TRIO Chapter Activity Report

Manhattan Chapter - January 2012

Hi, my name is Fran Dillon and I am the acting President of TRIO Manhattan.

As most of you are aware, we lost our president of 19 years, Larraine DePasquale back on July 26, 2011. It was a shock for all of us because we had no idea she was so short on time. Yes, she was quite ill but we all, including she and her family, thought there was plenty more time. Needless to say, not expecting the loss, there was never a transition of officers in respect to TRIO and for this I am so sorry. It indeed left our group rudderless.
Anyway, I, along with our five person board of directors are trying to go forward and keep our Chapter alive, if not as good, hopefully almost as good, and eventually better.

For starters, we have been having monthly meetings in the months of September, October, November and last week, January. We have been very fortunate to have very good professionals be our guest speakers so that our members can have more education in the fields of transplant surgery, the differences with generic and formulary medications, legal documents we should have so that our loved ones can go on with good decision making and lastly, how the New York Organ Donor Network approaches grieving families to ask for organ donation. That was so very interesting to us all and a reminder, again, of what an involved and heart-wrenching decision it is when the families have never given organ donation a thought. One more reason to continue our organ donation educational drives.

For the future, we are again, for the 17th year, going to have our "Remember and Rejoice" Ecumenical Service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, here in New York City, on April 14, 2012, at 2 PM. We have the service during Organ Donation month to honor all the donor families who have shared the organ, tissues and corneas of their loved ones with strangers. We, the many recipients who attend the service, representing to them the recievers of their very generous Gifts of Life. It will be the first service without Larraine but we know she will be helping us from afar. Wish us luck, because, this as well is something we are doing by the seat of our pants and just feeling our way along. If any or you or your members are nearby on that day, please come join us.

We have no fund raisers planner for the near future but we are nearing the bottom of the till and so we will need to do some brain storming and come up with money making ideas.

Also, we have to decide on a permanent board and a new president, but more on this in a future report.

Hope all of you are well and will speak with you on the conference call.

Fran Dillon
acting President, TRIO Manhattan Chapter