Welcome New Board Member Dan Uribe

Pictured here is Dan's father, Jose and his sister, Maria

On Tuesday, August 30th the Board of the Alan T Brown Foundation
voted in a new member, Dan Uribe

Dan prepared the following:

In July 1995, my father sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of an automobile accident. He is now a quadriplegic and will likely be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. The months following his accident were difficult for my family. Without warning, all of our lives drastically changed and we did not know how to cope with the future. Fortunately, Fran Brown reached out to us on behalf of the ATBF and helped manage our expectations, educate us on the condition, and provide general support. While it was an extremely difficult experience for my family, the ATBF helped tremendously and made the process substantially easier to endure. Shortly after graduating from Cornell University in 2008 and upon moving to New York City, I decided to become an ATBF volunteer. Recognizing my name, Fran called me directly and we spoke at length about how I could get involved. I began volunteering at various events and helping with anything I could. I have also made a point of acting as an ambassador for the ATBF by introducing the organization to friends and other young professionals. Aside from the short-term benefits of growing the volunteer network, I believe it is imperative to introduce the organization to a new generation of potential donors and volunteers to ensure the ATBF continues to expand over the next 40 or 50 years.

In 2009, I decided that I wanted to take on even more responsibility and help manage my own event. Later that year, I became a co-chair for the Yankees game event, which helped to raise thousands of dollars for the ATBF. This year, I am once again acting as co-chair for the Yankees game in June. As co-chair for both events, my responsibilities have included soliciting company sponsorships and raffle prizes, selling tickets to the game, volunteering the night of the game, and ensuring that the event runs smoothly. I have garnered much experience and joy as a volunteer and co-chair for various events over the past 3 years, but still feel a strong desire and responsibility to contribute even more. At this point in my life, I firmly believe the best way to meaningfully impact the ATBF is by becoming a member of its Board of Directors. I believe I possess a unique skill set that will allow me to contribute to the Board of Directors immediately. My experience at BlackRock over the past 3 years, coupled with my finance education at Cornell, enables me to sharply analyze the finances of an organization. I have been familiar with the ATBF for nearly 16 years and have been an active volunteer for the past 3 years. Most importantly, I have seen first-hand the tangible effects the ATBF can have on not only spinal cord injury individuals, but also their families. I have a solid understanding of how the organization functions and believe I have developed a strong working relationship with the individuals who run the ATBF on a daily basis.

Through my experiences with the ATBF, I have come to realize that it is a tremendous resource for the spinal cord injury community. The organization supports invaluable scientific and medical research and helps to improve the quality of life for paralyzed individuals through its Outreach Program. The ATBF has evolved considerably over the past 16 years and it will need to continue to adapt in order to have a positive impact on people moving forward. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to be on the Board of Directors and help make the strategic decisions that will impact the future of this organization and better the lives of many paralyzed individuals and their families.