North Carolina Recreational Therapy Association
By-Laws
Article 1
Name
The name of this organization is the North Carolina Recreational Therapy Association herein referred to as the Association.
Article II
Purpose
The Association is established to further the objectives set forth in the Articles of Incorporation by serving as an advocate for recreational therapy in order to promote the health and well-being of the public through service, education, research, and the development and enforcement of standards. Objectives of the organization include but are not limited to (1) promoting and advancing the public awareness and understanding of the recreational therapy profession; (2) developing and promoting the adoption and implementation of professional standards for the delivery of recreational therapy service; (3) advocating for the advancement of recreational therapy services in the medical treatment, rehabilitation, habilitation, and education of individuals in need of recreational therapy; (4) supporting and conducting research and demonstration efforts in order to improve the delivery of recreational therapy services for the public; and (5) conducting and supporting education opportunities to improve the abilities of recreational therapy personnel to deliver quality services.
Article III
Membership
Section 1
Membership classes: The Association shall have two membership classes-individual and organizational.
- Individual members shall be: 1) State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Member 2) State Licensed Professional Member 3) State Licensed Paraprofessional Member 4) Supporting Member 5) Student Member 6) Lifetime Member 7) Emeritus Member and 8) Emeritus Lifetime Member.
- Organizational members are organizations or agencies interested in promoting and supporting the profession.
Section 2
Qualifications:
- Individual Members: 1) State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Member: An individual who holds state licensure from the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure/NC BRTL as an LRT and national certification status from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification/NCTRC as a CTRS®. 2) State Licensed Professional Member: An individual who holds state licensure from the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure/ NC BRTL as a LRT. 3) State Licensed Paraprofessional Member: An individual who holds state licensure from the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure /NC BRTL as a LRTA. 4) Supporting Member: An individual interested in promoting the recreational therapy profession (e.g. an individual of another profession, a non-resident of NC, a resident of NC not working in NC). 5) Student Member: An individual who is currently enrolled in a recreational therapy/therapeutic recreation (RT/TR) education program or a recreation program with a specialization in recreational therapy or therapeutic recreation (RT/TR). 6)Lifetime Member: An individual who is a State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Member (LRT/CTRS®), State Licensed Professional Member (LRT), or State Licensed Paraprofessional Member (LRTA) committed to the profession and wishes to pay a one time membership fee. 7) Emeritus Member: An individual who is retired from the practice of Recreational Therapy and holds or previously held State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Member (LRT/CTRS®), State Licensed Professional Member (LRT), or State Licensed Paraprofessional Member (LRTA) 8)Emeritus Lifetime Member: An individual who is a lifetime member and meets the qualification for Emeritus Membership Category.
- Organizational Member: Any organization interested in promoting and supporting the recreational therapy profession shall be eligible for membership in the Association.
Section 3
Members in Good Standing
- Individual Members:An individual who meets the qualifications for membership in the appropriate classification, has paid the appropriate fee, and agrees to uphold the standards and ethics of this association, is a member in good standing.
- Organizational Members:An organizational member, which meets the criteria set by this association and has paid the appropriate fee, is a member in good standing.
Section 4
Rights and Privileges of Members in Good Standing
- Individual Members. All members shall receive regular membership services including publications, reduced registration and fees at conferences.State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Members, State Licensed Professional Members, State Licensed Paraprofessional Members, Student, Lifetime members, Emeritus Members, and Emeritus Lifetime Members may vote, chair and serve on committees. Supporting members shall receive services of the Association and serve on committees; but have no voting rights and may not serve on the board of directors. State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Members, State Licensed Professional Members, State Licensed Paraprofessional Members, Lifetime members, Emeritus Members, and Emeritus Lifetime Members may serve on the Board of Directors of the Association. Student members may serve as Student Representatives on the Board of Directors prior to their internship or following their internship. The Offices of President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer and AP/R Officer of the Association shall be reserved for State Licensed/Nationally Certified Professional Members, State Licensed Professional Members in good standing.
- Organizational members shall have no voting rights in the Association but shall be entitled to all other rights and services designated by the Board of Directors.
Section 5
Dues
The Board of Directors of this Association shall determine the dues structure. The membership period will be one year from the date the membership dues are receipted by theTreasurer of the Association.
Section 6
Termination of Membership
Membership in the Association shall be terminated for the following reasons: A) For non-payment of dues after sixty (60) days of delinquency, B) For failure to meet any of the membership qualifications as delineated in Article III, C) For gross breaches of ethical conduct, as defined by the ATRA Code of Ethics.
Article IV
The Board of Directors and Officers
Section 1
Composition of the Board: The Board of Directors, referred to as “the Board” shall include the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Accounts Payable/Receivable Officer, two (2) Student Representatives, and four (4) Members At Large. Representatives of other organizations with related interests may be invited by the President, subject to approval by the Board, to participate at Board meetings in an ex-officio capacity.
Section 2
Duties and Responsibilities of the Board: The Board shall supervise and direct the affairs of this Association, shall determine its policies or changes therein within the limits of the By-laws, and shall actively pursue its purposes. It may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as shall be deemed advisable.
Section 3
The officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Past President, a Secretary, aTreasurer and an AP/R Officer. All officers shall be professional members of the Association in good standing.
Section 4
Duties of the Officers: The officers shall supervise and direct the affairs of the Association and shall perform the duties generally associated with their position, those described in these By-laws, and other duties as cited in Roberts Rules of Order; Revised. (A) The President shall guide and direct the Association and its policy making and management functions. (B) The President-Elect of the Association shall assist the President and act in his/her absence. (C) The Past President shall assist the
President, and President-Elect and shall perform their duties in their absence and shall chair the Nominations Committee. (D) The Secretary shall record the minutes from all Association, Board and Executive Committee Meetings and shall keep the official records and files of the Association. (E) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial management and financial records of the Association. (E) The AP/R Officer shall maintain financial reports and handle all monies for the Association.
Section 5
Executive Committee of the Board: The Executive Committee shall include the President, President Elect, Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All action taken by the Executive Committee for the Board between official meetings shall reflect a majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee.
Section 6
Meetings of the Board: Meetings of the Board will be held at times and places as determined by the President. However, in no event shall there be less than two (2) meetings per year. A call for a special meeting of the Board may be issued by the President, or by written request of four (4) members of the Board [s].
Section 7
Executive Committee Meetings: Executive Committee Meetings may be called by the President with five (5) days written notice required. The agenda is to be sent to all members of the Board and minutes of the Executive Committee meeting shall be distributed at the next regular meeting of the Board.
Section 8
Quorum for Meetings: The presence of a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum at a regular meeting of the Board. The presence of a majority of the Executive Committee including the President shall constitute a quorum for an Executive Committee meeting.
Section 9
Term of Office: The President, President-Elect and Past President shall hold office for a period of one year upon installation of new officers during annual membership meeting. At this time the President becomes Past-President and the President-Elect becomes President of the Association. The term of office for the AP/R Officer shall be three years. The terms of office for the Secretary and Treasurer shall be two years, for a maximum of two consecutive years in the same office. The positions of Secretary and Treasurer will be staggered terms so that both are not newly elected simultaneously. The terms of office for Student Representatives and Members At Large shall be one year after which they may be re-elected for no more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Section 10
Unexpired Terms: The Board of Directors shall be empowered to fill vacancies among Officers and Representatives for the remainder of the unexpired term.
Article V
Nominations and Elections
Section 1
Nominations Committee: The Past President shall be the committee chairperson, the President Elect shall serve as a member, and the President shall select one other professional member to serve as a committee member. The committee shall conduct the nomination and election of officers in accordance with the By-laws of this Association and Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
Section 2
Nominations: The Committee shall solicit nominations of one or more candidates for each of the positions to be filled. In selecting the candidate, considerations should be given to professional qualifications, service to the Association and field of recreational therapy, geographical balance on the Board, balance between minorities and other relevant factors. Each candidate shall confirm, in writing, his/her intent to serve if elected. The Nominations Committee shall present to the Board a slate of candidates for the Board vacancies at least ninety (90) days prior to the annual membership meeting.
Section 3
Election: The slate and ballot shall be emailed to all voting members in good standing at least sixty (30) days prior to the annual meeting, and the ballot returned within thirty (15) days. The ballot shall provide each voting member the option of write-in candidates for each office, if prior consent has been received. The candidates receiving the majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie, the officer shall be elected by a majority vote of the Board. The Chairperson of the Nominations Committee shall notify all candidates of their status immediately following the tabulation of the ballots.
Section 4
Election Schedule: The Student Representatives and Member (s) At Large will be elected for one (1) year terms. The AP/R Officer will be elected for three (3) year term. The Secretary and Treasurer will be elected for two (2) year terms. A President-Elect will be elected each year to serve a one (1) year term after which she/he shall become President for a one (1) year term, and Past-President for a one (1) year term.
Article VI
Committees
Section 1
Standing Committees: The Board shall establish standing committees and the President shall establish such special committees as may be required to further the work of the Association. Chairpersons of such committees shall be Professional, Para-professional, or Student members of the Association and shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board.
Section 2
Finance and Budget Committee: The Finance and Budget Committee shall consist of the Past President, President, President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, AP/R Officer and two Members At Large appointed by the President and approved by the Board. The Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee which shall prepare the annual budget, monitor and report to the Board on the financial status of the Association and develop long range financial plans for the Association.
Article VII
Liaisons
The Association shall develop formal and informal liaisons with other organizations such as the Therapeutic Recreation Division of the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association and the American Therapeutic Recreation Association whose purposes are consistent with the purposes of the association and when such collaborative relationships will promote the purposes of the Association.
Article VIII
Meetings
Section 1
Annual: There shall be an annual meeting of the Association. Notice for such meetings shall be emailed to the officers of the Board and all members of the Association at least sixty (30) days before the time appointed for the meeting.
Section 2
Special: Special membership meeting may be called by the Board. Upon written request of fifteen percent (15%) of the voting members of the Association, the Board shall call a special membership meeting. Notice of such meetings shall be emailed to all members of the Association at least thirty (15) days before the time appointed for the meeting.
Section 3
Quorum: Voting members present at any duly called membership meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Article IX
Parliamentary Authority
Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-laws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.
Article X
Amendment of By-laws
With at least 30 days prior notification of the intended modifications, amendments to the charter and/or bylaws may be made by a 2/3 majority of votes cast by verified members voting through written or electronic ballot.
Article XI
Dissolution
No part of the net earnings of NCRTA shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to, its members, officers, or other private persons, except that NCRTA shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation of services rendered and to make payment and distributions in furtherance of the purpose set forth in Article II hereof. Other provision of these Articles, NCRTA shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on a) by an association exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or (b) by an association, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).
Upon dissolution of NCRTA, the Board of Directors or as may be called the members of the Board shall, after paying or making provisions for payment of all the liabilities of NCRTA, dispose of all the assets of NCRTA exclusively for the purpose of NCRTA in such a manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, education, religious or scientific purposes as shall, at the time, qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) as the Board of Directors or as sometimes known herein as the Board, shall determine.
Revised July 2018
Revised 2012
Revised January 2012
Revised July 2008
Revised February 2007
Revised April 2006
Revised October 1999
Our Location
North Carolina Recreational Therapy Association
P.O. Box 1062
Zebulon, NC 27597
Call for Papers
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