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Chair’s
Report
Dear FOL members,
It’s been a while since FOL has been able to
communicate directly with our members beyond our timely news service
now run in conjunction with the Liberian Collections Project at
Indiana University (special thanks to Dr. Verlon Stone). I can
assure you the Board of Trustees has been working diligently to
advance our mission to positively affect Liberia and Liberians
through educational, social, and humanitarian programs and through
advocacy efforts. FOL has been working on many different fronts to
advance positive initiatives during an extremely important era in
Liberia’s history. A full annual report for your consideration is
attached. Here are some highlights of FOL advancements (beyond
those reported elsewhere in this edition) which also specifically
spotlight people working actively to advance FOL:
Leadership changed in FOL upon the departure of Jim
Gray (to take a position in Sierra Leone) in February 2003 after
many years of meritorious service to FOL. Simply stated, FOL would
not be without Jim’s thousand of volunteer hours working to bring
together numerous organizational processes for over the past 10
years! Accordingly, I as Chair of the Board of Trustees assumed the
Presidency of Friends of Liberia until new leadership could be
appointed. I’m very pleased to report that Stephanie Vickers was
selected Interim President on April 26, 2004 (pending the next
regularly held election of the membership). Stephanie has been
joined by a new slate of officers including Joanna Carty as Vice
President, Jim Bowman as Treasurer, and Jim McGeorge as Membership
Coordinator. They join Candace Eastman, Bill Faudree and Mike Waite
who continue meritorious service as Secretary, E-zine Newsletter
Editor, and Web Site Editor. All of FOL also owes a tremendous debt
of gratitude to Dave Willett who has done yeoman’s service the past
few years as our treasurer insuring our funds were maintained in
full accord with acceptable accounting practices.
Speaking of the newsletter, I hope you find this new
electronic format interesting and functional. It allows us to
solicit many more submissions that can be shared in a cost effective
way and more timely way. E-zine editor Bill Faudree is anxious to
receive submissions from the membership for possible publication in
our next edition. We owe a special debt to Hugh Orr, a talented
Winthrop University student, for his efforts in the design and
construction of this new web e-zine. We hope you like it! Please
let us know what you think.
FOL’s advocacy efforts have been extraordinary since
last July 2003. Thanks to the presence of Dr. Jeanette Carter in
Washington, DC, FOL was able to be “at the table” in Congress, at
the UN, and other important venues as events unfolded. I truly
believe much of the world’s press’ viewpoints on Liberia last summer
was informed by the releases FOL posted on our
www.fol.org web site and the many media interviews given and
events attended by Dr. Carter, Dr. Jane Martin, Pat Reilly, Candace
Eastman, John Kucij, and me.
FOL has also changed the way it manages its
relationships with you, our members. The Board adopted a new
process for membership of now soliciting a one-time minimum
membership fee of $40 in order for a member to be officially placed
on our roster. Subsequent to this initial fee, members will be
notified once a year to make a donation (within your means) that
supports our initiatives. Members can use the Holiday Appeal letter
that will be mailed with the US Postal Service as a “dues date”
reminder. Of course, new people may officially become members at
any time through your generous donations. When the appeal comes, we
are hopeful all of you reading this newsletter will donate as much
as you can afford to remain a member of FOL.
And speaking of members … FOL had a reunion in Myrtle
Beach, SC, this past October 2003. All who attended had a great
time seeing some friends from our former days in Liberia. In my own
personal situation, I was able to see a friend for the first time in
40 years. Of course he looked exactly as I remembered him! It
seems only I aged … just a bit! Some reunion snapshots are
presented here in this e-zine’s edition.
 CLICK HERE FOR
PICTURES
In closing, let me please remind each of you
has time and talent that can benefit Liberia again through FOL! We
need your help! We’re an organization that has not grown in recent
years because many, especially Americans, have lost touch with
Liberia since its civil wars. Our active FOL volunteer base is
getting smaller. We need you now to step forward to help - to give
back one more time and this most crucial time during Liberia’s
recovery! We need people to help manage our membership services, to
help produce our newsletters, to help formulate advocacy position
statements and programs, to develop volunteers, to take part in
current projects, to solicit funds, to write grants, to develop new
initiatives! It’s not as hard as it sounds. With some extra talent I
know we can produce even more initiatives to positively affect
Liberia and Liberians through educational, social, advocacy, and
humanitarian programs Most of our work can now be accomplished
from your desktop computer in your den at home. Think about it,
please.
Peace,
Frank Ardaiolo
Chair, FOL Board of Trustees
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