UA-50763958-1 Bylaws

BY-LAWS
(as amended January 16, 2010)
 

Article 1. The name of this Corporation shall be: “ FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE”

Article 2. This corporation shall be located at 172 St. George Road, in the Town of South Thomaston, the County of Knox, and in the State of Maine.

Article 3. This corporation will serve as library, museum, archive, and research center, dedicated to the preservation of the Finnish-American heritage. This corporation will operate independently of both the Finnish Congregational Church and the Finnish-American Society of Mid-Coast Maine, for as long as “FINNISH HERITAGE HOUSE” promotes only the ongoing research and preservation of their mutual immigrant heritage.

Article 4. The former “church-parsonage” building at 172 St. George Road, leased to this corporation for the above purposes by the adjoining Finnish Congregational Church at 168 St. George Road, may not be sold, sub-leased, or alienated from the church.

Article 5. The officers of this corporation shall be President, Vice President, Clerk, Treasurer, and five Trustees. The duties of these officers shall be.

  1. President, elected annually, shall preside at all meetings, enforce the bylaws, and oversee the duties of all officers and committees.
  2. Vice President, elected annually, shall perform the duties of the President in his or her absence.
  3. Clerk, elected annually, shall keep a record of all meetings, and attend to the correspondence of this corporation.
  4. Treasurer, elected annually, shall collect, disperse, and have custody of all funds, and give a financial report at each meeting.
  5. Trustees, five, elected for staggered three year terms expiring sequentially so that two terms will expire annually except for every third year when only one term will expire. They shall assist the other officers in conducting the affairs of this organization.

Article 6. Membership in this organization shall be open to all persons who have an interest in the Finnish-American heritage, and who remain current in the payment of their membership dues. Membership privileges include voting, and the option of holding an elected or appointed office in this organization. Membership dues shall be an amount determined by the officers, and voted on by the membership.

Article 7. The Annual Meeting for election of officers, and acceptance of reports shall be in January, on a date set by the officers. Quarterly Meetings will be held in March, June, and September. Nominating and Auditing Committees shall be appointed at the September meeting, with their respective reports due at the Annual meeting.

Article 8.  These by-laws may be amended at any of the four regular meetings by a three-fourths vote of the membership present, with the publication of a two weeks notice before the meeting. There shall be an exception in case of Article 4, which may not be amended.

Article 9. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the FHH is organized exclusively for one or more of the purposes specified in Section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of 1954, and shall  not carry  on any  activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal Income Tax under the IRC Section 501c (3) or corresponding provisions of any subsequent Federal Tax Laws.

Article 10. No part of the earnings of the FHH shall inure to the benefit of any member, Trustee or Officer of FHH or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to FHH), and no member, Trustee, or Officer of FHH or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of FHH assets on dissolution of FHH.

Article 11. In the event of dissolution, all of the remaining assets and property of the FHH shall, after necessary expenses thereof, be distributed to another organization exempt from IRC Section 501 c (3), or corresponding provisions of any subsequent Federal Tax Laws, or to the Federal government, or state or local government for a public purpose, subject to the approval of a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Maine.


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