THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS!

THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS!
As this week’s blog is being posted, I am in the midst of a busy weekend in the Boston area. I am meeting with the Deans of the three Boston area dental schools as well as Adam Stabholz (dean of the Hebrew University Dental School), the Boards, the student chapters and the Boston alumni chapter. Returning to the Boston chapters as International President of Alpha Omega is like a “return to my roots,” having been born and raised in the Boston area, and beginning my AO experience in the Gamma Chapter at Tufts. I thank all my Boston hosts for treating me like “family.”
This was another fascinating week. Sunday, Richard and I helped the daughter of Dr. William Jacobs of Jamaica, NY, pack up his office equipment. Bill Jacobs is a long retired Alpha Omegan from Columbia University, and Bill was sad to see his equipment packed up, but thrilled to know that it would be utilized at the Dental Clinic , Dentistry For All, in Guatemala, founded and run by Brad Krusky and Shane Fisher. Lots of our members have donated their services and worked there, including two of our SAC (Student Affairs Committee) co-chairs Richard Halpern and Rachel Davis, who just returned from a 10 day volunteer stint .
Monday evening was our monthly Board of Directors (BOD) conference call. Our dedicated Board members call in, and we discuss activities, plans, programs, etc. Among the topics discussed was the transition to our new Management Company, Third Eye, led by Executive Director Marty Zimmerman. The Third Eye Group is now answering our Headquarters office telephones, responding to e-mails and mail. The best e-mail address to reach headquarters at remains: headquarters@ao.org.
Wednesday night, our Global Corporate Task Force, held a conference call, to continue developing plans where our corporate partners and Alpha Omega can work together, enhancing AO’s image, and striving to achieve the goals and missions of our Fraternity . An exciting GOHI project program is in the “works”, so keep a keen eye out for future details in the Alpha Omegan .
With the assistance of our Corporate partners and our Board member Steve Kess , we have been finalizing the finishing touches for our March 16th Student Leaders Web/Seminar, and our March 23rd Alumni Webinar. All those who signed up are in for a knowledge packed hour of information.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak to Stephanie Rashewsky, who will be graduating from Harvard in June. Stephanie, who served AO as ISR for two stellar years, is more enthusiastic about dentistry now than I have ever heard her before. She absolutely loves her externship at a Harvard-run dental clinic for the homeless, and is looking forward to moving on to her Residency in Anesthesiology at Stony Brook this summer. All of us in the New York area are thrilled to be welcoming her into the area, and I look forward to having her join us for the High Holidays this fall, the table is already set .
We continue to be proud of our involvement with many philanthropic organizations, such as DVI (Dental Volunteers for Israel). DVI’s Trudi Birger Dental Clinic is the only free facility in Jerusalem, and without it, thousands of children would have no access to dental care. We encourage fraters to consider DVI as a “volunteering opportunity.” Our own D. Walter Cohen is DVI’s Honorary Chairman, and International Editor Fred Margolis is a member of their Board of Directors.
I urge you to take advantage of all Alpha Omega has to offer, as well as participating in the many activities of your Fraternity. Examples include: Webinars; our enhanced Member benefits program; our upcoming Leadership Seminar in Seattle April 30-May1 (check the web site AO.org for details ); and our fabulous value-packed, events-driven, “family”-oriented, Alpha Omega International Convention December 25th to January 1st at the Hyatt Mission Bay in San Diego.
This blog is also going to be “picked up” by Tomorrows Smiles “Blog Locator,”giving even more exposure to our Fraternity’s causes. The more people know about AO ,the more recognition we will have as an organization. As always, I look forward to hearing from you with your comments, feedbacks and ideas, and hopefully will see many of you, either during my Presidential travels, or at the Convention in San Diego.