Welcome to GLJT! First, we at Great Lakes Jeep Thing would like to thank you for registering, and looking forward to having you be part of our website. As always, our website and forums are open and free for ANYONE to use.
Some of you may be curious about becoming part of the GLJT family...or becoming a full fledged club member. We are not an all inclusive organization. We are always looking for quality members to add to our roster. We work new memberships on a sponsorship basis for reasons I will get into a bit later.
Anyone is always more than welcome to attend GLJT meetings and functions. Discussion at meetings during the agenda is limited to club members, but questions and comments are encouraged either before or after that time.
New members will need to find a current member to "sponsor" them into the club. What that means is, before you actually join and pay dues we would like a chance to get to know you, and vice versa. Sponsorship period is for 3 months. Perspective members would need to attend all meetings in that time if at all possible. Attend at least one trail ride with your sponsor, and participate on the forums and website. On the meeting after the sponsorship period, the potential member leaves the room while his/her sponsor gives their opinion. Usually a decision is reached fairly quickly and a vote is taken by the general membership. Either in....or out. On occasion we do have sponsored members that already have a lot of time around the club. Sometimes the sponsorship period can be abit shorter than 3 months.
GLJT is a very diverse club. We have members from all walks of life, and all age ranges. The only requirement is you must be at least 18, and of course own a jeep. GLJT adheres guidelines set by organizations like the Blue Ribbon Coalition and Tread Lightly. The "gas pedal," or "tear it up" crowd need not apply. When it all comes down to it, this is a club that loves to have fun, and will always go the extra mile to help out a fellow member.
Getting back to the reasons behind sponsorship. Clubs work best when you have a personal relationship with all the other members like we do. We put a lot of time and effort into this club, and we look at it like a big family. We really want a chance to know new members as well as we can before they actually join and pay dues. This works to be advantageous to both parties. Potential members have a chance to see if this club is for them before they join. No one wants to pay dues for a club when they find out later they would fit better elsewhere.
I hope this may clear up some questions for you. If you have any questions/comments about membership, or any club events or functions you can email us at contact@gljt.org.
We will respond ASAP. Thank you.
