As AOAO Foundation president, I am extremely pleased to report that our foundation has enjoyed great success over this past year.
Fundraising and member donations have been robust. The Foundation was fortunate to have benefitted from a generous donation from John Drabing, DO, FAOAO. During their recent meeting in Chicago, the AOAO Board of Directors voted to commit another generous donation to our Foundation. In addition, the Hand, Trauma, and Spine sections made contributions. These generous donations will be used to develop the Virtual Library and create research grants for residents. The Foundation Board is committed more than ever to these future projects.
The Foundation now has the funding necessary to begin the implementation process for the Virtual Library. Our goal is to launch the officially named John H. Drabing, DO Virtual Library of the AOAO Foundation during the 2018 Postgraduate Seminar next May in California.
In addition to this exciting new member benefit, the Foundation Board voted to finance and implement a $5,000 research grant to assist our residents pursuing their scholarly activity.
Finally, the AOAO Foundation will be engaged in a friendly competition with the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons in a fundraising activity between us and their Trust Fund. The two organizations will compete from January 2018 until October 2018 to see which group can raise the most funds. The winner will be announced during a combined event in Atlanta next October. The hope is that both groups will benefit and some collaborative relationships may be fostered.
Despite our success this past year, our work is only just beginning. We will continue fundraising and offering funding to support our mission of research and education.
We are grateful to all who have supported our cause this past year. If you wish to support our mission, please consider a donation to the AOAO Foundation.