Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego is dedicated to advancing the principles of Humanism, and encouraging within our community a reliance on rational thinking rather than superstitious dogma. Or method of reaching out is simple: Education. HFSD provides opportunities for our members to investigate different issues and philosophies from an enlightened, humanist perspective. We are also mindful that all people benefit from sharing their lives with others, so we try to squeeze in as many social events as possible!
Throughout the year the Fellowship offers:
Lectures
Discussions
Monthly Book Club
Films and Documentaries
Picnics, lunches, dinners and holiday celebrations
HFSD Website and Meetup Group
Facebook Sharing
The volunteers of the Humanist Fellowship are committed to meeting the intellectual and social needs of our members, and to giving Humanism an active presence in the San Diego community. Will you help us to achieve these goals?
Please renew your membership, which will help us to cover our basic operating and programming expenses. If possible, consider an additional donation that will fund honorariums for speakers, larger meeting venues, and will allow us to offer most of our events free to the public.
Your personal commitment to the Fellowship will enable us to continue providing the activities you enjoy, and will allow us to develop new programs that will expand our outreach efforts. We are currently partnering with other secular groups in San Diego to investigate the feasability of building a physical home for the benefit of all members, but especially for families looking for ethical education for their children. And, beginning this February, we are offering a five week introductory course on Humanism.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank you for your generous support and hope to see you soon.
Debbie Allen President Humanist Fellowship of San Diego
MERGER of Humanist Fellowship of San Diego and San Diego Secular Humanist Outreach
October 25, 2011
Dear HFSD Members,
It is with great pleasure that I announce the merger of the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego with our sister group, San Diego Secular Humanist Outreach (SDSHOut). We will continue to operate as the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego. This merger, which is technically a dissolution of SDSHOut and a transfer of all operations, assets and liabilities to HFSD, Inc., offers SDSHOut members the benefits of affiliation with the American Humanist Association as a Chartered Chapter, 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and the protections/benefits of incorporation.
The merger, initiated by Gary Linscott (founder and Immediate Past President of SDSHOut) and Wilfredo Perez (President of SDSHOut), received unanimous approval by the HFSD Board of Directors at the HFSD board meeting on October 16, 2011. During that meeting, Wilfredo Perez was elected to the office of HFSD Vice President and Gary Linscott was elected to the office of HFSD Treasurer.
The decision to fold SDSHOut into the HFSD resulted from a long-standing harmonious relationship between the two groups, a shared philosophy well articulated by the Humanist Manifesto III, and a common mission to provide educational and social opportunities for our members and the San Diego community in general. During the past few years we have shared board members, lecture leaders, and event hosts, and we have numerous dues-paying members and Meetup participants in common. We have routinely advertised and attended each others' programs. HFSD and SDSHOut have increasingly co-hosted events while retaining two governing bodies, two websites, two Meetup groups, two treasuries, etc.
The merger allows us to better pursue our mission and deliver services more efficiently by:
combining our strengths and talents allowing for a wider array of programming
eliminating the duplication of services and utilizing scarce resources more effectively
consolidating volunteer leadership obligations
increasing our geographic reach
strengthening our impact on the San Diego community by eliminating the confusion of identities
eliminating the need to pay annual dues to two separate organizations
We are grateful for your past support of both organizations, and hope that you will continue to help us fulfill our mission by continuing your membership with the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego, and by welcoming our newest members from SDSHOut.
SDSHOut members, as well as HFSD members, are encouraged to join the HFSD Meetup Group. Please visit our Meetup page: http://www.meetup.com/humanistfellowship/
Note! Meetup is the absolute best way to stay on top of HFSD events. The Meetup software allows us to collect RSVP’s and to send out automatic reminders about all our programs.
If you have any questions about this exciting news and what it will mean for you, please contact any of us at any time.
