Magazine Aug-Oct 2020

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Fellow Members, Welcome Home! The Club reopened on June 19 after a long circuit breaker, sparking joy in Members and staff.Weekends in par ticular have seen an abundance of Members using The Club, and sén Spa continues to be fully booked three weeks in advance. Health and safety remain key priorities, so you’ll see new safety measures at The Club that range from SafeEntr y when you enter The Club and spot-checks by new Safety Ambassadors to safe distancing between seats and much more frequent cleaning. Most Members exercised social responsibility by wearing masks, obser ving safe distancing and interacting graciously. Some did not. The General Committee (GC) takes such poor behavior seriously, as it creates health risks or could cause The Club to be closed, and the GC will continue to take disciplinar y action in cases of inappropriate behavior. While the Clubhouse is indeed open, we expect to run a hybrid model for the foreseeable future. Some Members are at high risk or may not be comfor table coming to The Club. Others have found digital options more convenient. We thus plan to continue TAC2Go!, vir tual cooking, group fitness classes, online talks, vir tual camps and much more for a long time to come. Behind all these activities is a committed team. We are delighted that Members contributed more than $86,000 to the Employee Care Program, and donations continue to come in. The Program has made a real difference in the lives of the dozens of staff who received much-needed suppor t, and you can watch their recordings about it online. The Program still has some funds available should employees’ situations change, and it has expanded to providing other types of suppor t as well. Amidst the increased focus on diversity and inclusion in many places, we’ve also star ted doing more to suppor t staff by enhancing metrics around diversity and suppor ting more staff to move upwards towards leadership roles.

The GC has also continued meeting, albeit vir tually, and is focusing on three priorities. First, we want to deliver the experience Members value with the high ser vice levels we expect, vir tually and on site in ways that may have changed. Next, after ending up the 2020 financial year in a better situation than originally forecast, the GC approved the FY2021 budget recently and made difficult decisions about managing finances amidst a challenging economic and health environment. Finally, we seek to grow the Membership by offering a compelling value proposition that will entice more people to become Members. Additionally, after a hiatus amidst the circuit breaker, the search group is moving forward towards hiring a new general manager who can positively transform The Club. I want to thank my fellow GC members for making extra effor ts to find ways to collaborate, after challenging times earlier in the year, and to work towards the common goal of making The Club a better place. If you haven’t taken full advantage recently of all The Club has to offer, I encourage you to do so. I can attest from personal experience that TAC2Go! meals are delicious, vir tual wine tastings are delightful, online classes are enlightening and the speakers are amazing. Fellow members who use The Club in person have been delighted to get back to great meals, workouts in the gym, haircuts, drinks in the Union Bar and more – all while exercising social responsibility. I look forward to seeing you at The Club, virtually or in person. Stay safe and be well. Best Regards,

Richard Hartung

1 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE