Launching the 2018 Annual Appeal

By Cathleen P. Story, BS, CRA, FAHRA

It’s official: our 2018 annual appeal campaign is underway! This is the main fundraising event for the AHRA Education Foundation (EF) where we appeal to the AHRA membership for support. The funds raised support the EF and its commitment to provide educational opportunities to the membership, such as the Osborn Scholarship, Broadley Scholarship, CRA Exam Scholarship, and the Ed Yoder Memorial Scholarship. Our goal this year is to raise $30,000, but we can’t do that without your help. This year’s annual appeal committee is composed of 18 members who are doing their best to personally reach out to as many of you as possible. AHRA is over 5,500 members strong, so if each member would give just $10 we would surpass our goal by more than $25,000. It’s impossible for the committee to contact every member, so please consider this as your invitation to make a donation. You can easily donate by visiting the web site at www.ahra.org/Donate.

One of the things I like best about being the EF chair is that I have the privilege of notifying the scholarship winners. The EF Board of Directors has approved 5 new scholarship opportunities for AHRA active duty military members. Three scholarships will be distributed under the Osborn Scholarship for the Spring Conference or Annual Meeting, and two will be awarded under the Ed Yoder Memorial Scholarship for the Virtual Fall Conference. I recently had the honor to notify our first military scholarship recipient, SMSgt Christine M. Gomien, BS, ARRT(R)(M)(CT). SMSgt Gomien is excited to have the opportunity to attend the Spring Conference in New Orleans in March. I asked her what it means to her to be awarded this scholarship, and she said:

I am very honored and excited to be the 2018 military recipient of the AHRA Osborn Scholarship. At the Spring Conference, I hope to garner knowledge and insight into the civilian radiology industry, as well as learn about solutions to management and leadership challenges and performance improvement opportunities that I can share to enhance military radiology processes and operations managements. Additionally, I am eager to learn about and prepare for the Certified Radiology Administrator exam that I am challenging myself to take in May.

SMSgt Gomien also told me she is just weeks away from finishing her last Master’s course, so it will be a busy Spring for her!

Look for future articles on the progress of the annual appeal campaign from some of the committee members and other scholarship winners. If you are attending the Spring Conference, the agenda is packed with great speakers (and you can also make your donation at the conference!). Thank you for your support of the EF and its programs. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Cathleen P. Story, BS, CRA, FAHRA is the 2017-2018 chair of the AHRA Education Foundation Board of Directors. She can be reached at cstory1009@aol.com.