Amended and Reinstated Bylaws of
Kolot Chayeinu / Voices Of Our Lives
Adopted: June 08, 2015
ARTICLE I
Mission
At Kolot Chayeinu, doubt can be an act of faith and all hands are needed to build our community. We are creative, serious seekers who pray joyfully, wrestle with tradition, pursue justice and refuse to be satisfied with the world as it is. We share a commitment to ending structural racism and becoming an antiracist congregation. And, as individuals of varying sexual orientations, gender identities, races, family arrangements, and Jewish identities and backgrounds, we share a commitment to the search for meaningful and just expressions of our Judaism in today's uncertain world.
ARTICLE II
Membership
Section 1. Membership Eligibility. Membership is open to any person of the Jewish faith or any person who seeks to be associated with those upholding the Jewish faith who is over the age of eighteen and subscribes to the values and mission of Kolot Chayeinu (“Congregation” herein).The unit of membership shall be the individual.
Section 2. Becoming a Member. To become a member of the Congregation, individuals must comply with the application process determined by the Board of Directors. The application process shall be publicly available on the Congregation’s website and upon request.
Section 3. Responsibilities of Membership. The Congregation expects Members to participate actively in order to maintain a vibrant community. A member is a “Member in Good Standing” if she is current in her dues payment. The membership records of the Congregation shall conclusively determine whether an individual is a Member in Good Standing, as well as the total number of Members in Good Standing. The Board shall set the dues and the procedures for payment, including provisions regarding financial hardship adjustments, pro-rating of payments for new members, and installment payments and shall circulate information concerning membership dues, procedures for payment, and criteria for hardship adjustments to the members and applicants for membership on the Congregation’s website and upon request. Unless specified otherwise, the term “Member” employed herein shall mean Member in Good Standing.
Section 4. Refusing or Revoking Membership. The Board will develop procedures and criteria concerning standards for refusing to accept an individual as a member and for revoking the membership of a current member and will make those procedures and criteria available on the Congregation’s website and upon request. The Board of Directors may refuse or revoke membership of any individual by a ¾ vote of the entire board, at any meeting where notice of the proposed action has been included in notice of the meeting.
Section 5. Resignation of Members. Resignations from Members shall be submitted in writing to the President of the Board of the Congregation. Resignation shall not relieve a Member from payment of any obligation due the Congregation, unless authorized by the Board.
ARTICLE III
Meetings of the Members
Section 1: Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Congregation for the purpose of electing Officers and Directors and for the transaction of any other business authorized to be transacted by the members shall be held on Lag B’Omer or at such other time as determined by the Board. Every Member of the Congregation shall be notified by mail, e-mail or facsimile at least two weeks in advance of the holding of the annual meeting. In addition, the Rabbi or a lay leader of the congregation shall provide notice of the Annual Meeting at two Shabbat services at least one week apart in advance of the annual meeting. At the Annual Meeting, the Congregation shall also consider other matters determined by the Board.
Section 2: Special Meetings. Special meeting of the Congregation may be called by the President and shall be called at the request of a majority of the Board or on written application of 30 Members in Good Standing. Notice of the date, place, hour and purpose of any special meeting shall be delivered to each member at least 14 days before the meeting via mail, e-mail or facsimile. The notice shall indicate that it is being issued by or at the direction of the person or persons calling the meeting and shall also state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. No matter other than that specified in the notice shall be transacted at any special meeting.
Section 3: Email Communications to Members: If notice or other communications to Members are mailed electronically, such notice or other communication must be directed to the member’s electronic mail address as it appears on the record of members or to such other electronic mail address as has been filed with the secretary of the Congregation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, such notice or other communication shall not be deemed to have been given electronically (1) if the Congregation is unable to complete two consecutive deliveries to the member by electronic mail; or (2) the corporation otherwise becomes aware that communication cannot be delivered to the member by electronic mail.
Section 4: Voting Rights. Members in Good Standing have the full privileges of membership, including the right to vote, run for office, be counted in a quorum, sign petitions, or engage in other forms of active participation in the governance of the Congregation.
Section 5: Quorum. The presence of 20% of the total number of Members in Good Standing shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the members. A quorum must exist in order to transact business at a meeting of the Members. In the absence of a quorum, a majority of the Members present may adjourn the meeting. Notice of the new meeting is not required if the time and place for the new meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, and at the new meeting any business may be transacted that might have been transacted at the meeting as originally called
Section 6. Waiver of Notice. Any Member who submits a waiver of notice, whether before or after the meeting, need not receive notice of that meeting and, by executing the waiver of notice, agrees that s/he will make no objection to lack of notice and/or the manner in which notice has been given. Such waiver of notice may be written or electronic. If written, the waiver must be executed by the Member signing such waiver or causing his or her signature to be affixed to such waiver by any reasonable means including but not limited to facsimile signature. If electronic, the transmission of the waiver must be sent by electronic mail and set forth, or be submitted with information from which it can reasonably be determined that the transmission was authorized by the Member. Any Member who attends a meeting without protesting, prior to the conclusion of the meeting, lack of notice and/or the manner in which notice has been given of such meeting, thereby waives his or her right to object to notice of such meeting.
Section 7. Action by the Members. Except as otherwise provided by statute or these bylaws, any action authorized by a majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy at a meeting of the Members shall be the act of the Members. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Members may be taken without a meeting if all Members consent to the adoption of a resolution authorizing the action. Such consent may be written or electronic. If written, the consent must be executed by the Member signing such consent or causing his or her signature to be affixed to such consent by any reasonable means including but not limited to facsimile signature. If electronic, the transmission of the consent must be sent by electronic mail and set forth, or be submitted with information from which it can reasonably be determined that the transmission was authorized by the Member. The resolution and the consents thereto by the Members shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Members.
Section 8. Member Actions Requiring Supermajority Vote. The Board of Directors shall have power, by resolution adopted unanimously, to require that an action of the Members be approved by a vote of at least 2/3rds of the votes cast in person or by proxy at a meeting of the Members. Such Board action shall be taken only with respect to a Member action the Board finds may significantly affect Kolot Chayeinu’s mission or operations. The Board’s adopted resolution shall include such findings as well as the bases for it.
ARTICLE IV
Nominations and Elections
Section 1. Notice to Members. Immediately after the selection of the Nominating Committee, as set out in Article VIII, Section 4 below and at least 8 weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, the President shall announce to the Congregation the identity of the committee members and the nominating procedure set out herein, including the deadline for submission of names for consideration on the Committee Slate, as provided in Section 3 below. This information shall also be posted and announced during at least two Shabbat services prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall nominate a member for each office to be filled at the next election, including for any positions filled by the Board since the last board elections. The Committee may not nominate any of its members for a Director or Officer position.
Section 2. Committee Slate. The Nominating Committee shall report a slate of candidates to the Board and to the Congregation at large. The Committee shall make its report to the Congregation by electronic mail or by postal mail by no later than three weeks before the date of the election.
Section 3. Other Nominations. At any time after the announcement of the Nominating Committee, members of the Congregation may submit names to the Committee for consideration on the Committee Slate. Individuals may also be nominated for any Director or Officer position by a nominating petition signed by any eighteen (18) Members in Good Standing and submitted to the Secretary two weeks before the date of the election.
Section 4. Election Procedure. If any nominations are made by petition, the Committee shall make a second report to the Congregation by electronic mail or by postal mail no later than one week before the date of the election. Elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting. The Congregation shall vote on the nominees recommended by the Nominating Committee and any nominations made by petition.
Section 5. Term of Office. All persons elected to office at the Annual Meeting shall take office for a term beginning on the first day of the following September.
ARTICLE V
Board of Directors
Section 1. Powers and Number. The Board of Directors shall have general power to manage the affairs and property of the Congregation in accordance with the purposes and limitations set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation. The number of Directors of the entire Board shall be no less than nine (9) and no more than eighteen (18). The number of Directors may be expanded or reduced by the Members, so long as the number of Directors is a multiple of three (3), but in no case shall the number of Directors consist of less than three (3) Directors. Each Director shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
Section 2. Qualifications. Only Members in Good Standing of the Congregation are eligible for election to the Board. Board Members shall individually and collectively participate actively in the life of the Congregation through regular attendance at worship services and other activities of the Congregation.
Section 3. Election and Term of Office. The members of the Board shall be elected at annual meetings by the Members in Good Standing of the Congregation by a plurality of the votes cast and shall serve for terms of three (3) years, except that at the Annual Meeting held to elect Board members for the year 5772, the Congregation shall elect one Director to a one-year term and three Directors to a three-year term. Thereafter, the term shall be three years; provided, however, that any Director elected to fill an unexpired term shall hold office only until that term expires.
Section 4. Term Limits. No Director may serve for more than six (6) consecutive years, except that service as an Officer up to a maximum of six (6) years shall be excluded from this term limit.
Section 5. Vacancies in Directorships between Annual Meetings. In case any Director shall by death, resignation, incapacity to act or otherwise cease to be a director during his or her term, his or her successor shall be chosen within sixty (60) days by the Board to serve until the next annual meeting of the members. At such meeting, the Members in Good Standing shall elect a director to fill the unexpired term, unless the remaining term of the director whose vacancy is to be filled expires at such meeting, in which event a director shall be elected for the full term by the Members in Good Standing.
Section 6. Meetings. The Board shall have at least 6 regular meetings a year. In addition, the Board of Directors may hold special meetings at the call of the President or by petition or vote of half of the voting Directors. Any one or more members of the Board or any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or committee by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment or by electronic video screen communication. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting as long as all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time and each director can participate in all matters before the board, including, without limitation, the ability to propose, object to, and vote upon a specific action to be taken by the Board.
Section 7. Notice of Meetings; Waiver of Notice. Notice of the time and place of each regular meeting and special meeting called by the President shall be mailed to each Director, postage prepaid, addressed to him or her at his or her residence or usual place of business (or at such other address as he or she may have designated in a written request made to the Secretary) or shall be communicated to each Director via facsimile transmission or E-mail at his or her residence or usual place of business, at least seven (7) days before the day on which the meeting is to be held; provided, however, that notice of special meetings to discuss matters requiring prompt action may be given personally, by telephone, by facsimile transmission or by E-mail, no less than forty-eight (48) hours, unless the meeting must be held within forty-eight (48) hours. The Secretary shall give notice of the time and place of each special meeting called by petition or vote of half the voting Directors by mail to each Director, postage prepaid, addressed to him or her at his or her residence or usual place of business (or at such other address as he or she may have designated in a written request made to the Secretary) or shall be communicated to each Director via facsimile transmission or E-mail at his or her residence or usual place of business, at least thirty (30) days before the day on which the meeting is to be held. Notice of a meeting need not be given to any Director who submits a waiver of notice, whether before or after the meeting, or who attends the meeting without protesting, prior thereto or at its commencement, the lack of notice to him or her. Such waiver of notice may be written or electronic. If written, the waiver must be executed by the Director signing such waiver or causing his or her signature to be affixed to such waiver by any reasonable means including but not limited to facsimile signature. If electronic, the transmission of the waiver must be sent by electronic mail and set forth, or be submitted with information from which it can reasonably be determined that the transmission was authorized by the Director.
Section 8. Quorum and Voting. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum. Except as may otherwise be prescribed by statute or these bylaws, the vote of a majority of the Directors present at the time of the vote, if a quorum is present at such time, shall be the act of the Board. If at any meeting of the Board there shall be less than a quorum present, the Directors present may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is obtained. No proxy voting is permitted for meetings of the Board. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board, or any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if all the members of the Board or the committee consent in writing to the adoption of a resolution authorizing the action.
ARTICLE VI
Officers
Section 1: Number and Qualifications. The Officers of the Congregation shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and any other Officers the Board of Directors determine to be necessary. An Officer must be a member of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Election and Term of Office. The Congregation shall elect Officers for a term at the Annual Meeting. Officers may serve for up to three consecutive terms, the first two of which shall be for a two-year term each and the last for a one-year term or a two-year term, to be determined by the Board at the time the President appoints a Nominating Committee pursuant to Article IX, Section 4 below, except that for the year 5774, the President's third term shall be two years. Newly elected officers shall assume office on the first day of the following September and shall serve until a successor shall have been elected and shall qualify. The Board may vote to fill a vacant Office in between Annual Meetings. If more than a year is remaining in the term at the time of the vacancy, the Board will select an Officer to serve only until the next Annual Meeting, when the Congregation will elect an Officer to complete the remainder of the term.
Section 3. Other Officers, Agents and Employees. The Board may create additional Offices with such duties as are entrusted to the office by the President and the Board of Directors. Except as provided in Article X below, the Board may from time to time appoint such agents and employees as it deems necessary, each of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall have such authority, perform such duties and receive such reasonable compensation, if any, as a majority of the Board may from time to time determine. To the full extent allowed by law, the Board may delegate to any officer, agent or employee, any powers possessed by the Board, and may prescribe their respective title, terms of office, authorities and duties.
Section 4. President. The President shall preside as chair at all Congregation and Board meetings and shall appoint all chairs of committees, working groups and taskforces. She shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Congregation, shall keep the Board fully informed of all the Congregation’s activities, and shall call Annual Meetings and Special Meetings. He or she shall have the power to sign and execute in the name of the Congregation all contracts authorized either generally or specifically by the Board, unless the Board shall specifically require an additional signature. The President shall perform such other duties as may be from time to time assigned by the Board.
Section 5. Vice-President. The Vice-President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President. The Vice-President shall automatically succeed to the office of the President in case of vacancy and shall act for the President in case of his or her absence or disability. If there are two or more Vice-Presidents, one shall be designated as the 1st Vice-President to succeed or act for the President pursuant to these bylaws.
Section 6. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Congregation and shall be the disbursing agent of the Congregation as authorized by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall present a financial report at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, and shall provide financial information to the Board of Directors as requested. The Treasurer shall chair or serve on any committee directly involving financial matters of the Congregation. All disbursements of Congregation funds shall require the authorization or signature of the Treasurer and one other Officer designated by the Board of Directors.
Section 7. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep accurate and complete minutes of meetings of the Congregation, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee; maintain the Policy Manual of the Board; send out notices of all meetings; and perform such other duties as are incident to the office according to law or the direction of the Board. The Board may delegate some of these responsibilities to other board or staff members of the Congregation, but the Secretary shall be responsible for the performance of any delegated matters.
ARTICLE VII
Removal from Office
Section 1. The Board may remove from office any Officer or Director who is absent without excuse from three meetings of the Board in any year.
Section 2. An Officer or Director may be removed from office for cause by a 2/3 vote of the Members in Good Standing present at any Special Meeting called for the purpose of acting upon such removal. Either a majority of the Board or a petition signed by 50 members in Good Standing can call such a Special Meeting. The Board or the Petition must provide the Officer or Director specific notice of the cause for which removal is sought, and the proceedings must provide the Officer or Director with an adequate opportunity to be heard.
ARTICLE VIII
Related Party Transactions
Section 1. Definitions. A related party transaction is any transaction, agreement or any other arrangement in which a related party has a financial interest and in which the Congregation or any affiliate of the Congregation is a participant. A related party is (i) any director, officer or key employee of the Congregation or any of its affiliates; (ii) the spouse, ancestor, sibling, child, grandchild, great-grandchild, spouse of a sibling, child, grandchild, or great-grandchild, or domestic partner of an individual defined in (i) above; or (iii) an entity in which any of the above individuals has a thirty-five percent or greater ownership or beneficial interest or, in the case of a partnership or professional corporation, a direct or indirect ownership interest in excess of five percent. A substantial financial interest is one that, based on all the facts and circumstances, is determined by the Congregation to be significant to the related party.
Section 2. Procedures for Related Party Transactions. Before the Congregation may enter into any related party transaction:
(a) Any director, officer, or key employee who has an interest in a related party transaction shall disclose that interest in good faith to the Board or an authorized committee thereof, the material facts concerning such interest.
(b) No related party may participate in deliberations or voting relating to the approval of a related party transaction.
(c) The Board or authorized committee thereof must determine that the transaction is fair, reasonable, and in the Congregation’s best interest.
Section 3. Procedures for Substantial Related Party Transactions. Before the Congregation may enter into any related party transaction in which a related party has a substantial financial interest:
(a) Any director, officer, or key employee who has a substantial financial interest in a related party transaction shall disclose that interest in good faith to the Board or an authorized committee thereof, the material facts concerning such interest.
(b) No related party may participate in deliberations or voting relating to the approval of a related party transaction.
(c) The Board or authorized committee thereof must consider alternative transactions to the extent available, determine that the transaction is fair, reasonable, and in the Congregation’s best interest, and approve the transaction by not less than a majority vote of the directors or committee members present at the meeting
(d) Contemporaneously document in writing the basis for the board or authorized committee’s approval, including its consideration of any alternative transactions.
Section 4. Conflict of Interest Disclosure. At each Annual Meeting, each Director shall complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure statement, the form of which shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The statement shall disclose all related party transactions involving each board member entered into or continued during the preceding year, as well as related party transactions currently before the Board for its consideration.
ARTICLE VIII
Committees
Section 1. Committees of the Board. The Board shall establish an executive committee and may, by resolution adopted by a majority of the entire Board, establish such other board committees as it deems appropriate. The President of the Board shall appoint the Chair of each committee. Each committee so appointed shall consist of three or more individuals who are members of the Congregation. Each committee shall, to the extent provided in the resolution establishing it, have all the authority of the Board except as to the following matters:
1. the filling of vacancies on the Board or on any committee;
2. the amendment or repeal of the by-laws or the adoption of new by-laws;
3. the amendment or repeal of any resolution of the Board which by its terms shall not be so amendable or repealable;
4. the fixing of compensation of the Directors for serving on the Board or any committee.
Section 2. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and any other members of the Board the Board of Directors designates. The President shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee and may call meetings of the Executive Committee. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be a majority of its members. Decisions shall be made by majority vote of those in attendance. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Board between regularly scheduled Board meetings, as well as to perform other functions delegated by the Board. The Executive Committee shall promptly report its actions at the next scheduled Board Meeting. The Board retains the right to affirm or overrule decisions of the Executive Committee, but only to the extent such decisions relate to prospective actions.
Section 3. Committees and Working Groups of the Congregation. The Board or the members may create such Committees or Working Groups of the Congregation, including the Nominating Committee, as are deemed necessary to accomplish the purposes and activities of the Congregation. The members of such Committees and Working Groups shall be appointed by the President of the Board.
Section 4. Nominating Committee. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least seven members, consisting of at least three members of the Board and at least three Congregation members who are not members of the Board.
ARTICLE IX
Clergy and Professional Staff
Section 1. Rabbi. The Congregation’s Founding Rabbi, and any Rabbi selected as her successor, shall be the spiritual and religious leader of the Congregation and perform all services in fulfillment of that responsibility. In consultation with the Board, she shall determine the religious liturgy and ritual of the Congregation and also supervise all educational, spiritual and religious activities of the congregation. Unless otherwise indicated, the term “Rabbi” shall refer to the Founding Rabbi and any successor Rabbi(s). The Rabbi shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Employment of Rabbi. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Rabbi, a special committee, appointed by the President, shall conduct a search and recommend a candidate to be selected as Rabbi of the Congregation. Provided that the Board of Directors approves such recommendation, it shall be submitted to the membership for vote at the Annual Meeting or a Special Meeting of the Congregation. The terms of the Rabbi’s contract with the Congregation will be determined by the Members. The Members shall have the power to remove the Rabbi by a ¾ vote of those present at any Annual or Special Meeting of the Congregation, provided that notice of this proposed action is included in the notice of meeting.
Section 3. Clergy and Professional Staff. To fulfill the educational, religious, cultural, and administrative needs of the Congregation, the Board of Trustees, in cooperation with the Rabbi, may create paid positions for clergy and professional staff, including but not limited to, an Assistant or Associate Rabbi, a Music Director, an Educator, and an Administrator. The Board shall set the terms of employment for these clergy and staff, and these individuals will exercise all duties under the supervision of the Rabbi.
ARTICLE X
Auxiliary Organizations
Section 1.The congregation shall have such auxiliary organizations as shall from time to time be established and organized by the members.
Section 2.The activities of all auxiliary organizations of this congregation shall always be conducted in such as manner as will advance the best interests of the Congregation.
Section 3.The Bylaws and other regulations of all auxiliary organizations shall be consistent with the bylaws and policies of the Congregation.
ARTICLE XI
Real Estate
Except as provided herein, any contract for the purchase, sale, transfer, encumbrance, or lease of real estate owned by the Congregation must be approved by the vote of a majority of the entire Board to authorize any such action with respect to real estate. Any lease of real estate by the Congregation must be approved by a majority of the Board. If the transaction involves the sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Congregation’s assets, the transaction must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the entire Board and of the Members in Good Standing at a meeting at which notice of the proposed transaction has been given and, to the extent required by the Religious Corporation Law and/or the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, approved by a Justice of the New York Supreme Court.
ARTICLE XII
Fiscal Year
The Board of Directors shall establish the fiscal year of the Congregation.
ARTICLE XIII
Amendments
These bylaws may be amended or repealed at the annual meeting or at a meeting duly called for the purpose of altering these bylaws. Written notice embodying such amendment must be openly given at a previous meeting and also in the notices of the meeting at which such proposed amendment is to be acted upon. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members in Good Standing present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary to adopt any amendment.
ARTICLE XIV
Membership Meeting Procedures
The Board will establish procedures to be followed at the Annual Meeting and any Special Meetings of the Members and will notify the Members of such procedures prior to or at the beginning of each meeting. The following shall be including in these procedural rules: a) that a written agenda will be established prior to each meeting, and that any member wishing to include an issue on the agenda must notify the President prior to the meeting; b) that only the issues identified on the written agenda will be taken up at the meeting; c) whether voting at the meeting will be by voice vote or ballot. The Board may establish additional procedures and may appoint a member of the Congregation to facilitate any meeting of the members.
ARTICLE XV
Prohibited Activities
Section 1. No Member of the Congregation shall receive any of the earnings or pecuniary profit from the operations of the Congregation. This shall not prevent the payment to any such person of reasonable compensation for services rendered or of the reasonable value at retail for goods sold to or for the Congregation in carrying out any of its tax-exempt purposes.
Section 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Bylaws, no Officer, Board Member, clergy Member, professional staff Member, or other employee, director, or representative of the Congregation shall take any action or carry on any activity by or on behalf of the Congregation not permitted to be taken or carried on by an organization exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and regulations promulgated thereunder, as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended.
Dated: 6/08/15
Roger Westerman, Secretary of the Congregation
While there have been a few exceptions over the years, Kolot’s policy to-date has been that we put out announcements and host shivas when the loss is of a member, a members’ parent(s), partner, sibling(s), or children.
At this time we’d like to share that we are changing this policy.
In addition to the categories above, if you have lost someone you love - a friend or family member who feels like your cherished “framily”/chosen family/your people- Kolot will put out a Barukh Dayan Emet announcement to share the news, and to give other Kolot members an opportunity to send their condolences. While Kolot does not have the capacity to host and provide food for a shiva gathering, the broader community is still encouraged to come and bring food as individuals. To that end, if you will be gathering for shiva you may use the announcement to share details about how the Kolot community can be there for you.
We hope this change reflects our view that the traditional category of mourners (partners, parents and children) does not encompass the full scope of the relationships that infuse our lives with love and meaning. May we be held by all in our times of grief and joy.