All About Fox Valley Beekeepers Association
Fox Valley Beekeepers Association was founded in 2012 by a group of individuals dedicated to sharing their passion with others within the Illinois Fox Valley region. We are an active and enthusiastic association with events and activities taking place year-round. We like to keep up the energy and excitement, always welcoming new members to take part. Simply put, we love getting together to talk bees.
Current Board Members
President
Sherri Benson
Secretary
Katie Hart
Vice President
Robert Spelich
Membership
Marisha Lewis
Treasurer
Jane Ranney
The club is run totally by member volunteers. Below is a list of some of the existing committees. Joining a committee is a great way to get to know your fellow beekeepers and take an active role in the club. Please consider volunteering - we're always looking for newcomers!
Committees
State Fair
The FVBA enters a booth in the Illinois State Fair annually in August. The booth represents apiary products from our members and we compete against other beekeeping clubs in Illinois. See Angie Nelson if you'd like to help plan this year's booth.
Outreach
Throughout the year, the club receives requests for speakers to present on apiary topics at community meetings and events. This committee consists of people interested in sharing their interest in beekeeping with others in local communities.
Social
The social committee's main responsibility is the annual picnic. We are looking for volunteers to help plan the picnic. See a board member for more information.
Association History
During the summer of 2012, a group of beekeepers from the Fox Valley area met to explore the possibilities of forming a local beekeepers' association. The group met several times to share ideas and create a vision for this new group. This group included the following individuals: Terry Breen, Ron Hilger, Tracy Joyner, Charles and Karen Lorence, Tom and Kim Luppino, Alen and Ingrid Nelson, Bryant and Hope Moore, Chris and Bernie Saad and Mark and Nancy Schmidt.
A constitution and bylaws were drafted, and on November 27, 2012 the group met at the Batavia Public library to nominated and accepted the Board of Directors of the club.
On January 17, 2013 the Board of Directors met. The Constitution and Bylaws were finalized, voted on and approved. Plans for the 1st meeting were finalized. The first official FVBA meeting was held on January 29, 2013 at the Batavia Public Library. The meeting was attended by over 50 people interested in the club which far exceeded the capacity of the room. Chris Saad presented the educational program: “Beehive Basics and Winter Protection.”
Because of the large number in attendance at the January meeting, the BOD had to find a larger meeting room to accommodate the group. The February meeting was scheduled at the St. Charles Public library. However, a snow storm resulted in the closing of the library that evening.
In March, after securing a larger room at the Batavia Public Library, the second official meeting of the FVBA was held and the club has continued to meet their each month except for July and December when no meetings are scheduled.
In May The FVBA Logo was designed and created by member Tom Luppino and approved by the BOD. Club members Judy DeWitt, Mark Kirshtner and Mike Prescott volunteered for the Social Media Committee and created the FBVA Website, Facebook page and Twitter account.
Bylaws
Our bylaws are available for download here...