HoG’s Evening of Gratitude was a Joyous Celebration of Success!
On March 25, Hemophilia of Georgia (HoG) was thrilled to host its greatly anticipated Evening of Celebration at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta with special guest speaker, Dr. Marty Makary, New York Times bestselling author and health care expert at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Makary shared his perspectives on the need to redesign health care in the U.S. and entertained questions from the audience.
It was wonderful to see our amazing and steadfast supporters, dedicated board members, volunteers, and staff come out in full force to be a part of what makes Hemophilia of Georgia such an impactful and meaningful organization: working to transform lives in the bleeding disorder community by providing excellence in comprehensive health care, education, advocacy, and the support of research. (View a video montage with pictorial highlights.)
At the event, HoG honored, celebrated, and thanked our volunteers, donors, stakeholders, board of directors, and distinguished guests for all their hard work and support of our mission. We also celebrated our 2022 Top Workplaces award honor by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution! The evening began with a lovely reception, followed by a fabulous dinner, and the honoring of some extraordinary people whose time and expertise has contributed to our success and greatly impacted the lives of people in the bleeding disorder community.
Dr. Sid Stein, a Hematologist at HoG’s Emory HTC, Pam Bryant, former Chair of ATHN’s Technology Committee and current member of the National Hemophilia Foundation’s CEO Advisory Council were honored and celebrated for being strong supporters of and collaborators with Hemophilia of Georgia and the bleeding disorder community. In 1985, HoG approached Dr. Stein and asked him to start an adult Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) at Emory. Dr. Stein has served on the National Hemophilia Foundation Medical and Scientific Advisory Council, the Hemophilia of Georgia Medical Advisory Committee and both Dr. Stein and Pam served on the Hemophilia of Georgia State Advisory Board to the governor of GA. Pam also played a pivotal role in the development of what is now the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN), a nonprofit organization committed to advancing and improving care for individuals affected by bleeding and thrombotic disorders.
Next, a moving tribute was paid to HoG Board Member Andy Wurtzel, who is very dedicated to the bleeding disorder community and has served on the board for the last seven years. During that time, Andy has served on the Board Development Committee, the CEO Compensation Committee, and has served as the Board Vice-Chief Governance Officer and Chief Governance Officer.
HoG presented awards to recognize the work and dedication of some very special of volunteers:
Volunteer of the Year Award - Donnell Warren, who is a member of the HoG Junior Board and gives his time tirelessly to raising awareness and funds and serves youth through camp and teen programs at Hemophilia of Georgia.
Spirit of Community Award - Emily MacDonald, who has volunteered at Camp Wannaklot and Family Camp, and served on the Development Committee.
Hemophilia of Georgia also honored and celebrated Karen Geney, Chief Operating Officer, who is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service. Hemophilia of Georgia’s CEO, Edith Rosato spoke about Karen. In her remarks she stated, “As we all understand, when an employee has been with an organization for such a long period of time, it is always difficult to say goodbye, especially when they are an extraordinary professional, like Karen, who has served with both incredible compassion and devotion. As a dedicated member of the Management Team, Karen’s expertise, leadership, institutional knowledge, and commitment to HoG and the bleeding disorder community are tremendous and will be greatly missed by all. Karen has been an invaluable asset and a critical part of helping Hemophilia of Georgia achieve its goals of becoming an internationally recognized organization and a premier provider of comprehensive care, through its many exceptional programs and services. And so, on behalf of the Hemophilia of Georgia family and the greater bleeding disorder community, please join me in congratulating Karen and wishing her the very best of luck and a long and very healthy retirement!”
Hemophilia of Georgia is grateful to our many wonderful supporters who came out to celebrate together with us on this important night. We are stronger, healthier, and happier when we are together!