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From the CEO…
My first nine
months as CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York have
been extraordinary and exciting. I have seen how our organization
has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our
community. Almost daily, I hear from someone whose family has been
helped by the Red Cross or who has saved a life because they have
received our CPR or First Aid training.
I know I am leading a strong organization with
a powerful place in our community and people’s hearts. Whether
I am at the scene of a fire, taking our training classes or working
with our Board and its various committees, I am proud to be leading
this organization with its incredibly dedicated and talented
volunteers, employees and Board members.
One of my most
meaningful experiences was the first time I gave a speech for the
Red Cross. When I finished, a man in the audience got up to thank
the Red Cross for literally saving his life after 9/11. “When
the Red Cross got there, I felt safe…” he told me.
Recently, when
we helped a family in lower Manhattan who were forced to leave their
apartment for fear that the building would collapse, the father
thanked us profusely and said, “I knew the Red Cross helped
people in Afghanistan, but I never knew that you were here to
provide such tangible help and comfort right here in New York City
for me and my family.” It is inspiring to see how many lives
we touch - at fires, at blackouts, at floods, and at other
emergencies.
It never ceases
to amaze me that most of our assistance is provided by our volunteer
corps – selfless people who often thank me for the opportunity to
give up sleep and work weekends to help those in need. They tell me
it is worth working late into the night to see the look in someone’s
eyes whom they have helped after a traumatic fire. You will read the
stories of some of these inspiring people in this report.
I also want to
thank the amazing staff who support the organization’s efforts every
day and were invaluable in helping me take on my new role.
At the Board’s direction, we have sharpened our
focus on our core mission of helping people prepare for and respond
to emergencies. To help people better prepare, we created a new
interactive CD-ROM titled “Together We Prepare New York”that teaches the five basic steps in preparedness: make a plan,
build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood. Please take the time to
visit the online version of the CD on our Web site at
www.nyredcross.org and look at it with your family. We continue
to work closely with our partner in preparedness, the New York City
Office of Emergency Management, to present preparedness programs
throughout the city.
To enhance our
response effort, we have developed important new relationships this
year with the Food Bank for New York City, which will provide tons
of needed supplies such as water, energy bars and paper goods in the
event of a major emergency, and with DisneyHand, a foundation of the
Disney Corporation that has provided wonderful Mickey Mouse dolls to
comfort children whose lives have been turned upside down by an
emergency.
The stories and
pictures in this annual report describe numerous other activities in
which we have participated during the past year. As we prepare for
our 100th anniversary next year, I look forward to
celebrating our past and working with our volunteers, our staff, and
our wonderful supporters to make this an even stronger organization.
Theresa A.
Bischoff
Chief Executive
Officer
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