Sea Lions Foundation

7502 E. 69th Court

Tulsa, Ok.   74133

 

Freedom Fleet Membership Agreement

 

By my signature below, I affirm my agreement to these terms of Membership in the Sea Lions Foundation’s Freedom Fleet.

 

Member understands that this is a group effort to build something which has never been built before, and Membership is worthless if the Member doesn’t do their share, because no one gets anything out of this unless we succeed. 

 

A Member may apply for an available berth in the Freedom Fleet and join the work of building once that Member is Vested in their Membership and the Freedom Fleet has begun construction operations.  Applications for available berths in the Freedom Fleet will be assessed, and berths awarded based on a weighted scale system set by the Foundation Board.  Factors will include, but are not limited to, family status and condition (preserving natural families is a priority for the Fleet and Foundation), total contribution, Member skills, such as plumbing or electrician skills, and languages spoken by the Member.  A Member may elect to not take an available berth on a given date, and be put back in the pool, with all their ranking points intact, for consideration for future available spots.  Members may also apply for and be awarded berths expected to be available on certain dates, or at specific Refugee Centers/Construction Fleets, according to such policies as the Board may adopt or amend from time to time.

 

Membership is Vested when a Member has contributed $2000, in August, 2009 Dollars or in-kind contributions approved by the Foundation’s representative, valued at the actual retail value, new or used, in August, 2009 Dollars.  Any shipping required to move in-kind contributions to the work site is the responsibility of the Member, and the shipping will be credited as an in-kind contribution at the rate of the least expensive form of shipping, unless otherwise approved by the Foundation’s representative due to actual need for faster shipping.

 

Example: In February, 2010, Lisa, who is Vested in her Membership, persuades a major hydroponics supplier to donate $30,000 worth of hydroponic equipment to the Refugee Center.  Since August, 2009, the dollar has dropped 20%, which means that equipment would have sold for $25,000 in dollars at their August, 2009 value.  Lisa is credited with $25,000 worth, or 125 hours, toward her LifeYacht.

 

Example: Allen sends a contribution of plumbing tools by Fed Ex to the work site.  There was no hurry to get the tools there; he just had a Fed Ex account and it was easier for him to get the tools to the site by Fed Ex.  The cost of shipping by Fed Ex was $125.  The value of the tools was $950, and the cost of shipping by UPS would have been $50.  Allen is credited with $1000 of in-kind contributions.

 

A Member who notifies the Foundation of fundraisers they’re arranging will be credited for leadership if they lead other Members in those efforts.  The Leadership Override is 10% of the value (in cash or kind) of the contributions made by those Members under the leadership of the Leading Member of that fundraiser. 

 

Example: a Member organizes a yard sale with four other Members.  By notifying the Foundation in advance of that fundraiser (time, date, location, type of event, participating Members), that Member becomes the Leader of that event.  All five Members gather items to sell, of their own and donations from friends and businesses, and the yard sale brings in a thousand dollars.  That’s $200 apiece credited toward their Vesting, PLUS, the leader is credited with an amount equal to 10% of the contributions of the Members s/he led.  Their contribution totaled $800, so the Leader is credited with an additional $80 toward Vesting, for a total of $280 credit for that event.

 

After a Member is Vested in their Membership, contributions are credited toward the award of a LifeYacht.  For every $200 in contributions after Vesting, in cash or in-kind, the Member is credited with one hour toward their LifeYacht.  Up to half the hours requirement for a LifeYacht can be earned with contributions.

 

Example: Luis is a Single Member, but not yet Vested.  He arranges a fundraiser at his church, where he raises donations of $10,000 worth of concrete and rebar, plus a gunite machine worth $7,950.  He only needs $1950 to become Vested, which leaves $16,000 to be put toward his LifeYacht.  At $200 per hour, that’s 80 hours toward his LifeYacht.  He’s planning on getting the Corvette, so he has only 2,920 hours left to work when he arrives at the Freedom Fleet and checks in.  That’s less than a year and a half of forty hour weeks.

 

A Member does not have the authority to bind the Sea Lions Foundation or the Freedom Fleet in any way.  Members contribute and are credited for that contribution, and once Vested and the Freedom Fleet begins construction, have the right to a berth subject to availability and ranking.  When negotiating contributions from third parties, such as advertisers, no agreement made by the Member is binding on the Foundation, though Members are encouraged to involve the Foundation in such negotiations, because opportunities are available which the Foundation may wish to take.

 

Example: Bob arranges a fifty-family yard sale, and works out an excellent price with a local radio station for advertising.  He can’t sign the agreement unless he pays for it out of his own pocket.  He contacts the Foundation and explains what he’s worked out.  The Foundation works out a deal with Bob for the advertising cost, and signs the agreement and pays its agreed share for the advertising, and Bob pays the rest out of his own pocket, and, IF his agreement with the Foundation included credit for that money, he’s credited.  If not, and he decided it was a worthwhile investment in his own future, he paid it anyway.

 Bob’s yard sale is a huge success, and he and his family are Vested in their membership in one day.

 

Example: Tim sets up a similar event, and works out a special deal on the rental of an empty lot to hold the event on.  He contacts the Foundation, which does a little research, and responds that there are empty lots in that town in good locations that are free, and he really should see about them first.  Tim looks up those lots, and moves his event, and has a big success as well.

 

Members who use the Sea Lions Foundation name, or the Freedom Fleet name, in their fundraising events agree to forward 100% of the proceeds of those events to the Foundation for credit toward their Vesting or LifeYacht.  Every penny withheld delays Launch Day.  Members who do not use the Foundation’s name or the Freedom Fleet’s name in their fundraising are free to use those proceeds as they wish.  In that case, they can put part or all of them toward their Vesting or LifeYacht; in that situation, they’re in total control.

 

Example: Suzy sets up a Comedy Club night at her local coffee shop as a fundraiser, and puts Sea Lions Foundation’s name on the signs, so people know what they’re supporting, and they’ll give more.  She raises $800, but holds back $75 to cover the cost of the posters and literature she printed. 

 

Another Member, who was at the event, tells the Foundation about this, and we call Suzy and explain to her that we’re all putting in our time and money, and no one’s getting any costs reimbursed, to get our LifeYachts built and live free as soon as possible.  We also explain that the value of the Sea Lions Foundation name comes from the time and money that all the other people are putting in, and using that name to bring in money and then not handling that money according to her agreement, which the other Members rely on, is dishonest. 

 

Suzy gets it, and turns in the money she withheld, which is credited to her Vesting or LifeYacht.  The next time she runs a fundraiser, she does it without the Sea Lions name, and sets the money aside for advertising costs for the fundraiser after that, in which she does use the Sea Lions name.  In that case, we congratulate her on her business sense.

 

Members agree not to suggest, encourage, or tolerate any illegal activity involving the Sea Lions Foundation or its Members.  Doing so forfeits all rights under this agreement, and forfeits all contributions and Membership fees.

 

Example: at a meeting one evening, Jim says, “You know, it’s really not enough that we’re leaving the insanity behind.  Before we go, we really should blow up a police station or a Federal building.”

 

We can’t do anything to Jim, because he just showed us that he is a paid informant for some government agency, maybe a local cop, maybe a Fed.  Real people never say things like that; only police informants, who get paid or promoted if they can get YOU to commit a crime, say things like that.  If you try to expose people like that, it’s a felony, so we’ll just quietly cancel his Membership, and he’ll forfeit all his contributions to that point.

 

Example:  Uri sells illegal drugs to raise money for the Foundation.  We call the local authorities and have him picked up, cancel his Membership, and keep his contributions that aren’t subpoenaed as evidence at his trial.

 

The initial fee paid for Membership is refundable for ten days or until a contribution is made in addition to that initial Membership fee. 

 

Member agrees to indemnify the Sea Lions Foundation and the Sea Lions Foundation’s Freedom Fleet for any and all legal actions that may arise from this agreement, and from any and all liability that may arise from Member’s membership in the Freedom Fleet, and from any and all liability that may arise from Member’s participation in the Freedom Fleet.  Member asserts that member is taking on a responsibility equivalent to ownership, and takes on the risks as well.  Member declares that Member is fully capable of taking a risk such as is involved here, and knows full well that if the aggregate efforts of all the Members is not sufficient to bring the project to fruition, or if some outside agency intervenes, lawfully or otherwise, the project will fail, and the efforts of all Members and the Foundation will have been for naught.

 

The Sea Lions Foundation bears no responsibility to the Member other than to facilitate the Member’s participation in the Freedom Fleet according to the policies described here and those that may be adopted from time to time by the Foundation Board.

 

 

Signed this ____________ day of _________________, 20______.

 

 

__________________________________  Member

 

__________________________________ (printed name)

 

 

__________________________________  for the Sea Lions Foundation

 

__________________________________  (printed name)