About the GCCBC

The Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club (GCCBC) was established on February 11, 1938 and is a Not-for-Profit organization. The club is organized for the purposes and with the objectives:

• To improve the methods of breeding better cage birds;
• To promote a more friendly feeling and to set forth higher standards of conduct;
• To encourage honest dealing with all business transactions among bird breeders and fanciers and with the public at large;
• To hold annual exhibitions and open contest for the purpose of all types of birds;
• To determine the progress made; and,
• To disseminate and exchange information to all bird breeders and fanciers.

The club meets on a monthly basis, and offers a monthly bulletin, adoption program, two bird fairs, and an annual show. All of these functions are successful due to work done on a volunteer basis by our club members.

We meet on the third Friday of every month except November and December. There is no meeting in November due to our annual show, and December’s meeting is on a weekend in conjunction with our annual holiday party. At each meeting after the primary business has been discussed, we have a social time with desserts and coffee. Then we have a guest speaker. At the end of the meeting we hold a raffle as a fundraiser.

GCCBC has a monthly bulletin with informative articles that are bird-related, regular columnists, and a classified ads section for members. The bulletins are mailed out before the next monthly meeting to all club members and various other clubs with whom we exchange bulletins.

The adoption program takes in unwanted birds from several different sources. See Adoption page for eligibility and program details.

GCCBC currently has two bird fairs each year. One fair is in the spring and the other fair is in the fall, usually in September. All of the birds that are sold at the fairs are checked by an avian veterinarian before the fair opens for the day. We have two raffles at the fair. One is done at noon and the second one is done about an hour before closing. The fairs are big fundraisers for the club. The money goes toward the expenses associated with putting on our annual show.

Our annual show is usually held the first weekend in November. Our shows include judging on the various species of caged birds. These include canaries, finches, lovebirds, cockatiels, budgerigars (parakeets), and hookbills (parrots). Awards are given to the winners. If you have never been to a bird show, you can learn so much about the different species by listening to what the judges have to say as they judge the birds.

The club is able to do these activities through members volunteering to work. The board members and officers are elected each year. All members present at the December meeting vote to determine whom they want to elect to these positions. The bulletin editors, membership chairperson, adoption committee, and publicity chairperson are all volunteer positions.

Club Officers Duties:

President: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the club and shall preside at all general club meetings. The president shall see that the bylaws of the club are enforced. He/She shall appoint such committees as are necessary to the functioning of the club. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Vice-President: The Vice-President shall be in charge of the program for the club meetings. In the absence of the President, he/she shall assume the duties of the President.

Secretary: The Secretary shall record the minutes of the regular meetings and the meetings of the Board of Directors. All business correspondence shall go through the Secretary and a complete file kept of same. He/She shall keep a record of all proceedings of the club. He/She shall provide to journals material covering the activities of the club and such other information of educational nature or interest to bird fanciers.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep record of the accounts of the club, accounting for receipts and disbursements. These records shall be open to the members at reasonable times for inspection. He/She shall publish an annual report to the active members. He/She shall have custody of the corporate emblem and affix the seal when necessary. The Treasurer or his/her designee shall sell and record club bands.

To be eligible to serve in an elected office, or two-year term of director, one must have been a member in good standing for two years.

To be eligible for the Board of Directors, nominees must be twenty-one (21) years old or older and have been a member in good standing for one year. To be eligible for the two-year terms, nominees must be twenty-one (21) years old or older and have been a member in good standing for two years.

No duly elected officer or member of the Board of Directors may hold office in any other cage bird club that meets in the Chicago area.

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