeman of The Investors� Group, and husband of RAC member Tanya Murray-Freeman, we may have an answer soon. Peter has been in discussion with a prominent Canadian insurance company and we are asking what we need to do to have members� services recognized and covered under group insurance plans.
We know that this is a long process. We would like to know what direction we as reflexologists should be taking with our practices, as individuals, so our services might be covered and recognized. We need to know what RAC, your national body as a whole should be doing to satisfy insurers.
It�s timely that Peter will be one of the presenters at the Annual Conference in Halifax, September 23rd to 25th.
We will be following each of these insurance questions throughout the summer, and will report back as answers roll in.
Annual Conferences. Planning for the September Conference in Halifax is in full swing thanks in no small part from our Nova Scotia cousins in NSARP. Please see your June Newsletter and RAC website for details about NSARP and the Conference.
A reminder that August 15th is the early bird discount date for the Conference and and Post Conference Workshops.
We regret that Dr Jason Plotsky and Dr Cindy Toner have withdrawn from the program because of a conflict within their Chiropractic association. We will be announcing a workshop substitution, closer to the conference weekend.
Work has just started on the 30th Annual Conference which will be held in Kelowna BC in the fall of 2006. We will be making announcements soon about dates, location, and possible speakers. The Board has agreed that this significant milestone needs to have a special appeal to all members
If you would like to be a member of the 30th Annual Conference Planning Committee, please contact Phil Lander
Voting at Annual General Meeting. Can�t make it to the AGM in Halifax? You can still vote on the proposed Special Resolutions.
A package will be mailed before the end of July to all members who are eligible to vote. Please look for this important document in your mailbox and please exercise your right as a member and give much needed direction to the Board.
We will be asking all Chapters to become actively involved with the mail in ballots for this year�s AGM.
Give Back to RAC. Have you thought that one day you would like to make a contribution to how RAC operates? Here are a couple of ways.
The Board of Directors are looking for members with prior board or business experience, and who would like to put their name forward at this year�s AGM, or next. Contact Board Chair Carol Faguy
for information on how the Board works and to get involved in the process.
The Teachers Committee needs members with a background in business to work with the big question of separating RAC�s education component from membership. If you want more information about the committee or its work, please contact Chairperson Claudia Smith
RAC is your organization and making it work the best way possible is your responsibility.
Membership Renewal. We are continuing to grow and we have just sent out a reminder to those whose membership expired during the first half of 2005.
So please send in your renewal now and maintain your eligibility to vote at the AGM.
Wishing you a wonderful summer, from all the Board and Staff at RAC!
RAC-tivity for June 2005.
There is a lot going at RAC these days!
Annual Conference. As you will have read in the June Newsletter, preparation for the September Annual Meeting & Conference is well under way. We are happy to be sharing the workload and the workshops with our NSARP colleagues from Nova Scotia. We are offering 5 workshops at the Conference as part of the registration fee, and are arranging the workshops in such a way that registrants will be able to attend them all.
Voting. Special Resolutions will need to be discussed and voted on at the Annual Meeting. All eligible voting members will be sent a package in the mail at the end of July to give background on the Resolutions. If you can�t attend the Annual Meeting it is still possible to vote, and information will be contained in the mailing package.
Toronto Licensing Issue. Reflexologists in the Toronto area will know that city staff is dealing with a major problem of illegal body-rubbers posing as �holistic� practitioners. Staff�s recommendation to Toronto City Council is not entirely favourable to licensed Reflexologists, and RAC Toronto Chapter and RRCO are standing up on our members� behalf. In fact RRCO has been doing this work to get Reflexology recognized by City Councils for some time now in Ontario.
We support the work of our colleagues every step of the way. We have sent letters to the Toronto Star and to Toronto City Council stating our official position. We believe that the impact of this decision in Toronto could have significant ramifications across the country. We will report in future editions of RAC-tivity.
PCT separation. Teachers will know that the study to separate the Education and Membership components of RAC continues. The work will continue throughout the summer and the results will be shared with all members at the Annual Meeting in September. The scope of the work is larger than first believed and so a two-year timeline is being considered.
Fundraising Success Story! Congratulations to the Niagara Chapter for its very successful fundraising raffle that raised $3,000.00 for RAC. The Board has decided that the first priority is to upgrade the website, especially the Referral system and on-line shopping.
Any RAC-quests? Elsewhere in the website we have introduced a section called RAC-quests, where we attempt to share with the members our answers to your questions or RAC-quests. So if you have questions or suggestions, please send them to the RAC office email Email: RAC Office and we will contact you directly as well as post them on-line.
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