VIFC Annual Membership Meetings

2026 Annual Membership Meeting

January 24, 2026, 11:30 - 2:30 pm

Vashon Maury Island Land Trust Building

Reference Materials:

• Agenda Packet

• Proposed Bylaws

Call to Order:  President Darby Kruger called the annual membership meeting to order at ~12:05 pm and welcomed about 40 members in attendance. He thanked the members for volunteering and participating over the last year and emphasized the continued need for volunteers to take on various leadership roles to enable the club to continue to hold all the events that club members want to see.

Committee Reports: Committee chairs gave an overview of accomplishments for 2025 and plans for 2026. 

• 40% of club members participated in the member survey last Fall. The information was reviewed by the board and helped shape the plan for 2026 events. See the agenda packet linked above for details on survey findings.

• Everyone loves the Dr. Bob Norton Memorial Orchard! Orchard Manager Emily MacRae thanked the group of ~10 regular volunteers and Orchard Committee members worked throughout the year to keep the orchard in excellent condition. They gave away boxes of apples and quince, opened the blueberries for munching during the summer picnic, and more. This coming year they will be holding at least one additional sale of plants that they’ve grafted and been growing. Anyone interested in volunteering should reach out to orchard@vashonislandfruitclub.org and they can help direct people to what needs to be done; they can also figure out alternate times for anyone not able to join the weekly Wednesday work party 10 am - noon.

• Cider Guild chair Brad Cooper announced that the Cider Guild pressed 400+ gallons of cider for club members, and 600+ through VIGA events. That’s a lot of cider! They’re planning to hold a session on learning to taste cider and are considering bringing back the Cider Cup.

• The club’s Correll cider press may be made available to club members to reserve for use this coming Fall, but someone needs to volunteer to start and run that program. Anyone interested in this should reach out to Brad or Laure.

• Field Events chair Laure Jansen has scheduled a slew of different field events for the coming year, giving people the chance for hands on learning, touring member orchards, and learning the skills they need to maintain their plants and trees. This will be Laure’s last year as Field Events Chair, and anyone who has an interest in taking over this role in January 2027 should contact her or any board member.

• Programs Chair Elizabeth Vogt shared that there will be at least three speaker events at the Land Trust this year, starting with a panel discussion with long-time club members at the end of February.

• Elizabeth also highlighted the need for either a Special Events chair and / or someone to volunteer to plan one or more of the four Special Events the club leads or participates in each year (we run the VIFC Annual Summer Picnic and Fall Fruit Show, and participate in the Cider Fest and Strawberry Festival).

• Darby announced the program he is working on developing with Chautauqua Elementary School to educate kids about growing fruit and being in nature.

Finance Report:

• Treasurer Ladd Leavens gave an overview of the budget for 2025 and 2026, including key income streams of membership fees, Thriftway and IGA 1% programs, Cider Fest cider sales, and cider press rentals, and expenses of the summer picnic, storage space rental, and costs this year to repair and maintain the cider presses.

• Ron Weston, Jerry Gehrke, and Jim Hunziker met with Treasurer Ladd Leavens to conduct an audit of the club’s financial records. The Audit committee completed the audit and found no issues.

• Ladd reported that there were ~156 household memberships in 2025.

Bylaws Approval: Secretary Christina Reip shared a summary of the actions taken by the Ad Hoc Bylaws Review Committee during 2025. In sum, the committee reviewed the existing bylaws and identified potential 15-20 items for clarification or adjustment. These were reviewed in detail and either agreed that no change was needed, that a policy was needed, or bylaws adjustment was warranted. This resulted in 7 changes or additions to the bylaws (all summarized and marked in the bylaws document linked above) that were reviewed by the board and put forth for member approval. Christina called for a vote and members voted unanimously to approve the proposed changes.

Election of Board Members: Darby Kruger thanked outgoing board members Harry Klee and Laure Jansen for their service, and put forth the following individuals for election / re-election to the board:

• Brad Cooper — election to the board and to the role of Vice President

• Ladd Leavens — re-election to the board and to the role of Treasurer

• Cheryl Grunbock — re-election to the board

The members voted on each candidate separately and unanimously approved all three.

Adjournment: Darby Kruger adjourned the meeting at ~1:15 pm and welcomed everyone to The Big Swap. Members stuck around for another 45 minutes to chit chat and share cuttings, potted plants, and bare roots of Josta berry, Goose berry, Silvan berries, Marion berries, Cascade berries, and Olympic berries, Fall Gold and Heritage raspberries, black currants, various figs, Saffron crocuses, many packets of seeds (tomato, flower, herb, and vegetable), glass jars, glass bottles, peeling devices, home canned pickles, and more.

January 2026 - January 2027 Board Members, Officers, and Committees