|
Big News from the Co-Founders of H.E.R O. for Children
As a valued supporter of Georgia's children affected by HIV/AIDS, we would like to share this exciting strategic news with you.
As co-founders of H.E.R.O. for Children, we have devoted the past five years of our lives to creating and building the only organization solely focused on improving the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS in the state of Georgia. Although we began with no money, no programs and no contacts in Atlanta, today H.E.R.O. for Children serves 350 different children, has a $600,000 budget, four full-time employees, a committed Board of Directors,tremendous celebrity support including Paula Deen and Chris Tucker, two of the largest college philanthropies in the Southeast at UGA and Georgia Tech, and more than 2,000 volunteers. The organization is stronger at this moment than it has ever been, and most importantly it is ready to expand its services for these children on a larger scale. We can proudly say that with the support of brilliant advisers and friends like you, we have achieved our goal of creating a sustainable non-profit organization that will continue to help children affected by HIV/AIDS for decades to come.
While our skill sets are ideal for creating entrepreneurial ventures, galvanizing large-scale support, and running an organization in a start-up environment, H.E.R.O. is now at a point where it needs unique expertise in the areas of business operations and growing our programs to serve large numbers of children. Therefore, with the full support of our Board of Directors including Coaches Mark Richt, Vince Dooley and Paul Hewitt, we have decided to hire a new Executive Director who can bring years of program growth experience to continue to expand what we have created. We will next transition to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and will dedicate our time where our strengths lie: fundraising, strategy and galvanizing support for H.E.R.O. We are very excited about this strategic decision as with tremendous community support, we know H.E.R.O. will eventually change the lives of thousands of children affected by HIV/AIDS.
So what will we do next? Co-Founder Ryan Gembala will build upon his entrepreneurial experiences by obtaining his MBA from the University of Chicago, ranked the #1 business school by Business Week and The Economist. Co-Founder Garrett Gravesen will return to visit the orphanage in Africa where he found his inspiration to co-found H.E.R.O. and will launch a global initiative to rally a generation around service. We are currently using an executive search firm, LG & Associates, to identify the next Executive Director and will remain full-time with the organization until mid-August so that we can provide a proper transition to the next Executive Director.
We want to thank you for always supporting H.E.R.O. and we know that with your continued involvement, one day thousands of children affected by HIV/AIDS in our state and beyond will receive the Quality of Life that they deserve.
Best regards,
Ryan Gembala and Garrett Gravesen
Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors
H.E.R.O. for Children
www.heroforchildren.org
|