L’Arche USA Board Formation Our Founding Stories

The Good News We ask you to wear the traditional board hat functioning as any board of a nonprofit organization. We also ask you to be able to remove that hat and build community within the board, build relationships within local L’Arche communities and become ambassadors for L’Arche, as you progress on a journey of self-discovery through it all. L’Arche USA wants you to be a servant in your leadership, but also wants to be of service to you.

A BOARD MEMBER’S ROLE “In L’Arche we give considerable responsibility to the Board of Directors of each of our communities…The Board of Directors with its chairperson, is legally responsible for property, finances and other matters. It is also legally responsible for what goes on in the community, particularly in respect to people with a handicap who have been entrusted to the community by local authorities. This means, of course, that board members must really understand the vocation and the reality of L’Arche, that they must discover how people with a handicap can nourish them too and bring them closer to God. That means that Board members must come together not just for business matters but also to enjoy each others’ company, to share together on a deeper level and particularly to enjoy being with community members.” Jean Vanier, Community and Growth Fr. Jim Boyle with Jean Vanier in Jerusalem in 2009

Announcing the Mission Having a shared vision Educating others about L’Arche Telling Stories: Your own experience of a core member or assistant, etc. Your local community’s founding story The founding story of L’Arche in Trosly

QUESTIONS? THOUGHTS? ADDITIONS? COMMENTS QUESTIONS? THOUGHTS? ADDITIONS?

L’Arche USA’s Founding Story Inculturation Canada/L’Arche USA Zone L’Arche USA: January 1998 Benefactors, L’Arche Canada, US Fundraising Committee, US Board and AmeriCorps Membership Fees Capital Campaign

A Community’s Founding Story

SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY’S STORY One of the key ways we develop a sense of ourselves is by gathering the tribe around the campfire and telling stories about who we are. Blue Avocado www.blueavocado.org SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY’S STORY

L’Arche Tahoma Hope 1977

L’Arche Tahoma Hope 2016

RESOURCES AND NEXT STEPS Prepared by Joan Eads: chimos@aol.com CONCLUDING REMARKS RESOURCES AND NEXT STEPS FINAL THOUGHTS THANK YOU! Prepared by Joan Eads: chimos@aol.com