By-laws

ARTICLE I Name

Silicon Valley Ostomy Support Group

ARTICLE  II Purpose

The Silicon Valley Ostomy Support Group, a chapter of the United Ostomy Associations of America, is a non-profit group formed to serve patients, families and  medical professionals  in the South San Francisco Bay Area. The following are the purposes for which this association has been organized:

  1. To promote a better public understanding of ostomies.
  2. To be of mutual assistance to each other.
  3. To assist the medical profession wherever possible.
  4. To provide reassurance and emotional support to the ostomate’s family.
  5. To assist all preoperative and postoperative ostomates and their caregivers

ARTICLE III Membership

Membership shall consist of regular members, associate members and honorary members.

  1. Regular members shall be those who have ostomy surgery or non-ostomates who have an interest in the Association, such as relatives of ostomates, doctors, Enterostomal therapists, and nurses, but shall exclude those who are employed or self-employed in the manufacture and sale of ostomy supplies and equipment and are not ostomates themselves. Only regular members can hold office and vote.
  2. Associate membership shall be open to those who manufacture or sell ostomy equipment and supplies.
  3. Honorary members may be elected by a majority vote of the membership at a regular meeting and hold rights and privileges of a regular member

ARTICLE IV Dues

The annual dues fee shall be determined by the Officers and shall be payable in January of each calendar year

  1. The same dues fee shall be charged to both regular and associate members and both will be enrolled as members of the UOAA.
  2. Dues shall be waived for honorary members.
  3. Dues shall be waived for any person who expresses an inability to pay and this information shall be kept confidential.

ARTICLE V Officers

  1. The officers of the association shall be a president, secretary and treasurer.
  2. Each officer shall be elected for a term of one (1) year by the members at the annual election meeting in May.
  3. Duties:
    The President shall:

a.Preside at all meetings of the membership.

b.Appoint all committee chairman except the Nominating Chair. 

c.Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees

The Secretary shall:

  1. Record minutes of the meetings.
  1. Preserve all important documents.
  2. Prepare and distribute correspondence for this association as directed by the

    President

The Treasurer shall:

  1. Have the care and custody of all monies and securities of this association.
  2. Disburse funds of this association as directed by the membership.
  3. Maintain a detailed account of receipts and disbursements and make annual reports to the membership.
  4.  File applicable forms with the IRS annually to ensure non-profit status

5. In accordance with UOAA policy, newly elected officers shall, in descending order, have the first priority in the receipt of chapter funds to assist in their attendance at annual UOAA conferences.

ARTICLE VI Meetings

  1. Regular meetings will be held monthly at a time and place designated by the officers, except that meetings may be waived upon thirty (30) days’ notice to the members.
  2. An biennial election meeting shall be held in the month of May as the regular meeting to elect officers of this association for the ensuing year.
  3. A special meeting may be called by the Officers upon thirty (30) days’ notice to the general membership.

ARTICLE VII Committees

The committee shall consist of the following standing committees and any additional committees which the president deems advisable to create. A committee can be any number of people including just a chairperson.

  1. Program Chair: They shall be responsible for the regular meeting programs, and working in conjunction with the secretary and be consistent with the general policies and objectives of the association.
  2. Membership Chair: They shall be responsible for registering new members for this association and to welcome and introduce them at the meetings.
  3.  Nominating Chair: They shall submit names of nominees for all elected offices at the regular meeting in April prior to the annual election meeting in May. It shall also conduct the election of the officers.

ARTICLE VIII Amendments

Amendments to these By-Laws may be made at any officer’s meeting and passed by a majority vote of the membership, provided the proposed changes have been submitted to the members, by email, ahead of time.

ARTICLE IX United Ostomy Association of America

  1. This association (SVOSG) shall be an affiliated component member of the United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc., and shall cooperate fully in its program to promote the rehabilitation of all ostomates
  2.  SVOSG shall send delegates to the annual conference of the United Ostomy Associations of America  whenever possible, these delegates being appointed by the Officers .
  3. SVOSG shall bear appropriate expenses, as approved by the Officer(s), incurred by these delegate(s) in attending the Conference, provided there are sufficient funds in the treasury.

ARTICLE X Dissolution

Upon the winding up and dissolution of this association, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the association, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation, or association, which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or religious and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

No part of the net earnings of this association shall ever inure to or for the benefit of or be distributed to its members, trustees, officers or other private persons, except that the association shall be empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions to furtherance of the exempt purposes for which it was formed.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an association exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1982.

Revised and adopted: _________________

Signed: Chloe Moody, President 4/9/24