ARTICLE ONE: Name of the Organization

The name of this club shall be the Windy City 56'ers and shall be referred to as such of the "Club".

ARTICLE TWO: Purpose

The purpose of the Club shall be to promote an interest in, to learn about and to share information regarding collectibles made by or for Dept. 56 and to provide a social forum for its members.

ARTICLE THREE: Membership

Section 1: Membership is divided into four categories: individual, joint (two in the same household at the same address sharing a membership), junior (under the age of eighteen) and associate (commercial providers of Dept. 56 merchandise or vendors who sell other related products or services).

Section 2: There are no restrictions as to the size of the overall membership.

Section 3: Membership in the Club shall be non-transferable.

Section 4: A member in good standing shall be a member whose dues are fully paid for the current year. An individual and joint members in good standing present at regularly scheduled and special meetings (with due notice to the membership) shall have the right to vote upon any proposition or elections for Club officers.

Section 5: A candidate for membership must complete an application form with tender of appropriate dues. A new member candidate need not be present at a meeting to be received as a member.

Section 6: The annual dues for individual or joint members shall be fifteen ($15) dollars. The annual dues for junior members shall be five ($5) dollars. The annual dues for associate members shall be twenty-five ($25) dollars. However, the sponsoring Dept. 56 dealer shall be exempt from dues payment. The membership year will be from September 1 of one year to August 31 of the following year. Dues shall be payable at the regularly scheduled October meeting and will be considered deliquent after October 31. Members who are delinquent in his or her dues, shall be suspended from membership until such time as dues are paid in full and his or her name shall be removed from the mailing list until membership dues are paid in full. Members joining the Club after June 1 will have his or her dues credited to the coming year.

ARTICLE FOUR: Officers

Section 1: The officers of the Club shall consist of a president, vice president, recording secretary, and treasurer; each of whom shall be elected for a term of two years. Duties are described in Sections 2 through 5 of this Article.

Section 2: The president shall preside at all meetings of the Club, and appoint such committee chairpersons as necessary together with two Club representatives to the National Council of Clubs.

Section 3: The vice president shall perform the duties of the president in his or her absence, and shall be responsible for program planning and coordinating time and places for Club meetings.

Section 4: The recording secretary shall record the minutes of the Club meetings and be the custodian of all Club records, contracts, correspondence and the Club newsletters.

Section 5: The treasurer shall have custody of moneys received by the Club and shall be responsible for and keep records of all receipts and disbursements of such funds. A written report of funds will be presented to the membershiip at each regularly scheduled meeting.

Section 6: The officers of the Club shall be elected every other year at the May meeting of the even numbered year.

Section 7: Elections shall be by written ballot except when there is but one nominee for each office. In the event there is one nominee for each office, the election will be by voice vote. Officers will be installed at the June meeting following the May election.

Section 8: Members who are in good standing are eligible for office. Officers of other Dept 56 clubs or those who have a financial interest in the promotion of Dept. 56 are ineligible to hold office in this Club.

Section 9: The president shall appoint a nominating committee of three (3) members for the nomination of officers for the election year. The committee shall be appointed in January of the election year. The slate will be presented at the May meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor during the May meeting with the prior approval of the nominee.

Section 10: Candidates shall be declared elected to office upon receiving a majority of votes cast by those members present. Only members in good standing who are either individual or joint members are eligible to vote for the officers of the Club.

Section 11: In the event that no candidate attains the required majority vote, the president shall call for a run off between the canidates who have tied and received the most votes.

Section 12: In the event that an office becomes vacant, the executive committee is empowered to appoint someone to fill that vacancy.

Section 13: The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the Club. They shall meet in the months that a regular membership meeting is not scheduled, or at the call of the president, to conduct such business as may be required.

Section 14: The president will appoint an audit committee each year for the purpose of reviewing the Club's financial records. This report shall be given at the membership meeting following the audit. The committee will be comprised of three (3) members, none of whom may be an officer.

Section 15: The immediate retiring president shall be a member of the executive committee for two (2) year term following his or her retirement.

ARTICLE FIVE: Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings will be held monthly September through June. Special and regular meetings can be added or deleted by a majority vote of the attending members. The time of each meeting will be 7:00 PM on the first Monday of the month or may be changed by a majority vote of the membership.

Section 2: Individuals who have not joined the Club and have not paid the annual Club dues will be allowed to attend one meeting as a guest of the Club.

Section 3: In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be considered canceled if suburban school districts are closed. The telephone tree will be used to confirm cancellations, and the meeting may be rescheduled by the president/executive committee.

Section 4: All meetings of the Club shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.

Section 5: A quorum shall consist of twenty-five (25) Club members.

ARTICLE SIX: Checking Account

Section 1: The checking account for the Windy City 56'ers shall require two (2) signatures for all transactions. These signatures shall by any two of the following: president, vice president and Treasurer.

Section 2: Any active member of the Club, upon written request to the Club, may ask for an audit of the club's financial records. The review of the Club's records must then be made available at the next Club meeting after the formal written request.

Section 3: All contracts must be signed by the president and attested by the recording secretary.

ARTICLE SEVEN: Affiliations

The Club shall be a member of the National Council of "56" Clubs.

ARTICLE EIGHT: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of this Club provided that notice of the proposed amendment was submitted in writing at the previous meeting and that all members were notified by special mailing of the proposed amendment.

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Bylaws amended and accepted November 3, 1992
Bylaws amended and accepted July, 1995
Bylaws amended and accepted May 4, 1998.