Parent Group Confirming Letter to Board (volleyball)

photo on left is courtesy of arctic ferret
who has nothing to do with the NCVA and lives in the Midwest.

(The Parent Group was happy to find the World's Oldest known McDonald's when driving back from a tournament in Utah.)


The parent group recently sent the following confirming e-mail to the NCVA Board.  Please note, I was not the author of the note (wish I had) , but as a member of the group fully endorse it. The author then received an e-mail from the NCVA Commissioner that confirms that she passed it on to the board members and that she always clears anything she writes to the group with all members of the board before she sends it.



Members of the Board of Directors, NCVA:

The ad hoc parent group in NCVA made a presentation at the June BOD meeting of the NCVA. At that time we were told to expect a response from the board dealing with the issues and concerns we raised. We understood that a lot of ground was covered in the meeting and that a response would take some time. In eary August we contacted the Commissioner to ask when a reply would be forthcoming. On August 21, our group received the following reply from Ms. Donaghy:

begin letter from NCVA
Dear ….

The NCVA Board of Directors has answered many of your questions regarding policy in previous correspondence. The Office staff has done the same via email or letters and in person at the meetings. You were supplied a binder of the girls 2005/2006 handbook at the second meetings with instructions that many of your answers to you questions can be found in this publications, which is also posted on the website. I am currently updating the 2006/2007 Girls Handbook. We also have received copies of emails that you have received from Jon Lee with answers to many of your questions.

In addition, the Board will continue to commit time to discuss between them many of the ideas presented from all of our stakeholders. We are sure you will continue to see this as the seasons progress.

We have communicated with you in previous correspondence that the NCVA Board of Directors has not established an official NCVA Parent Group, please refrain from presenting yourself as a representative of a NCVA Parent Group.

In regards to the letter addressed to NCVA Board Chairman, Diane Mazzei and myself- received on August 16, 2006, you will receive a response from the NCVA Board Chairman by the end of next week.
End letter from NCVA

It is unclear to us whether this reply constitutes the board's promised response to us or is the Commissioner's take on where matters stand. If this is the board's official response, you may be certain that the parent group is extremely disappointed by it. We understand that Ms. Mazzei will be responding separately to Mr. Fong's recent letter, and earnestly hope that the board as a whole will not be so dismissive of the parent group as is the case in the Commissioner's letter. As expressed many times, we would like to work with the board to achieve a better volleyball experience for all in the Northern California region. We are looking for much more than a simple assurance that NCVA will commit time in the future to discuss issues amongst the board members. We are looking for a response to the specific issues raised in our presentation as we work to find a way to maintain an ongoing, non-adversarial relationship between concerned parents and other advocates and the NCVA. May we expect any such response from the board?

"In our PowerPoint presentation we offered potential solutions to certain problems. These recommendations have not yet been addressed by the BOD, the Commissioner, the Handbook binder or Jon Lee at USAV. To refresh your memory, we are including a summary of the presentation (see below). We have been waiting for a reaction to our suggestions. We are very open to further dialogue about them but cannot adequately participate if board meetings are closed, unannounced in advance and conducted without accessible minutes. Some of our suggestions could lead to substantial volunteer commitments from parents.

Please note that the parent group has never characterized itself as an "official" group representing the NCVA organization. We will continue to be careful about avoiding any such characterization. However, it is a fact that we are mostly parents of players in the NCVA community, and we will continue to call ourselves what we are--at the moment, an ad hoc parent group that is expanding as others involved in NCVA activities take an interest in us. Our mission is the same as yours, to provide the best possible support for volleyball in our region. To this end we are dedicated.

Any reply to me will be forwarded to the others in our group. This letter was approved in draft form by our group.

Parent Group Board Presentation was also attached

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Begin e-mail from NCVA
e-mail from the NCVA Commissioner:


This email is to inform you that I have forwarded your email to the NCVA Board of Directors. I would also like to inform you that I have been directed by the Board that all correspondence to ..... from me is reviewed and approved by the NCVA Board of Directors before it goes out.

Donna Donaghy
Commissioner
End e-mail from NCVA

Link to my other volleyball articles
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