If you’ve been wondering why your income isn’t stretching to meet the rising costs of living, the National Bureau of Statistics recently stated that “ even though inflation rates are falling, wages now lag behind the actual amount of expense it takes to meet the standard of living you’ve been maintaining.” Many of us have faced wage freezes, lay-offs, or we’re working longer hours but not getting fair compensation, raises, or over-time.

Perhaps the cooperative lifestyle, is now more than ever… the “perfect housing choice” for such beleaguered economic times.

At Holliday Park, members are asked now more than ever, how a non-profit cooperative can maintain its infrastructure, and continue to provide for the needs of it’s membership without raising carrying charges. After the initial amount of equity is paid to a departing member for their share or membership at the cooperative, the low carrying charges ($231-$343 depending on the unit style you choose) allow members to be able save a greater portion of their income each month, invest the funds, or pursue the lifestyle that they feel is fulfilling and enriching.

The low carrying charges are possible because of a fundamental truth. Cooperative life is defined by the volunteerism of the members. The work that is done by the dedicated, enthusiastic, smart and fully engaged people who populate this wonderful place, reduces the overhead that must be paid to maintain all of the units, the clubhouse and pool, pay a staff, Property Manager and Maintenance crew, along with all of the other bills that are generated when property is owned. Without our volunteers, no matter how frugal the property manager and Board of Directors are, with overtime and the escalating costs of everything, carrying charges would have to be increased. In our history, which spans 40 years, these charges have rarely increased. In fact they have at times been reduced.

What is required of a volunteer at Holliday Park? Each member of the community can serve in a number of ways. Everyone brings their valuable life experience to this process and picks from three distinct groups of volunteer work.

A Member may choose to volunteer by campaigning for a position on the BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Submitting a resume for the purpose of being elected to be one of the 7 – Member Board of Directors isn’t difficult. An election is held in May of each year. The job description for this work can be daunting as the team of 7 are ultimately responsible for the financial stability of the Co-op along with maintaining and enforcing the policies and procedures contained in the By-Laws of the corporation. Board members must: create and follow a budget for each fiscal year that keeps a specific amount of funds held aside as Reserves, work in tandem with the Property Manager to anticipate and meet the needs of the 694 units, enforce policies that keep peaceful coexistence constant, and whenever possible, get the greatest value for every dollar spent in this effort.

The Holliday Park Board meets once a month officially, but also conducts work shops when necessary, to gather the facts and pertinent information which are necessary in order to make wise choices in areas that are beyond their expertise. Within the last seven years new furnaces, vinyl siding, roofing and extra insulation have been implemented throughout the co-op, and a plan is in place to save for new eco-friendly windows in the near future.

A second way to serve the community is by volunteering to do Committee Work. Committees are formed to help with the clerical work, enforce policies and procedures within the community, maintain the grounds to specific standards set by the By-Laws, assist with the publishing of the quarterly Board Newsletter, welcome new residents, and from time to time perform “ad hoc” work whenever the Board needs to have fact finding and research done. Each of these tasks saves the cooperative from having to hire help. Therefore many thousands of wage/dollars are saved. The cooperative is Mortgage Free due to the diligence and excellent efforts of many loyal and committed volunteers.

The Membership Committee is presided over by a Chairperson, with assistance from a Board Member liaison. These volunteers process the applications which are received by the Office, and follow a specific set of guidelines to specify that all qualifications are met and approved before an interested person can be approved for the Active Waiting List.

The Buildings & Grounds Committee was formed to keep the cooperative looking its very best. Guidelines (policies) have been established that have been very successful in maintaining rules that allow for both creativity and order. Volunteers do three walks a year, each in a designated area, and carry a check list of policies which are fair for everyone. Every shareholder has a MEMBER HANDBOOK with all policies and procedures clearly stated. Volunteers get to see all the beauty of Holliday Park and do their part to maintain it.

The Status Quo Committee receives informative articles submitted by Board Members, the Property Manager and committee chairpersons for each members perusal. This information is then compiled, typed, edited, copied, collated, stapled and delivered, four times a year to all 694 members.

The Finance Committee works with the Property Manager and a Board Liaison to ensure that every dollar is stretched to the maximum. They use their skills to find cost cutting initiatives wherever possible, and take a second look at expenditures in order to ensure accuracy and strictly follow the annual budget.

Night Patrol has a very large number of volunteers. Rather than hiring a security guard and paying many thousands of dollars, a team of two people drive through the cooperative nightly, (each team completes a total of three turns a year) to ensure the safety of the residents and report any problems to the Police Department.

Community Watch is very active at Holliday Park. The Chairperson encourages all co-op members to be very aware of the activities that occur within their area of the co-op, and report suspicious conduct to the Police.

The Traffic & Safety Committee is another large team with about 30 members. The Chairperson keeps a list of all the volunteer Lot Representatives for every designated parking lot area in the community and informs them of new move in/outs. Each Lot Rep keeps accurate records about the vehicles that park in their designated areas and the Identification Tag Numbers of those vehicles.

The Welcoming Group consists of one friendly member from each parking lot. This person is contacted by one of two Co-Chairpersons when a new member is about to move in. Each welcomer offers not only a friendly greeting, but also a well thought out compilation of necessary information and phone numbers which will help new members get acclimated to co-op life.

The Pet Committee Chairperson ensures that every pet in the co-op is registered and healthy with documentation for all shots and licenses. They are the “go-to” person for pet related problems.

The Election Committee gathers every spring to carefully follow the policies and procedures of the corporation to conduct fair and equitable elections of the Board Members. A member may vote by mail-in ballot, in person, or by proxy, and privacy is strictly maintained throughout the process. Meetings are held to properly train all election committee volunteers, and challengers are selected to ensure fairness and accuracy. The greatest scrutiny is placed on this process and the volunteers do an excellent job.

The Pool Pass Committee: A Chairperson, the Board Treasurer, and a number of volunteers gather every year to process all the activity passes for pool usage. Fees are collected over a period of several weeks along with request forms which designate specific types of passes, for families, singles, and guests. The passes are then distributed by the lifeguards on opening day.

Our third and final group of volunteers provide a vital service of a different kind. They are the Chairpersons of the Social Clubs. These volunteers add to the quality of life at the cooperative by offering the varied activities throughout the year which bring us together for fun and friendship. Monday Koffee Klatch is one excellent example. The Chairperson and volunteers, make delicious coffee, and offer fresh fruit and on occasion a pancake breakfast. New members are encouraged to join in, and announcements, information, humor and more are offered. Everyone pitches in to cook and clean up.

Other groups include: Dominoes, Euchre and Pinochle, which gather throughout the year, as well as the Golf Club, themed parties, Pool Parties, the Movie Night Group, Texas Hold Em…childrens’ parties and teen events. All of these opportunities to use our clubhouse, tennis courts, pool and picnic areas, serve the community without costing valuable dollars to have a social coordinator oversee events.

You make a living by what you “get”, but you make a life by what you “give”.
— Winston Churchill

Members who volunteer are not only supporting their community and saving dollars, they are building relationships to value and cherish, as well as, sustaining a lifestyle that allows for every measure of happiness, economic stability and peace of mind. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!