Our 2024 AGM is scheduled for March 16, 2024, in person at Honeymoon Bay Hall on Vancouver Island and via Zoom for the rest of the BC. This is the last call for nominations, as nominations close at the end of this week. We are pleased to introduce your candidates!
Candidates for the Open Director positions for voting for the 2024 4WDABC AGM are as follows:
Kim Reeves – Candidate for President (2-year term)
The Four Wheel Drive Association of BC is definitely a passion of mine! I have been a member since 2006 and on the board since 2009. I have served on the board of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC since 2015. I am a long-time member of the Coastal Cruiser Land Cruiser Club.
I have served as President of this Association since 2010, and in that time, with the support of all of our members and volunteers, our membership has grown 133-fold to around 4000 paid members.
This incredible growth surpasses any goal or expectation our board has ever had.
We can attribute this growth to our active membership and active role in advocating for Public access to Public lands. We accomplish this in many ways. We hold partnership agreements with government entities on wilderness recreation sites and fire towers, which we maintain for the public’s benefit at no charge. We engage in volunteer lead cleanups of forest service roads under urban pressure and garbage dumping. Kid’s runs with Big Brothers and Sisters and Burnfund.org are favourites of our members and volunteers. Our Show ‘n Shine, where we show off our rides, is also very popular. We have partnered on a couple of trail agreements, securing access to Eagle Mountain in the lower mainland and the Alexander Mackenzie trail near Prince George.
Through these avenues, we have built our Association to represent this province with members throughout and a strong cadre of regional representatives who know the local areas’ issues and can lead advocacy on your behalf.
My family and I have wheeled around this province and enjoyed every moment. We are essentially remote explorers, but I will occasionally push my Land Cruiser on some more difficult trails. For the next two years, I intend to continue to lead this organization around the province, keep my eyes open for opportunities to innovate and expand our reach as well as support all of our board on their projects like Wheelers of Tomorrow, 4WDABC History, Wheeling Wisely driver education program and rec site adoption and maintenance while being financially diligent.
Additionally, I will look for opportunities for our organization to build more intermediate 4×4 trails and seek partnerships to advance that goal.
I ask that my nomination be accepted and our membership consider voting for me.
Thank you,
Kim Reeves
Leah McQueen – Candidate for Secretary(2-year term)
Hello, my name is Leah McQueen, and I am running for re-election for the position of Secretary for the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC.
I have been involved with the 4WDABC since 2016, first as a Regional Representative for the South Peace region, where I helped to secure partnership agreements on both Windfall Creek and Boulder Lake rec sites, and most recently as the Secretary for the Board of Directors, a position I have held since the summer of 2021. I’m also working on the history archive project and am an active member of the Backroader magazine team.
During my time as secretary so far, I have been responsible for creating meeting agendas, taking and distributing minutes of the meetings, keeping our society documentation up to date, and handling various forms of correspondence for the association. I was also involved in the bylaw revision project in 2022/2023.
When I’m not working on rec sites or taking meeting minutes, I love to get out and explore the backroads in one of my 4x4s – or spend some time in my shop working on the next wheeling project!
In 2023 I joined the Wheeling Wisely Training Team after successfully completing the Train-the-Trainer event at Apex Mountain in Penticton. I was also very fortunate to be able to join the educator team for the BC Wildlife Federation on behalf of the 4WDABC and deliver information sessions at two of their Becoming an Outdoors Woman events.
I deeply love the 4WDABC and everything it stands for, and I would be thrilled to be elected as the secretary for the 2024-2026 term. I believe I have the skills, abilities, and experience to continue to be an asset to the organization in this role.
Do you want to chat with me about anything I’ve mentioned here? Feel free to reach out by email to leah@4wdabc.ca or comment on this post.
Mary Austin – Candidates for Merchandise (2-year term)
Hello, I’m Mary Austin, and I’ve decided to run again as the Merchandise Director. I’ve been a member of the 4WDABC for six years now. You may know me as the person who keeps hassling you to donate blood through the 4WDABC Partners for Life Team and, from time to time, buy merchandise through the store and events. I’ve really enjoyed volunteering with the association as a part of the board to help ensure Public access to Public land, backcountry cleanups, rec site maintenance, and newbie runs.
I’m passionate about the outdoors, and I joined the association because I liked their motto of ‘Public access to Public lands’ and the association’s efforts to maintain that access. I’ve received invaluable training on operating my off-road vehicles safely in the backcountry, and have made so many amazing friends since joining this association.
I have extensive volunteer experience on both provincial and national boards, with the 4WDABC, negotiating with governments at all levels, fundraising, marketing and promotion, etc. I think that experience has been useful to the 4WDABC since I’ve been director of Merchandise.
If re-elected, I’d like to grow our membership, as experience has taught me that numbers matter when advocating with the government. I want to expand our merchandise in the different regions of BC so that we work together and build brand recognition throughout the province, to protect our right to access the backcountry.
Thanks for your consideration. Hopefully, Jimi the Jeep & Buddy the dog see some of you out on the trails this year.
Shauna Grant – Candidate for Membership (2-year term)
My name is Shauna Grant, and I am running for re-election as Membership Director for the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC.\
I was appointed Membership Director in July of 2023 when the previous Director stepped down. As Membership Director, I have had the pleasure of interacting with many of our members online, at events and at shows. In my position, I attend monthly Board of Directors meetings, monitor the membership email, and track all membership renewals and sign-ups.
I was part of organizing our annual toy run and had to find a new location. I enjoyed being part of the editing team of our 2023 Backroader Magazine. I was involved with the Vancouver Island Meet and Greet, Show and Shine and will be at the Upcoming BC Sportsmen Show.
I support and am passionate about all The Four Wheel Drive Association stands for, and I am so grateful for our membership support and passion. I have witnessed firsthand the passion and dedication of our members.
I plan to continue serving the Association and its members and developing initiatives to enhance our membership. Foster a sense of belonging and community among all members, regardless of skill level or experience. My last eight months as Membership Director have taught me what this position requires. Outside of the 4WDABC, I have over ten years of experience with non-profit organizations.
See you on the trails!
If you have any questions, please get in touch with me at shauna@4wdabc.ca.
If there are further questions regarding the positions, you may find that reviewing the by-laws may provide additional context. If you have other questions about the positions, please email nominations@4wdabc.ca.
| Nominations Committee |