This page provides a link to the WNYF Constitution and By-Laws. It also contains descriptions of WNYF club reimbursement and insurance programs, providing links to further information and/or downloadable forms.

WNYF Documents

1) Constitution And By-Laws

Click HERE to download a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Western New York Federation of Square and Round Dancers, which was last updated on April 10, 2024.

2) Membership and Renewal Form

The club renewal form is HERE.

3) Club Promotion, Recruitment and Dancer Retention Funding Programs

As our Constitution states, one of the main purposes of the Federation is to “promote interest in Western style Round and Square Dancing”. The Federation is supporting 2 different financial assistance programs to help clubs as they “promote” themselves.

3a) New Dancer Advertising Grant Program

(Click HERE to view or download the reimbursement form as a PDF file)

The intention of this program is to help clubs offset the cost of advertising for open houses or other events intended to get new dancers into square dancing. Advertising can include a variety of things including promotion over Internet, radio and print media such as lawn signs, posters, and flyers. Valid expenses may include printing cost and posting cost / air time. The grant is limited to a maximum of $60 per club per calendar year. Valid expense receipts should be submitted to the WNY Federation Treasurer with your application form. This grant is NOT guaranteed. The WNY Federation has the right to deny a grant application. If denied, the President will send an explanation to the Club.

3b) New Dancer Recruitment and Dance Retention Grant Program

(Click HERE to view or download the grant form as a PDF file)

Even with our “normal” open houses and club dancing, we are still losing a good percentage of our dancers at the end of each season. These dancers are not being replaced. Therefore “special” or “different” events may be necessary to get new dancers or retain the ones we have. Events can be anything from advertising, to a community event, to special dances, etc. In order to potentially help both organizationally and financially with a special event, the WNY Federation created the New Dancer Recruitment and Dancer Retention Program for our clubs.

The financial aspect of the grant program will be tracked by the WNY Federation treasurer. A club may only use one grant per calendar year. The club completes a grant form PRIOR to the event and submits it to the Federation President. The grant form gives the Federation the intention of the event and how the success of the event will be measured. The Federation President / Board may provide suggestions on enhancing or optimizing the event or may encourage other clubs’ participation. The Federation President may approve funding of up to $125 per Club per year. After the event, the updated grant form along with supporting receipts are sent to the Federation Treasurer. Payment will be sent to the Club.

We hope these programs will be utilized by all clubs to help thrive and grow and therefore make square dancing in the Western New York area stronger.

4) WNYF / USDA Insurance Forms

The WNYF makes insurance available to member clubs by participating in the United Square Dancers of America (USDA) “Dancers Insurance Program.” Every year the WNYF Insurance Coordinator distributes insurance enrollment materials to club representatives, collects completed forms, submits them to the USDA, then receives and distributes the resulting certificates of insurance.

In most cases, this is all that’s required for the whole season. But if additional forms are needed, they can be downloaded from the USDA website using the links below.

• Click HERE for the USDA Insurance Program Home page, with an overview of the program and links to further information, frequently asked questions and forms.
• Click HERE to go straight to the USDA forms page. Club reps who download and complete the form(s) should print, fill out and mail the completed form(s) to the WNYF Insurance Coordinator, to be forwarded to the proper USDA contact.

Following is a list of the most common forms you may need from the USDA site. You can download these forms and PRINT them, then fill them out and mail them to the WNYF insurance coordinator.

• “Accident Report Form” (and related information sheet: “Club Accident Procedures”) — All clubs should have a copy of these handy in case of an accident.
• “Additional Dancer Enrollment Form” — to add dancers who were not on your original annual club roster.
• “Club Class Form” — to add class members who were not on your original annual class roster.
• “Request for Certificate” — to add a new venue or other special event not covered by your original submission.

The same USDA forms page also has various information sheets and resources that you can download:

• Club Accident Procedures
• When How & Where to file a Claim
• Summary of Coverage (called “Part 1 and 2 Information”)
• Further explanation of coverage and limitations (called “Insurance Program Additional Information Sheet”)
• Group travel coverage and Explanation of “Additional Insured” (called “Insurance Program Information”)
• Dancers Code of Ethics and Conduct

5) ECMA “Dancer Down” Formation And Guidelines For MEDICAL EMERGENCY During a Dance

Click HERE to download a useful sheet that’s related to dancer health and safety. It explains the ECMA “dancer down” formation, which is the universally recommended procedure to follow when a dancer goes down during a tip. (ECMA stands for “Emergency Call for Medical Aid.”)

6) Positive Covid Test Notification Procedure for WNYF Clubs

With COVID cases on a seasonal rise, it’s important to inform dancers of potential exposures. When a dancer tests positive and/or comes down with Covid following attendance at a WNTF event, it is the host club’s duty to inform other dancers of potential exposure. Please click HERE for the “Positive COVID Test Notification Procedure” that the WNYF adopted at its November 2023 meeting. To reduce the odds of viral spreading, it’s also important to take extra care to have enough hand sanitizer dispensers “on hand” at your dances.