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Argos Foundation Ithaki Cats votes in its Committee
 
Tuesday 3rd April 2007
 
For those who live on Ithaca, it's no surprise that the new kid on the block comes under criticism fueled by rumours and miscomprehensions. The Argos Foundations Ithaki Cats, the non-profit organization set up by a Dutch couple, Ester van Zuylen and Rien Post, was no exception. Even blatant do-gooders with nothing to gain, get done badly once the rumour mill gets up speed, but all that starts well, ends well, and after last nights committee elections, the support for Ithaki Cats wasn't hampered, but strengthened by the whirly wind of rumours swirling in Vathy square earlier this week.
 
 
Teething problems are as painful for new organizations as for babies cutting their first teeth. Ester and Rien, new to the game of volunteer cat neutering, naturally made some mistakes, which with hindsight could have been avoided, but once the locals interested in the foundation, got the story right, it was full steam ahead with enthusiasm. Rumours always make half-truths grittier than need be, but the mistakes that warranted criticism were discussed and worked out to everyones' satisfaction. The major criticism was the out of date medicines left by the Dutch vets, invited to Ithaca by Ithaki Cats last month. Ester and Rien explained that this was not acceptable to them either, and that their trust in the vets may have been naive. A lesson learned. It was agreed that the medicines would be destroyed and everyone seemed satisfied. Done. Anything else? Probably, but for now, all is ok - Time to cast your vote.
 
 

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The locals interested in cat neutering and the general welfare of animals on Ithaca, began to dribble in to the Vathy Cinema around 8.30pm. It was time to vote in the Committee who would be in charge of the Argos Foundation, run up until then, by Ester and Rien, along with some dedicated volunteers. The Committee needed 7 names and another 3 to be watchdogs over the finances of the Foundation. There was no competition. Only 7 people put themselves up for election so of course they all got in.
 
40 members cast their vote just to see who was the most popular. Eleni won, then Omiros, Ester, Zaharate, Judi, Rien and Ursula. For full names see www.ithakicats.com.
 
 
Alexandros Taflambas, the Foundation lawyer, took the chair whilst the votes were cast. When he ran out of paper, he commented that more people turned up to vote for Ithaki Cats than turned up for the elections in Exoghi.
 
 

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The Argos Foundation is now up and running. The 't's are crossed and the 'i' s are dotted. That's wrong actually, Greeks neither cross their 't's or dot their 'i's, but you know what I mean. The committee is made up of 3 Greeks, 2 Dutch, 1 German and 1 Brit. The financial watchdogs over the Foundation are 2 Ithacan men, one with a smile, the other with an attitude, and 1 woman, Maria Kouyiannou, who will no doubt put heart into any axe that may be there for the grinding in the future. Next week, the committee votes for the positions that will be taken by the individuals of this committee - President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Caretaker and 2 laymen positions. The aim of the foundation is to neuter stray cats, some pets and dogs, most importantly to stop the poisoning of cats and dogs before a child eats the poison put out by intolerant locals, and to help locals who take care of the stray cat population of Ithaca.
 
 
The Argos Foundation is a non-profit organization, made up of people who are willing to volunteer their time, resources and cash to help keep the cat population of Ithaki down, in a humane way, but that's not all. The Argos Foundation will also be taking environmental issues under its umbrella and that's something that the majority of Ithaca takes an interest in. The Foundation is open to people in Greece and in the EU to become members, but donations of time or money are accepted from anywhere and anyone.
 
 
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