Address from Jane McGowan, President - June 16, 2007
Madame Vice Chair of the Standing Commission of Red Cross and Red Crescent; Mr. Honorary Vice President; Members of the Board of Governors; National Representative Members; Mr. Secretary General; Dear Friends all.
It is my duty and pleasure to present to you, in accordance with the by-laws of The Canadian Red Cross Society, the President’s report.
Let me start, however, with a word of appreciation and thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm and commitment to the Red Cross. We can only serve those who need us in Canada and around the world by mobilizing the power of ‘you’ – the volunteers and staff of the Canadian Red Cross.
I would especially like to pay tribute to the wonderful people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Your reception and kind attention to us throughout this entire weekend is so representative of your province’s famous warmth and friendship. Thank
Just as we have celebrated our friendship and camaraderie this weekend, I would like us to celebrate the successes of the past year. Here are just a few of the significant achievements in 2006/2007.
- We assisted some 52,000 people affected by disaster here in Canada.
- 880 volunteers gave their time and compassion to assist more than five thousand evacuees to Canada, fleeing conflict in Lebanon.
- Red Cross monitoring teams regularly visited detention centers throughout Canada, where immigration detainees are held.
- Violence and abuse prevention programs in RespectED grew by an astounding 23 percent.
- In the area of Restoring Family Links, 786 new tracing and family message cases were completed in 2006/2007, with over 900 open cases in total.
- 2006 marked the 60th anniversary of the Canadian Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety programs. When we began our programs in 1946, eight out of every 100,000 Canadians were victims of drowning and today drowning claims the lives of fewer than 1.3 Canadians per 100,000.
- New guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid were released in 2006 and our First Aid promotional campaign in Toronto last September using life-size decals of persons in distress prompted media coverage and inquires from the U.S, Mexico and France.
- In September 2006, Health Equipment Loan Programs (HELP) personnel gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the first HELP conference to better enhance service delivery models and share best practices across the country.
- Our community Health Services (CHS) continues to be the largest non-profit provider of homemaking/personal support services to the province and in May 2006, CHS was granted accreditation from the Canadian Council on Health Service Accreditation (CCHSA).
- Internationally, Canadian Red Cross delegates were deployed on 91 assignments around the world.
- We spent thirty-five million dollars on operations in tsunami-affected countries.
- We contributed to the training of community health workers in Nicaragua and Honduras.
But our year should not be remembered just by citing facts, data and statistics because it is not just about the numbers, however impressive they may be.
Our successes are about people and are reflected in the lives and faces of those we serve in the name of humanity. As you read our 2006/2007 Annual Report, you will be struck by the impact statements – how we – you and I – made a difference in their lives.
And you will see in the faces of the volunteers and staff highlighted in the report, the joy and the satisfaction they receive in knowing that they have made a difference in someone’s life.
Before I go on, I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of the Board of Governors who are present here today.
(people stand)
As you remain standing, I invite those of you who are here in your capacity as National Representative Members to rise.
(people stand)
Can I ask all the youth and leaders who participated in the Youth Symposium to also stand.
(people stand)
Would our special guests, partners, and other stakeholders who are ever supportive of our work, please stand.
(people stand)
And finally, would all members, volunteers and staff join those already standing, please rise.
(people stand)
Now look into the faces of those around you, and in extending a hand of appreciation, say a big ‘Thank you!’.
(people shake hands)
It is truly because of you that the Canadian Red Cross is such a powerful source of comfort to so many; that so many lives are saved, that so many can smile and worry a little less about their safety, security, dignity and well-being.
I have two videos to show this morning. The first is near and dear to my heart, as it describes the Canadian Red Cross Malaria Campaign in Sierra Leone.
I had the opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone last November, and witness the incredible work of our Canadian Red Cross Team at work. In just one week, with the generous support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the local Red Cross… 875,000 bed nets were distributed. In one week, close to a million nets. It seems almost impossible, doesn’t it? I am so impressed with this program, and the real and potential impact it makes in saving lives through a simple and inexpensive outreach to people at risk.
The video you’ll see is about eight minutes long, and really helps to give life to a program that is so much more than its numbers.
(PLAY VIDEO)
I hope that gave you a bit more insight into the power of a simple insecticide-treated net. It costs just seven dollars. The video is available on the Red Cross website, so please encourage friends, family and donors to take a look.
As I mentioned before, we are more than just our numbers, but the numbers do help to tell our story. I’d like to come back to one number in particular…and that is the amount of money the Canadian Red Cross has spent this year to help rebuild peoples’ lives in tsunami-affected countries. Thirty-five million dollars helped construct homes, roads, sanitation infrastructure...in essence, that money helped to build communities.
…
The funds collected by the Canadian Red Cross following the South East Asia Tsunami was an incredible outpouring from the Canadian public, and an enormous show of trust in what we can do as an organization to help donors translate their care and concern into meaningful help. This is both an honour and a responsibility for us as an organization…and one that we take very seriously.
In order to truly understand the challenges and the successes of our tsunami work, five members of the Board of Governors traveled to Indonesia in December to see first-hand how work is proceeding, and what barriers still exist that we need to better understand and help to remove.
The second video I’d like to share with you tonight is an inspiring look at our work in Indonesia to rebuilding entire continues and bringing help and hope to survivors.
(SHOW VIDEO – TSUNAMI)
As you well know, it is not only internationally that the Society is having an impact on people’s lives.
This now brings me to my final remarks…saying farewell and thank you to our Secretary General of over nine years, Dr. Pierre Duplessis.
Napoleon once said, and I paraphrase here: “a leader is a deliverer of hope”. This definition of leadership, is particularly appropriate for Pierre. He delivered hope at a time when hope at the Canadian Red Cross was in short supply.
Last night, Pierre, we celebrated and applauded numerous examples of your leadership and dedication to the Canadian Red Cross. You leaves us now, nine years later, with a wonderful legacy of high public opinion, financial health that continues to improve, and optimism for the future of Red Cross in Canada and around the world.
On behalf of the Board of Governors and all members, volunteers and staff, Pierre, I extend my sincere thanks to you for your tremendous leadership and service, as well as your friendship and guidance. We are delighted that you will continue to lend your talents to the larger Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. We wish you much happiness and success in your new role in Geneva.
Pierre, please accept this gift a token of our appreciation and best wishes.
(Pierre accepts citation and gift)
(Address the attendees)
Thank you for attending this weekend’s events, for participating in our Annual General Meeting and sharing in the continued success of the organization. You are the Red Cross, and you make a world of difference.
Thank you.
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