About SPAN
SPAN has been organizing for about two years now.We are incorporated as a New York State local development corporation. The State’s sales tax department is also now part of our administrative connections. And the Federal Internal Revenue Service has received our application to be a not-for-profit entity as a civic league. What we won’t have immediately is a designation that would allow us to receive donations that qualify as a tax deduction. That can be a project for the future after we have a track record as a civic league. To do that we might need to establish a separate entity that would qualify as a charitable organization.
In the meantime, we will continue to pursue some worthy goals. One is to be part of beautification efforts. We have participated in two years of a canal clean-up campaign. We have worked at dressing up storefronts, thanks especially to people like Rose Jeanne Strakal, Jane and Jean Roberts, and Kim Culver. And Rose Jeanne recently led a crew that worked in the Village’s central park.
Another major goal is to collaborate with other local organizations. We are talking with the Chamber of Commerce about possible projects. We joined with other organizations working on the recent 175th anniversary of Clyde’s village charter. And we support the efforts of the Clyde Industrial Development Corporation and the Clyde Capital Improvement – Limited Partnership.
Perhaps the one word that summarizes SPAN’s efforts is “Together.” Our aim is to get as many people working together for the common purpose of making Clyde a thriving community once more. To that end, we seek members who want to take a chance on Clyde by becoming a member of SPAN. The potential members live not only in Galen, but in every state of the union, having once lived in Clyde or graduated from the local school. That number of people ranges in the thousands.
Consider this: to be a member of SPAN and show support for this website’s news, the cost is just ten dollars per year. SPAN ended up with about 50 members last year, and we have about 40 members already this year and have hope for doubling that number by the end of the year.
Consider the meaning of “together” if we should have a thousand members! That would be quite an army of people with Clyde roots.SPAN desires to earn the trust of the hometown by being involved, transparent and collaborative. Join us in this effort characterized by hope.
A check for ten dollars can be made out to Clyde SPAN and mailed to P.O. Box 14, Clyde, NY 14433. You will receive a reply along with a request for your email if you want to stay in close contact.
WHERE DID SPAN COME FROM?
SPAN is an acronym for Strategic Plan Action Network. It was in 2007 that Mayor Roxanne Kise and a consulting firm (paid for by a grant) and local volunteers worked on developing a strategic plan for the Village of Clyde. When the job was completed, the volunteers wanted to go forward and not let the plan sit on a shelf. As they and other like-minded citizens joined in, SPAN was born and started formal meetings in mid-2008.