The inaugural meeting of the Gift of Life Ambassador Steering Committee was held in New York on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at Aish Hatorah NY on the upper west side. The group, which was comprised of twenty-four donors, recipients, volunteers, supporters and staff, came together to talk about how participants in the program can not only help to grow the registry, but also to create a new level of awareness and make Gift of Life a household name.
The evening began as long-time confidant and philanthropist, Bill Begal, read from a letter that he had written to Jay Feinberg some fifteen years ago, pledging both his friendship and support, when Jay himself was searching for his miracle match. It was in that that emotionally charged moment that the tone was set for the evening’s discussions.
Donor Avraham Goldhar, acting as facilitator for the meeting quickly got the group going by telling of his own experience; that after donating, he felt guilty receiving praise or recognition as a hero. He recounted, “I felt like such a taker because I really hadn’t done anything but sit in a chair for a few hours!” And so, armed with the realization that if as a group we pooled our resources, we could make a difference, he called for break-out brainstorming sessions on the following topics: fundraising, community outreach and awareness, the ambassador program and ideas for an ambassador summit.
When the groups came back together as one, it was obvious that there were a lot of great ideas that were shared and that the committee members, some of whom already knew one another and many who were meeting for the first time, had forged new relationships based upon mutual admiration and a common goal – to move Gift of Life into the future by creating new alliances within their own communities and geographic areas. A much discussed topic of conversation was the creation of Ambassador local “chapters”, whose members would meet and coordinate participation in local events to promote Gift of Life and its mission. A little friendly competition ensued as members affiliated themselves with the group from New Jersey versus the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
The consensus was that this was a very successful and productive meeting. Everyone in attendance came away with a new sense of involvement within the Gift of Life organization and ready to move ahead with implementing new and exciting ideas. Although this inaugural meeting involved attendees from the New York/New Jersey area, we welcome ideas from all of our Ambassadors worldwide, and look forward to holding meetings in other areas very soon. If you have any questions about, or would like to become a part of the Ambassador Program, you may contact Sherrie Kesselman at 1-800-9MARROW or skesselman@giftoflife.org.