President's Report FY 2014
Michael Briggs, President
Dear FIRST Members,
This will be my last letter to you as my two-year term as President and ten-year membership on the Board of Directors has expired. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve such a fine organization and I want to thank Jean Pickford, her wonderful staff, and the Board for their hard work and assistance during my tenure.
There were many achievements during 2014 beginning with our continued improvement in grassroots activities that raised over $184,000. More and more families are becoming involved and realizing that this activity is the backbone of our fundraising and EVERY dollar counts.
Of course the highlight of the year was our 18th biennial FIRST National Conference in Indianapolis, where a record 407 attendees; including 65 new families from all corners of the globe arrived. We continue to be the leading source of information and research in the world for ichthyosis. I certainly hope to see you in San Diego in 2016.
Additionally, we added 471 new families in 2014 to our membership, to bring us to a total of 4,036 affected families in our system. Many of these additions were a direct result of the numerous innovative communication techniques introduced during the year.
Our Investment Committee has again been successful through their diligent work with Sun Trust to place us in a very favorable financial position for the years ahead.
Lastly, I am pleased to introduce Jeff Hoerle, our new President. We are very fortunate to have such a talented, dedicated person helping guide us into the future. We wish Jeff, his wife Allison and children Katherine, Nicholas and Sasha all the best!
Best Wishes,
Mike Briggs
