China Earthquake Update: New President Gail J McGovern Visits Affected Region
Our brand new President and CEO Gail J McGovern was on the job for 5 days before we stuck her on a plane to China to visit those affected by the earthquake.
Actually, it was USAID that took her and Senior Vice President for International Services David Meltzer along with a delegation of 30 other leaders of business, government, and nonprofit organizations.
Gail just phoned in a report from China (via Skype!):
>> Audio Gail J McGovern describes what she’s seen so far.
>> Audio Gail J McGovern describes the purpose of her trip.
David left Red Cross employees a note as he left:
I will be joining a humanitarian mission in China to get a firsthand view of relief efforts following last months 8.0 earthquake that claimed over 70,000 lives and damaged or destroyed 35 million homes. We will also have an opportunity to meet with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) and personally convey the tremendous outpouring of compassion from individuals and corporations across the U.S. in response to this tragedy and share with them the pride we have to partner with RCSC in this massive relief and recovery effort. Over 175,000 employees and volunteers with the RCSC have assisted in the relief and early recovery efforts.
Filed under: Disaster Response, Flickr, International, Leadership
Gail’s words really struck a chord in me. I could really feel how this affected her and she translated that emotion very well. I could see the little girl and the destruction around her. I have always been a fan of great photography, but how Gail paints the picture really puts feeling into the images. Thank you for going there and helping this effort.
I just listened to the audio interview with Gail, our new President and CEO. I’m sure the care and support shown by ARC will translate into something beyond this disaster: the Red Cross movement, what are in common among people from different corners, further opening up of the Chinese society as well as the American society, better prepredness for disasters and better governance. Congratulations to our new President and CEO, to our International Services and to our American Red Cross!