Greetings!
Like most, I take this time to reflect upon the past year while anticipating the year ahead. I think about the millions of dollars raised for initiatives like Campaign for Our Future, a national effort to provide access to care for people living with hemophilia and their families - as well as Melarbit's work with a client who is engaging individual investors in high-impact community development in low-income neighborhoods throughout New York City.
Mostly, I am grateful for the opportunities I've had and for the countless people I come into contact with who continuously inspire and challenge me to be my best. Effective fundraising is a team sport.
As we come to the close of another year and look ahead to the possibilities in 2011, I invite you to join me as I take a slightly different tone in this quarterly online newsletter, to reflect upon the inspiration behind the work I do. I hope it helps as you reflect on your own work. May it provide a renewed sense of passion and purpose to help you realize all that you seek to achieve in the year ahead.
It is impossible for me to think about any of this work without mentioning the influence of my mentor and step-father, Steve Melamed. For over 30 years, Steve provided a guiding light and was a sounding board for many key decisions. His successful business background, integrity and relentless optimism provided me with the foundation for much of what I've been able to accomplish over the years. The name Melarbit, a hybrid of our last names Arbit and Melamed, was created a couple of years ago to pay tribute to this special relationship.
Earlier this month, Steve passed away. It is of course a devastating loss for my family and me. As the days and now weeks pass, I also find it's a time to reaffirm all that he instilled in me over the years. The commitment to excellence and innovation; a passion for potential; and an openness to what is possible.
I like to think that Melarbit's new purpose statement developed during a recent branding process reflects the essence of the company and the man who had so much to do with its development - Melarbit raises capital and leverages resources to create opportunity, change lives and build community. This is the legacy he left to me and so many other lives he touched.
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