|
From the Chairman…
On behalf of my
fellow Board members and the nearly 4,000 volunteers and employees of the
American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY), I am privileged to provide
you with our annual report.
This has been a
year of change and progress at ARC/GNY. The Board
conducted an extensive strategic review and created a plan that
calls on the organization to focus on our core mission of helping
people prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters. As part of
that plan, two of our programs – homeless services and
transportation – have been seamlessly transferred to excellent
providers in the city.
Beginning in
January, and under the leadership of our new CEO, Theresa A.
Bischoff, we have begun a new chapter in the life of this great
organization. Under her direction, we have a new management team
and expanded participation by the members of the Board.
Although the
symbol of the Red Cross is universally recognized and admired, it
became clear to us that many people do not have a real understanding
of what we actually do or how we fund our services. In listening to
those whom we serve – at a fire, a building collapse and in our
training programs – we heard a single message: the Red Cross
provides members of our community with a feeling of safety. It is
that “feeling” of the Red Cross as the “arm around the shoulder” of
the people we serve that we will use as we enhance our awareness-building programs in the future.
One of our
biggest challenges has been the necessity to seek new revenue
sources. For almost three decades, we have enjoyed the support of
the United Way as it provided almost 50 percent of our annual
budget. We have been grateful for this funding, but now the United
Way has refocused its own mission and has decided to cease that
support. This has left us with a significant budgetary challenge.
We now need to find other sources of support from generous
individuals, corporations, foundations, and local, state and federal
government agencies. We have already made a good beginning in
garnering new support through partnerships with corporations such as
WellChoice (Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield) and American Express,
as well as through the awarding of new city funding thanks to the
New York City Council.
For 2005, we are already planning a celebratory
year as we mark our 100th anniversary of service to our community.
This will include a magnificent Centennial Gala at which we look
forward to greeting many new and long-time friends. We are also
planning a move to a new, state-of-the-art headquarters in
Manhattan, complete with new training facilities, a sophisticated
disaster dispatch and relief facility, and updated communications
technology to link ARC/GNY with its chapters and service centers,
local and state agencies, and rescue operations at the scene of a
disaster.
Finally, I want to thank my fellow Board
members for their commitment and dedication to this great
organization. Each of you, through your work on committees,
your outreach on our behalf to your businesses and personal
contacts, and your generosity has been invaluable to me in
my role as your Chair.
William Gray
Chairman
|
