TIGER COUNCIL - VOL Supporting Membership

The Tigers Are Coming...

By D'Coda

Do you remember that old TV commercial (Exxon Gas?) about the sluggish car creeping slowly toward the gas pump, out jumps a feisty tiger who fills up the tank with premium, the car revs up super-charged, off to its destination under full power - while the voice-over says "Put a tiger in your tank!" - remember that? Well, that's the image that comes to mind when I think about the effect VOL's new supporting membership program is going to have on us. We've been crawling sluggishly forward, but now, suddenly, we have a tiger in our tank. And so, I've taken to calling the supporting members Tigers (short for The Integrated Generation Effect Resource).

We are looking for a total of 5 Tigers for leadership positions in the Tiger Council, which meets with me on the land twice a year. Eddie Smith is our very first Tiger Council member (so we need four more as of June 24, 2006), The Tiger Council is responsible for development and administration of the VOL Support Member Program, in concert with active permanent members.

The Tigers' mission is:

• To provide a support network for all VOL members, individually and collectively.
• To create a step-by-step process enabling individuals & families to transition from their existing lives into intentional community.
• To develop an economic base capable of supporting members who live on the land.
• To contribute funds and volunteer time to work on projects aimed at developing VOL's current woodland site.
• To create new sister communities with those who are not able to live in our wilderness community, for whatever reason.
• To continue the Tiger program even when VOL is full and no longer accepting provisional or permanent members. At that point, we will work together to establish a variety of new intentional communities by matching together Tigers who share common interests, for example: a child-centered I.C., or one for those who can't handle vegetarian diet, or one for elders which has better access to medical and population centers.

At this time we have a visitors' policy which schedules all visitors during one or more yearly "visitor's weeks" including stops in Fayetteville and our woodlands. I do not have the time to give to visitors outside of these scheduled weeks. HOWEVER, this year, I will make time to meet privately on the land with those who express an interest in becoming a Tiger leader and join in the Tiger Council. Anyone who wants to apply for this should contact me directly at .

Eddie and I are already discussing the appropriateness of some kind of Tiger Induction Ceremony.. located on the top of a mountain, plenty of wind blowing, capes, chalice & blade.the Tigers will decide.