I am a parent, volunteer and previous active member of Friends of Glenbow (FOG). The current ongoing issues concerning financial mismanagement have caused a split among FOG members and should be of concern to all parents of Glenbow Students and anyone who financially supports FOG.
FOG as a charitable organization has a duty to the public, parents and ultimately the children of Glenbow School, to be transparent and accountable for all aspects of fundraising. This includes a clear accounting, supported by documentation, of the amount of money raised by every event, the costs or expenses incurred to put on events, and how much money is forwarded to the school for the benefit of the students. When this type of transparency is not available or is difficult to obtain, it raises questions as to why.
A group of concerned parents has been made aware of apparent financial irregularities that have occurred in the 2017/2018 school year. We have approached the FOG executive seeking clarification and to date have not received a response that adequately addresses the concerns raised. Acknowledging that this is a sensitive issue and includes alleged potentially criminal behaviour, we have been advocating for the FOG executive to initiate an investigation by the RCMP who can provide the expertise to conduct a non-biased and professional investigation.
We have been told that $6,900 has been paid back to FOG from an individual but there have been no specifics provided regarding why this money was paid back, how it was determined that this money needed to be paid back or what total amount of money is in question.
The executive has spoken in generalities but remains reluctant to provide details and documentation to address this. Without full transparency, it becomes difficult to know if this has been resolved in the best interest of FOG and the students of Glenbow School.
FOG has been very successful historically and provided many benefits for students. It is hoped that this will continue for years to come but it is critical to re-establish trust in FOG with parents and the public. A proper investigation by the RCMP and full transparency by the Executive will allow for these issues to be addressed and resolved.
Scott Hennig
