Gene Hensley, President, WorldMark Board of Directors.

As the summer draws to a close, kids head back to school and the stores begin to stock holiday merchandise, it’s not too early to think about another event just around the corner — your Annual WorldMark Owner Meeting.

Held in October of each year, the Annual Meeting is an opportunity for your Board and management company to communicate with owners about the state of the Club. It’s also the event that concludes the annual election process when owners select from 13 candidates to fill three board positions and on an important bylaw amendment proposal. In this election issue, you will find information on this year’s candidates and details on the proposed bylaw amendment.

The Board of Directors, to which I’ve had the honor of serving as President for 11 years, serves you — the owners — to ensure that a lifetime of WorldMark vacations lies ahead of you. The board exists and operates as a governance committee to protect and improve your ownership according to the Club’s founding documents. The Board has the power to change a guideline but to adjust a bylaw requires agreement from 25 percent of all owners. To change a declaration requires a majority 51 percent of the WorldMark Owners’ vote.

In addition to the director positions, there is a very important proposal appearing on the ballot that needs your vote. In this age of technology and identity theft, a time where it is wise to take all measures to protect your personal information, the WorldMark Board encourages you to vote FOR this bylaw amendment to protect your personal information from being distributed to other WorldMark owners. The bylaw amendment will still allow owners to communicate with other owners but will provide a reasonable alternative to distributing your personal information to any owner who requests it. This proposal has been prompted by your Board’s continuing efforts to protect your personal information, efforts that have led to litigation now pending in the California Court of Appeals. Your board fully supports this proposed bylaw amendment and encourages you to vote FOR this proposal.

When you receive your voting materials, you will notice the opportunity to assign your proxy to the Board to vote on your behalf. You can also assign your proxy to another individual owner, or — the best option of all — return your proxy yourself. You can take advantage of online voting by visiting ProxyVoting.com/worldmark— it’s fast, convenient and saves the Club valuable money.

As I’ve said before and I’ll say again, your active participation in your Club is vital to the Club’s success. Your Board of Directors listens. Your management team listens. Your participation in the annual election process is just as important as the feedback you provide on your experiences with your Club. This is your opportunity to ensure that a lifetime of vacations lies ahead. Be it by expressing your opinion through your vote or by assigning your proxy to your Board of Directors, please be involved.