JAMAICA EX-SOLDIERS​ ASSOCIATION

1.01.There shall be an Organization established in the State of Atlanta Georgia, USA. Known as; Jamaica Ex-Soldiers Association Atlanta Chapter “JESAAC” to be commonly known as and otherwise called “JESA”. “JESA ATLANTA CHAPTER, Inc”. (JESAAC or the Association). 1.02.The Principal Office of JESA Atlanta Chapter shall be in the State of Georgia, USA. Article II - Objectives: The Objectives of the Association shall be: 2.01.To engage in community development activities which enhances the educational, cultural, social and civil activities and other related programs of the community which provides scholarships, bursaries and Incentives to assist the Educational needs of Ex-Service members, their Children and by extension their families and friends of the wider communities. 2.02. To provide Humanitarian Assistance to Communities in Georgia and Jamaica. 2.03.Relieve Poverty - Provide food and other basic necessities to persons in need to include relief for victims of natural disasters. Based on the availability of Resources. 2.04Assist in relieving suffering and/or disability caused by old age, including facilities for care, maintenance and rehabilitation of Ex-Services Men & Women of the JDF, based on the availability of Resources. 2.05.To form a bond between current and ex-service men and women of the JDF in and around Atlanta Georgia. 2.06.To carry out other objectives or purpose set forth in the Association’s Certificate of Incorporation, such as the implementation of responsible social fund raising and other projects in a manner that does not violate the creed of JESAAC or discredit the name of the Jamaica Defence Force. reate and promote educational opportunities for youth. 2.02 To provide humanitarian assistance to communities in Canada and Jamaica. 1. Education - Provide scholarships, bursaries and incentives to assist the educational needs of our youth 2. Relieve Poverty -Provide food and other basic necessities to persons in need to include relief for victims of natural disasters. 4. Relieve suffering and/or disability caused by old age, including facilities for care, maintenance and rehabilitation o create and promote educational opportunities for youth. 2.02 To provide humanitarian assistance to communities in Canada and Jamaica. 1. Education - Provide scholarships, bursaries and incentives to assist the educational needs of our youth 2. Relieve Poverty -Provide food and other basic necessities to persons in need to include relief for victims of natural disasters. 4. Relieve suffering and/or disability caused by old age, including facilities for care, maintenance and rehabilitation o create and promote educational opportunities for youth. 2.02 To provide humanitarian assistance to communities in Canada and Jamaica. 1. Education - Provide scholarships, bursaries and incentives to assist the educational needs of our youth 2. Relieve Poverty -Provide food and other basic necessities to persons in need to include relief for victims of natural disasters. 4. Relieve suffering and/or disability caused by old age, including facilities for care, maintenance and rehabilitation Article III – Membership, Classes & Eligibility: 3.01.Regular Membership: Membership in the Association shall be open to all Ex-service men and women of the Jamaica Defence Force who were in good standing prior to their Resignations/Retirements. Membership is also extended to Serving members, relatives and friends of Ex-service members. a. Membership status will be duly conferred upon individuals upon submission of a formal application for membership within the Association and payment of a one-time non-refundable Registration Fee and monthly membership dues thereafter. b. Membership must be approved by the membership committee, The Board of Directors and the General Membership. The Association reserves the right to refuse membership to person(s) who is/are unable to fulfill the requirement of the Association. c. 60% of the Board of Executives shall be ex-soldiers from the Jamaica Defence Force. d. Only Members of JESA in good standing and has attended at least three consecutive meetings are allowed to vote or take part in major decision makings of the Association. 3.02. Associate Members: The Executive Committee may co-opt as an Associate Member, any persons falling under the following categories; Any member of the general public, friends and relatives of Serving and Ex-Service members who are of good character and subscribes to the goals and aspiration of the Association and is recommended by a current member who is of good standing within the Association. 3.03.An Associate Member: Shall enjoy all the rights and privileges of a regular member and may hold an elected office except that of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Chairperson of the Board of Directors. 3.04.Sub-committee Members: Membership on any sub-committee shall be open to all members in good standing and shall be on appointment by the President, the Executive Committee or the Chair of the sub-committee. Membership on a sub-committee shall be for the duration of the assigned task. 3.05.Executive Committee Members: Elected Officers of the Association shall be members of the Executive Committee, except in the case where the founding member in forming the Association will self appoint his Executive Committee in the absence of organizational structure during the forming of an association where there are no eligible members to vote. Membership on the executive Committee shall run concurrently and be of the same duration as the official tenure of the office holder. Article IV - Code of Ethics: 4.01.The mandate, objectives, activities, and services of the Jamaica Ex-Soldiers Association Atlanta Chapter (JESAAC) shall at no time be in conflict with the local laws of Atlanta. 4.02. JESAAC shall strive to attain and maintain the highest standard of professionalism in all of its dealings and Members shall endeavour to protect the organization against fraud, misrepresentations and unethical practices. 4.03. Members shall conduct themselves with honour, integrity and honesty, and will act fairly towards every individual in the spirit of respect for human dignity. 4.04. JESAAC shall not be used by members as a vehicle for personal gains. 4.05.Members shall hold all information pertaining to JESAAC in confidence and shall only make that information available with the permission of the President, the Board of Executive in accordance with the Laws of Jamaica. Article V - The Board of Executives: 5.01. The Board of Executives shall comprise of Nine (9) duly elected Officers by the Membership at large. Members of the Executive shall hold the following offices: a.The President b.The Vice President c.Executive Secretary d.Corresponding Secretary e.Treasurer f.Assistant Treasurer g.Public Relations Officer h.The Social and Entertainment Activities Coordinator i.The Membership Coordinator 5.02.Elected Members of the Board of Executives will be required to take an oath of office. 5.03.The Board of Executives shall have the full power of managing and administering the affairs of the organization and to select a disciplinary Committee or other sub-committees as the needs arise. 5.04. Members of the Board of Executives shall at all times make careful, informed, independent and prudent decisions; by considering all material information reasonably available to them, including adequate review of key transaction documents, either by reading it or having it explained by experts. Although board members are not required to possess any particular expertise, they should obtain the assistance of outside consultants if evaluation of a Subject requires special expertise and knowledge that they do not possess. 5.05.Members of the Board of Executives shall make decisions that are beneficial to the greater good of JESAAC. They must remain loyal and give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the organization. This means that a Board Member can never use information obtained as a member for personal gain, but must act in the best interests of the organization. 5.06.Members of the Board of Executives shall remain faithful to JESAAC’s Mission/ Mandate, follow its By-Laws and respect all the provincial laws that governs the Association. 5.07.Members of the Board of Executives shall recue himself /herself from any discussion of or vote on any potential Board action in which they have a conflict of interest. 5.08. The Board of Executives may with due consideration appoint appropriate members to represent the Association. 5.09.The President of the Association SHALL be an Ex-Soldier of the Jamaica Defence Force. NO Ex-Officer SHALL hold the post of President of JESA. Article VI - Trustees: 6.01.JESAAC shall appoint two persons from outside the Association’s membership to serve in the position of Trustee. The Board of Executives will recommend individuals to the General Membership and must have the approval by vote of at least sixty-six (66%) percent to effect this appointment. Article VII - Election: 7.01.The Term of office for the elected Members of the Board of Executives to any given position shall be two years. However, in the initial formation of a Chapter/Association, provision is given that the founding Board of Executives will /shall have a 3 years term if required for continuity to facilitate the setting up, structuring and smooth transition of power of the Association. 7.02.Outgoing Members of the Board of Executive who have served two consecutive two year terms in any position shall be allowed to seek re-election only when the following is satisfied. a. Nomination is held and no Candidate is forthcoming for the said position b. A motion be forwarded and carried by no less than 60% of membership presents allowing the said nominee to stand for election. 7.03. All persons demitting the office of President after his term expires or failed to be nominated for the said office, shall not be allowed to seek election to hold another office until the next election year. 7.04. All Elections shall be held by means of a secret ballot. 7.05. The initial term of office for the very 1st Board of Executive shall be for Three (3) years to facilitate the formation of Jamaica Ex-Servicemen Association Atlanta Chapter. 7.06.Members nominated for the Board of Executives will be allowed to vote on his or her behalf. 7.07. Nomination by proxy is allowed only in circumstances as outline in By-Law # 1, and must be Supported by written request to the Secretary at least thirty days prior to the election. Article VIII - Meetings: 8.01.Members are expected to attend regular general meetings which shall be held on the third Saturday of each month or as decided by the Board of Executives. In the event of an emergency, all members will be notified of a special meeting. 8.02. Meetings shall be conducted in a parliamentary manner and all motions must be addressed to the Chair. 8.03.While the meeting is in session, proper respect must be paid to the Chair, failure to comply will cause the Chair to rule the member “Out of Order”, and in such an instance order the member to be seated or be excused from the meeting. Failure to adhere to the Chair’s ruling will render the member liable to sanctions which may include revocation of membership. 8.04.Members of the Board of Executives shall have the right to vote at all General and Executive meetings. 8.05.Any member may move a motion to have a vote of “No Confidence” taken to remove any Board member whom the member thinks is not acting in the best interest of the Association. 8.06.Any motion moved against a member, the member against whom the motion is moved must be given an opportunity to defend himself/herself before a vote is taken. 8.07.At least 40% of the current members of the Association must be present at any general meeting for it to be valid. 8.09.Roberts Rules of Order shall be observed at all meetings. 8.10. Only members in good standings can vote and take part in any form of major decisions affecting the Association. Members in good standings, refers to those individuals who attends at least three consecutive meeting and have paid their membership dues. 8.11.The following shows the order in which a meeting will be conducted; this order can be changed from time to time as deemed necessary by the President with the consultation from the Board of Directors. 8.12. The agenda of the meeting shall be: a.Meeting called to order b.Prayer c.Welcome and Opening Remarks d.Roll Call and Collection of Dues e.Reading of the Minutes f.Correction to the Minutes g.Confirmations h.Matters Arising From the Minutes i.Communication j.Treasurer Report k.Committee Report l.New Business m.Discussion n.National Anthems o.Motion to Adjourned & Adjournment Article IX - Fiscal Year and Signing Authority 9.01. The Annual Fiscal Year for JESAAC will be January 1 to December 31. 9.02. Any two of the following, President, Vice President. Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, shall be authorized to sign cheques and make deposits on behalf of the Association. In the event that the VP or Assistant is required to sign in the absent of the President / Treasurer such signing must be approved by 2/3 of the Board of Executive. Article X - Standing and Ad Hoc Committee(s). 10.01. Standing Committee(s): The Board of Executives may from time to time establish standing committees and/or Ad Hoc Committees for such purposes as the Board may determine from time to time by resolution. These committees will work in tandem with and take direction from the Board of Executives. Only members in good standing shall be eligible to serve on a standing or Ad Hoc committee. 10.02. Standing Committee(s) shall be established by the Board of Executives and will run concurrently with each term of office. 10.03. Ad Hoc Committee: Other committees shall be established by the Board of Executives for special projects and/or events. The existence of each such Ad Hoc committee shall be automatically terminated upon completion of its assigned task and the delivery of a final report. Article XI - Annual General Meeting: 11.01. Annual General Meeting (AGMs) shall be held on the third Sunday in January each year or as soon as possible thereafter for the purpose of holding elections, presentation of the annual financial report, progress reports by executives or committee chairpersons to include the “State of the Association” address by the President. 11.02. Every annual general meeting will be arranged by the Board of Executives, the Executive Secretary must notify the members of the Association at least 21 days before the meeting. At least 40% of the regular members of the Association must be present for the meeting to be valid. In the event that the quorum is not present at the time scheduled for the meeting the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day of the following week or as otherwise decided by those present. The members present at the adjourned meeting may elect a new Executive. 11.03. Notice of the AGM shall be distributed electronically or in writing. Article XII - Dissolvement: The Association may be dissolve upon a majority vote of the Board of Executives and the General Membership. Upon a vote for dissolution, the business of the Association shall be wound down within ninety (90) days. In the event of such dissolution of JESA’s assets will be distributed to a charity as agreed on by the Members. Article XIII – Commencement This Constitution was enacted and reviewed by a special committee appointed by the President to deal specifically with this Constitution to be used by the Association. Each Section of the Constitution was read and explained at the regular monthly general meeting held at the ________Atlanta, USA on the DTBN at 1700 hours. Approximately Ninety-Nine (99%) of the Total Membership of JESAAC in attendance voted for the Ratification, Adoption and Acceptance of the Constitution. A motion was move by _________ and seconded by __________for the Constitution to take effect. _____% of the Membership voted for the Constitution to take effect immediate as of the abovementioned date and time.