Support Your Local Clubs!

​I am pretty sure I have posted about this before, but it does not hurt to post again. There is maybe one thing more important in this hobby than the breeders themselves, and that would be our local clubs. If it was not for these local clubs putting on shows, we would not have the opportunity to exhibit our breed specimens, converse and learn with others in our breed, learn about new breeds, and so much more! These local clubs are run by local breeders, not by ARBA or the National Breed clubs.


I have noticed that shows are becoming far and few inbetween, at least in my area. New clubs pop up, but quickly diminish. Why is that? Well lets look at how a club works:


A local club must consist of seven people: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer (Secretary & Treasurer can be combined), Board Director, and two other board members. This is what is required by ARBA to start up and continue a local club. All these club members MUST be ARBA members as well. Each club is responsible to make up their own consititution and by-laws. Each club is a small branch of ARBA, but not governed by ARBA. ARBA oe not get involved with club buisness matters.


Each officier of local clubs has a role to play. However, the heart and soul of each club without a doubt is the secretary and treasuers position. These positions in a club are always the hardest to fill. Many times a person will take the position, but quickly remove themselves. Without a secretary or treasurer the clubs cannot function! The sceretary is responsible to make sure all the paperwork is in order for the charter, taxes, non profit, state requirements, minutes for club meetings, etc etc. Then you have the treasurer who is responsible for the clubs money. Add that to the secretary's job and oh boy! But it's not impossible to do!


One of the most important things to remember of our local club members is that they are ALL 100% volunteering their time to these clubs. There is NO pay to be a club member! Infact, when new clubs start up, the charter fee comes out of pocket. And in most cases, when the show happens, awards, judges, hotels, coops, venue and all that goes along with hosting a show, comes from the pocket of the club members until entry fees are paid. This is especially true for smaller local clubs.


Don't think that your personal life is just too busy to be an active member of a local group! Each and every member, including the secretary and treasuer has a family to care for, a home to clean, kids to chase, a full time job, and their own rabbits to maintain! And yet, even though most members have full time jobs, and we all have an entire life of our own, we make time so that the show can go on!


What can a membership to your local club get you? Well first and foremost your paid membership to your local club gets you a vote in all things club related. It gives you the opportunity to make changes that you see need to be made. Your small yearly membership dues help pay for the club charter, purchase awards for the show, or pay for anything else the club needs to continue. Your membership is valued, no matter how little or how much you participate.


However, active members are needed! Even if you can only do so much, any help is appreciated when it gets time to put on a show. In most cases, your local shows are put on by two or three people. That is an average of three people finding and collecting bids for judges that they think the exhibitors will appreciate, organizing judging orders, taking in your entries and fees, making the show catalog and ensuring everyone who wants one gets one, sending in for sanctions, printing out and orgnizing pre show paperwork, picking up and entertaining the judges, finding the venue, setting up the show, finding table writers, and down to imputing all the placements after the show, printing out the show reports and legs and getting them off in the mail to you! There is so much more that goes into hosting a show than what I listed. But, the point is...on average three people do all this work for you the exhibitor to enjoy, while we work full time jobs, and care for our own families!


So take minute and contact your local clubs, ask to join and ask where you can help! YOu are an assest! No matter how big or how small!