Happy New Year!!!
Every January, it is a tradition to make New Year’s
resolutions. As President of the JSF&RCD, I always
try to make a resolution for the foundation. I take
a look back at the progress we’ve made, and I look
forward to where we want to go. The Board of
Directors for the Foundation will continue to work
on prioritizing our future goals to keep us growing
in the right direction. Our dedication to the
JSF&RCD continues to be driven by our membership -
all of YOU!! We have come so far but still have a
long way to go.
During our bi-monthly board meetings, our dedicated
and enthusiastic board members share the ideas and
opportunities they are exploring to help improve and
expand our Foundation. I am pleased to welcome 2 new
members to our team. Alison Ender was elected to the
Board of Directors last Fall. In just a few short
months, Ali has created a fundraising plan. Some of
the ideas from the fundraising committee, headed by
Ali, will be implemented soon. We are also pleased
to have William Hine join our team as Secretary.
William quickly showed his talents (along with his
sense of humor and wit) as he prepared our board
meeting minutes. Both Ali and William have
contributed positively to our Foundation, and I’m
looking forward to working with both of them.
I would like to thank each officer and board member
for the countless hours spent supporting the
Foundation during 2007 . We all volunteer our time
and talents for the JSF&RCD; every minute spent on
foundation business is a minute taken away from our
families. The rewards are felt through the
appreciation we receive helping our extended JSF&RCD
families.
Due to financial constraints, we had to postpone our
next conference until 2009. We are still working on
the location. I take a lot of factors into
consideration when selecting the location and the
hotel. I want to keep the hotel rates as low as
possible while also looking at areas that are not
too expensive to travel to. It is not always easy to
find a location that meets both of those
requirements. There are currently 2 locations being
evaluated: Detroit, MI and St. Paul, Minnesota. I
have tried both the Philadelphia and Atlanta areas
and could not find any good deals. I continue to
explore other areas with the hope of finding
something soon that meets all of our needs. I will
keep you posted as selections are made. I appreciate
your patience.
That is all I have for now…. Please continue to
check out our website for all the newest information
and ways you can help.
Your Friend and President,