Article I:  Name

The name of the organization shall be the Concho Valley CARES Coalition.

Article II:  Coalition Basics

A. Mission - To eliminate substance abuse through community effort. 

B. Vision - Our Dream is through God's guidance; we unite our community, and create an environment that encourages the elimination of substance abuse, so our children and families can thrive in a spiritual, moral, healthy, drug-free environment.

C. Problem Statements - The Concho Valley CARES Coalition will address the following problem statements:

1. Social and community norms and values favorable toward drug use
2. Availability and accessibility of substances
3. Parent and youth misperceptions contribute to youth drug use

D. Goals - the Concho Valley CARES Coalition will work to achieve the following goals:

1. Establish and strengthen collaboration among Concho Valley's private nonprofit agencies, and Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.
2. Reduce substance abuse among Concho Valley, TX youth and, over time, adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse.

E. Area Covered - Concho Valley Counties (13 total): Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reagan, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, and Tom Green

F. Drug Free Communities Grant Fiscal Year - September 30 - September 29

Article III:  Membership

A. Eligibility - Membership shall be open to any organization, business, agency, or individual that supports the Concho Valley CARES Coalition mission and vision.  Membership is broadly defined to promote greater participation and inclusiveness.  Registered sex-offenders will not be permitted to become a member of the coalition due to our close work with youth.

B. Membership Responsibilities - Members shall actively participate in the Concho Valley CARES Coalition in the following ways:

1. Participate in a minimum of one Concho Valley CARES Coalition activity per year.
2. Attend at least three Concho Valley CARES Coalition meetings per year.
3. Serve as a resource or advisor to the Concho Valley CARES Coalition, a panel member, or an activity.
4. Send agency press releases pertaining to substance abuse issues.

Members shall support the Concho Valley CARES Coalition's mission and purpose.  The Steering Committee may remove any member who fails to meet the membership requirements at any time.

Article IV:  Meetings

A. Meeting Frequency - Regular meetings of the full Concho Valley CARES Coalition, one of which shall be the Annual Luncheon, shall take place a minimum of 4 times per year.  Concho Valley CARES Coalition meetings may be called by the Steering Committee.  Panel meetings are held at the discretion of each panel.

B. Notice of meetings - Written notice of meetings shall be emailed to each member at least 4 days in advance of each meeting.

C. Leadership and decision making - Concho Valley CARES Coalition meetings will be led by the Chair or by the Vice Chair.  Consensus in decision making will be sought.  If consensus cannot be achieved, decisions will be made by a majority vote of the members present. Panel meetings will be led by Chairpersons appointed by the members of each panel.

Article V:  Steering Committee

A. Composition of the Steering Committee - The Steering Committee shall be comprised of at least 12 members and no more than sixteen. The Steering Committee shall consist of representatives from the following sectors:

1. Business Community
2. Civic/Volunteer Group
3. Healthcare Professional
4. Law Enforcement
5. Media
6. Parents
7. Religious/Fraternal Organization
8. Governmental Agency with expertise in Substance Abuse Field
9. School
10. Youth (under 18)
11. Youth-Serving Organization
12. Others involved in Reducing Substance Abuse
13. DFC Key Staff (Program Director, Coordinator, Assistant)

B. Responsibilities of the Steering Committee - The Steering Committee shall meet at once per month. It shall act on behalf of the Concho Valley CARES and actively pursue its purposes. It shall supervise and direct the affairs of the Coalition within the limits of these "Structures and Guidelines", consistent with this document and applicable State and Federal laws, rules and regulations. Specifically, the Steering Committee will be responsible for:

1. Jointly setting policies for its own programs
2. Jointly planning and working towards CV CARES goals and objectives to remain in compliance with funding source
3. Jointly overseeing the daily operation of its activities and programs
4. Jointly directing any CV CARES volunteers working on its programs
5. Create, approve, and follow budget in compliance with the requirements of funding source

C. Quorum - One more than half of Steering Committee members constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.

Article VI:  Voting

As outlined in these Guidelines, all members are eligible to vote for the following:

• Election of the Chair and Co-Chair of the Coalition
• Amendments to the Concho Valley CARES Coalition Structure and Guidelines
• All other issues that may come before the Concho Valley CARES Coalition

A. Notice Requirements for Elections - Nominations for Chair and Co-Chair shall open July 1st.  They shall close the last day of August.  The list of the nominees shall be sent to membership on the first Monday of September.  The election will take place the first two weeks of September via Survey Monkey. The Chair and Co-Chair positions shall be elected by majority vote of the total number of votes cast.   The winners will be announced at the October meeting.

B. Voting Privileges

1. Each member shall be entitled to one vote on Survey Monkey.  No individual may serve as representative for more than one organization, or simultaneously as representative for an organization and as an individual member.

Methods of Voting - Unless otherwise specified in this document, decisions shall be made by majority vote of members present at any meeting or on Survey Monkey.

A. Officers' Responsibilities:

1. Chair - The Chair shall be the principal officer of the Concho Valley CARES Coalition and will be responsible for the following:

• Preside at most (if not all) Concho Valley Coalition meetings and functions and Steering Committee meetings.

2. Vice Chair - The Vice Chair will be responsible for the following:

• Carrying out the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Chair in the absence of the Chair
• Other duties and responsibilities delegated to him or her by Chair or Steering Committee.

Article VII:  Drug Free Communities (DFC) Key Staff

A. DFC Project Director - Will provide grant oversight, supervise and guide coordinator, assist in community relations, project evaluation, and offer technical assistance.

B. DFC Coordinator - Will coordinate coalition services and project activities to include trainings, coalition communication, data collection and dissemination.  DFC Coordinator will act as a liaison between coalition, fiscal agent, and community.

C. DFC Assistant - Will provide direct support to the DFC Coordinator, DFC Project Director, and Coalition Chairperson(s) by maintaining coalition databases and files, providing clerical support for coalition tasks, to include event fliers and registration, website maintenance, and member support. 

Article VIII - Other Concho Valley CARES Coalition Panels/Committees

A. Public Relations Panel:  to plan and carry out the media plan for the coalition.

B. Membership Panel: to scout and recruit members for the Concho Valley CARES Coalition.

C. Informational Liaison Panel: to keep members informed of policies and advocacy opportunities.

D. YOUth CARES Teen Committee: to provide insight regarding issues facing local youth, fundraise, and plan and carry out communitywide alternative activities.

E. Evaluation Committee: will gather, analyze, and provide local data trends to engage community

Article IX - Amendments to "Concho Valley CARES Coalition Structure and Guidelines"

Any member of the Concho Valley CARES Coalition may propose amendment(s) to the "Structure and Guidelines."  Proposed amendments shall be presented to the Steering Committee at any time.  The Steering Committee will ensure that any proposed amendments are presented to Concho Valley CARES Coalition membership at the next meeting.  Amendments must receive a majority vote of all Concho Valley CARES Coalition members participating in the meeting or a majority of votes via Survey Monkey.

Article X - Fiscal Responsibility

The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley is the fiscal and administrative agent for the Coalition.

Article XI - Effective Date

The effective date of these guidelines is April 8, 2010.

Printable version of bylaws here.