Message From the Exec. Director

I am honored and pleased to accept my appointment, by the Board of Directors, to be Exec. Director of Fitzgerald House, Inc. Over the years, I have had nothing but admiration for our Veterans who have served the people of the United States of America and its allies very well. It is my role and responsibility to improve the lives of these homeless Veterans. Our reputation for providing better homes is stellar. We will build upon it and widen the support base to help raise awareness of the plight of the homeless Veterans in America today. Fitzgerald House, Inc. is a young and growing non-profit organization. It has a solid group of experienced and dedicated board of directors, who will work tirelessly to make the operation of Fitzgerald house a success.

Much of Fitzgerald House’s success has been as a result of the vision and hard work of several Board Members over the past year. I believe that it has been the combination of drive, commitment, hard work and enthusiasm that have piloted our organization to its current level of success. For that immense accomplishment, I will be forever grateful to the following Board members, Roy A. Forbes, Miguel L. Forbes, Linval Taylor and Conrad Johnson. As well as a dear friend, Carla Patrick-Alexander.

The Board has given me the directive to take Fitzgerald House to the next level, that is, increasing the size of the organization and its programs significantly. My own vision is to make Fitzgerald House the best and most respected non-profit organization in the U.S.A. Currently, we are operating seven (7) homes. I want to move slowly and calculatedly, but I would like to expand Fitzgerald House’s operations to Ten (10) homes within the next year. Over the next five (5) years, I also would like to double Fitzgerald House’s housing capacity, so that we can help more Veterans.

Currently, we secure properties by a combination of purchasing and leasing. But, our aim is to have 100% ownership of multi-family buildings for future growth and logistics. Fitzgerald House has operations in Queens, Brooklyn and Wyandanch, N.Y. It is our goal to serve all boroughs and parts of Long Island.

In order to realize that vision, I will need your help. Among our priorities is the further diversification of donor support. Fitzgerald House has always been blessed with dedicated supporters from all sectors. I regard the Fitzgerald House community — staff members, donors, and colleagues as a team and a family, captivated by our common love for ensuring that our beloved Veterans are living their post-war and/or service years at a standard befitting those who have served our country well. Thank you for all that you have already done to help Fitzgerald House to be as successful as it is today. I believe wholeheartedly, that if we continue to work together, we can realize our ambitious goals for the future of Fitzgerald House, and, most importantly, for meeting the needs of our present and future Veterans.

Sincerely,

Carol F. Gardener