January 2024
Tony Castiglie, Vice President and Treasurer.
As we enter the new year, the normal approach is to look optimistically forward. But this time, let us take a look back.
Why? Houston Ground Angels has been existence about 24 years, and we have grown from virtual obscurity to being rather well known. 2023 was the best year we ever had; 92 Volunteers ran over 4,600 missions?
The Board of Directors meets about once every two months with our primary objectives to review the operation as well as insuring that we provide some guidance and direction to the volunteers. The heart and soul of our organization has always been the volunteers – they are the face of the organization for the medical patients we serve.
An issue we faced for many years is that the volunteers did not know each other. We have tried gatherings such as Christmas parties & Meet & Greet sessions. Results have been mixed. The organization’s Energizer Bunny, Executive Director Rebecca Maitland exerts a great deal of time and effort trying to put something together, including timing, location and availability. This has always been a bit difficult, but this year turned out to be a huge success. The Christmas Gathering at “By Popular Demand” turned out to be everything we could hope for. With over 50 team members in attendance, the event turned out to be extremely successful. Many volunteers have now gotten to know each other and the personal and social interaction between them was a pleasure to be part of.
The team members that comprise Houston Ground Angels are some of the finest people I have ever been associated with and it has been a real pleasure to be just one small part of it. With 2023 being so successful, capped off by a wonderful and enjoyable Christmas gathering of volunteers and guests, can we be anything but optimistic about 2024? Everything indicates that this next year will be even better.
Thank you to all for your contribution and wishing all of you a Happy & Prosperous 2024.
Sincerely, Tony
You can always send me an email to hga@groundangels.org