american friends of magen david adom · 6 2012 afmda report to the community message from mda’s...

American Friends of Magen David Adom

American Friends of Magen David Adom 2012 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

2 2012 AFMDA REPORT TO THE COMMUNITYBurgas, Bulgaria, July 2012

2012 AFMDA REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 3

Message from AFMDA’s National Chairman & Chief Executive Officer 5

Message from MDA’s Director-General Eli Bin 6

Operation Pillar of Defense: Attack on the Home Front 7

Terror in Bulgaria: Rescuing Israelis Abroad 8

MDA in 2012: From the Front Lines 9

MDA in 2012: Ready to Respond 10

AFMDA: Looking Ahead 11

Your Gift at Work in Israel 12

2012 Financial Reports 14

About Us & Contact AFMDA 15

Contents

4 2012 AFMDA REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY


Message from AFMDA’s National Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

2012: In a Year of Sustained Terror, Your Support Helped MDA Save Israeli Lives

The year 2012 reminded us that while Israel’s security measures have eliminated most suicide bombings inside the country, its citizens still face dangers at home and abroad. There was the late-summer bus bombing of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria that killed five Israelis and the Bulgarian driver. In addition, incessant rocket attacks from Gaza killed six people, terrorized tens of thousands of Israeli civilians, and resulted in November’s Operation Pillar of Defense. Both of these incidents serve as stark reminders that terrorism continues to seek out Israelis wherever they are.

But 2012 also taught us that Magen David Adom knows no bounds when it comes to saving Israeli lives. Few organizations have professionals and volunteers who fearlessly run toward danger. However, for MDA paramedics and EMTs, that’s just part of the job. And in a year in which events could have cost many Israeli lives, MDA’s world-class emergency response system operated at full force, dramatically lessening terrorism’s deadly impact.

Your generosity and support helped make it all happen. Together, American donors sponsored 91 lifesaving ambulances for Israel and raised critical funds to upgrade equipment and enhance training for MDA’s 14,000 volunteers and professionals. For MDA, an organization that doesn’t receive Israeli government funding, that makes all the difference.

We all had important causes to support in 2012. But this year, more than 100,000 people chose to support MDA, an organization existentially dedicated to a core Jewish value — life.

Looking ahead, we’ll continue supporting MDA, whose mission of saving lives in Israel hasn’t changed since 1930.

That means recognizing current challenges like the need to replenish ambulances that have already logged hundreds of thousands of miles. But it also means acknowledging significant future undertakings, like the need to build a new National Blood Center to replace the current structure, which is vulnerable to attack because of the expanded range of Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s rockets, and which no longer has the capacity to meet the needs of Israel’s growing population.

Regardless of the challenges before us, we’ll face them together, guided by our simple but profound mission to save lives in Israel. At AFMDA, we’ll keep you connected to that mission. And we hope that you, in turn, will continue to bless Israel with your generosity, securing a future for MDA that will allow it to save Israelis, no matter what dangers or other medical emergencies they face.

MARK D. LEBOWChairman, AFMDA

ARNOLD GERSONChief Executive Officer, AFMDA


Message from MDA’s Director-General Eli Bin

MDA and AFMDA’s Unshakable Bond

Dear Friends,

The support provided to Magen David Adom by the American Jewish community through AFMDA is unparalleled. AFMDA is the largest single source of voluntary financial support to MDA in the world, including Israel itself.

This simple fact underscores your deep and unshakable dedication to the safety and well-being of the people of Israel. It’s a commitment that goes beyond financial support — it reflects the historic bond that we are indeed “one people” who share a culture and tradition that mandates the moral imperative to “be responsible, one for the other.”

From a practical viewpoint, AFMDA helps ensure that, no matter what the crisis or emergency, MDA’s lifesaving medical help and other vital services will be there. In addition to more than 500,000 individual emergency calls during 2012, MDA’s timely and effective action during last fall’s Operation Pillar of Defense crisis and the rescue and care provided to victims of the terrorist attack

in Burgas, Bulgaria, demonstrate clearly the necessity for maintaining the highest degree of preparedness at all times.

But, beyond the day-to-day realities of our work, I want you to know what a difference your support makes in the morale and spirit of the people of Israel. You strengthen our mission — and for that, we remain eternally grateful.

ELI BINDirector-General, Magen David Adom


Saving Lives Under Fire and Lessons Learned

In November, the line between “home front” and “front line” became indistinct in Israel. Months of ceaseless rocket attacks endured by Israelis culminated in Operation Pillar of Defense, and yet again MDA demonstrated why it is so vital to Israeli citizens and to the nation.

When Israelis heard rocket-warning sirens, they took comfort in knowing the next sirens would be those of MDA ambulances rushing to the scene. While bomb shelters and the Iron Dome protected many Israelis, others were not so fortunate. For them, MDA paramedics quickly came to their aid — often at great personal risk — to treat the injured and save lives.

During Operation Pillar of Defense, MDA first-responders treated some 419 injured people, including 20 soldiers. Sadly, six victims could not be saved. Each life lost was one too many, but considering the barrage of rockets from Gaza, the toll could have been much higher.

With MDA on the highest level of alert, dispatch operators working out of bomb shelters sent hundreds of ambulances to answer thousands of calls across the country. MDA paramedics in the south made the heartrending decision to leave their families in bomb shelters while they rushed to save lives at the sites of rocket attacks. Over 20 paramedics from the United States came to Israel to volunteer their help during the emergency response.

As the guardian of Israel’s national blood reserves, MDA also increased blood collection efforts during the conflict to ensure there would be enough safe blood available.

Israel’s 8 million people rely on the strength of MDA’s professional staff and volunteers, whether it’s during the routine of daily life or in times of crisis like Operation Pillar of Defense — knowing that whenever and wherever they need emergency care, MDA will be there.

Operation Pillar of Defense: Attack on the Home Front


Terror in Bulgaria: Rescuing Israelis Abroad

MDA Leads Unprecedented Mission to Bring Home Israeli Victims

In 2012, terrorism’s deadly impact reached Israelis abroad. But thanks to an extraordinary mobilization effort by MDA, victims did not have to wait long for emergency medical care and, ultimately, to be taken home.

The July terrorist bombing of a tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria, killed five Israelis and seriously injured 33 others. The Bulgarian bus driver was also killed in the blast, set off by an alleged Hezbollah suicide bomber. It was a shocking event, turning Burgas, a normally quiet resort town popular with visiting Israelis, into a scene of carnage and chaos.

News of the attack quickly made its way to MDA officials in Israel, who sprang into action and launched an unprecedented effort to go to Burgas, attend to the victims, and bring them home to Israel for treatment.

It was among the most well-coordinated and effective rescue operations ever executed by MDA. Within five hours of the attack — and in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Israel Defense Forces — MDA sent a delegation of paramedics, physicians, and medical supplies to Bulgaria.

All through the night, MDA cared for and transported victims to planes that would fly them back to Israel. During the operation, MDA maintained communications with the victims’ families back in Israel and helped make arrangements for those who did not survive the bombing. In less than 24 hours, all the victims were back in Israel.

The horrific terrorist attack reminded everyone that Israelis can be targeted wherever they are in the world. But it also demonstrated the strength and resolve of MDA to travel anywhere and do anything in its power to maintain a constant state of readiness in order to mitigate the losses — and bring Israelis home.


MDA in 2012: From the Front Lines

Jasmine Feingold: Champion Rower, Back in Action Thanks to MDA

Tel Aviv native Jasmine Feingold’s courageous victory in the 2012 Israeli Rowing Championships was the stuff of miracles. But if it wasn’t for MDA’s quick response to an accident three years prior, it might never have happened.

Feingold, 23, has been a champion rower since she won her first competition in 2004. But in May 2009, she had a freak accident while training in the Yarkon River. Her racing shell overturned, her shoes became tangled, and she was trapped underwater.

Four harrowing minutes passed before she was pulled from the water, at which point an MDA crew arrived on the scene and literally brought Jasmine back to life, quickly resuscitating her and taking her to a nearby hospital, where she required three days on artificial respiration.

She spent the next year at Beit Levinstein Rehabilitation Center in Ra’anana. There were serious questions about whether she would recover enough to function normally, let alone continue a competitive rowing career.

Despite cognitive damage with which she still struggles, Feingold returned to rowing and won the 2,000-meter event at this year’s Israeli Championships. Day by day, her confidence is returning. Jasmine’s new goal is to participate in the Rio 2016 Olympics.

MDA Paramedic Helps Woman Deliver Twins…Over the Phone

MDA’s dedication to saving lives in Israel includes helping new lives begin.

An Israeli woman expecting twins, Meital Shiri, was home alone in December when she suddenly went into labor despite being only 34 weeks pregnant. Panicked and unable to get to the hospital, she gave birth to the first child alone. At that point, she had the presence of mind to call MDA, the one organization she knew would immediately help.

Maya Aloni, the MDA paramedic and dispatcher who took her call, told Shiri how to handle the newborn and guided her through the initial phases of delivering the second child — while simultaneously rushing an ambulance with MDA paramedics to Shiri’s home.

During the conversation — which was recorded, like all emergency calls, and later replayed on Israeli television — Aloni calmly directed Shiri while providing emotional support and making the stressful situation more manageable. Within minutes, Shiri’s husband, Ilan, arrived home and Aloni gave him instructions as well.

Very shortly after that, MDA paramedics arrived, delivered the second baby, and then took mother and newborns to the hospital, where the preemie twins were placed in incubators. All are now in good health.

Maya Aloni on Israeli TV.


Jordan River

EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA

JORDAN

SYR

IA

LEBANON

Tiberias

Nablus

Jericho

Safed

Ramallah

Hadera

Netanya (2)

Herzliya

Ashdod (2)

Ashkelon

Gaza

Masada

Bethlehem

Hebron

Mitzpeh Ramon

Eilat

Nahariya

Akko

Haifa (3)

Mas’ada

Merom Golan

Kiryat ShmonaMisgav Am

Metula

Avivim

Hatzor

Maghar

Lower Galilee

Sachnin

Carmiel

Ma’alot

Shlomi

KrayotKiryat Ata

Ofra

Givat Ze’ev

Talmon

Beit Ariyeh

Nachal Sorek Ma’alehAdumim

TekoaEfratKiryat Gat

Kiryat Malachi

Modi’inYavne

Rishon Le Zion (2)

Bat Yam

Megilot

Beitar Ilit

Beit Shemesh

Rehovot

Nes Tziona

Shoham

Rosh HaAyin

El-Ad

Ramat SharonAlfei Menashe

Bnei Brak

Holon

Ramat Gan (2)

PetachTikva

Yahoud

Or Yehuda

Tel HaShomer

Sderot

Netivot

Rahat

Ofakim

Tzohar

Ramat Hovav

Tamar

Arad

Yerucham

Sapir

Migdal HaEmek

Afula

Beit She’anUm el Fahem

Shaked

Yokne’am

IsfyiaKiryat Tivon

Zichron Yaakov

Or Akiva

Baka El-Gharbiya

Bat Chefer

Shavei Shomron

Ariel Bik’at HaYarden

Karnei Shomron

Kochav YairKfar Saba

Tirat HaCarmel Nesher

Yavniel

Bnei Yehuda

Tel Aviv-Jaffa (4)

Be’er Sheva

Nazareth Ilit

Shfar’am

Emek HaYarden

Kiron

Ra’anana

Lod Modi’in Illit

Kiryat Arba

Mevaseret

Gan Yavne

Aroer

Dimona

Kseifa

Meitar

Katzrin

Gedera

Jerusalem (6)

Chevel Eilot

YARDEN

ASHER

CARMEL

YARKON

JERUSALEM

SHARON

GILBOA

AYALON

DAN

LACHISH

NEGEV

LakeKinneret

Yarmuk River

DeadSea

Gulf of

Eilat

Me d

i te r

r an e

a n S

e a

Yotvata

N

W E

S

Eilat

Chevel Eilot

Yotvata

N

W E

S

Gulf ofEilat

Key to MapStation directly funded by AFMDA

Station that serves as MDA regional communications and dispatch station

MDA emergency medical station

Other important or historic site

Magen David Adom blood centers

1949 Armistice Line (the Green Line)

0

0 10 Mi 20 Mi

20 Km10 Km 30 Km

NEGEV

MDA in 2012: Ready to Respond

In 2012, wherever and whenever Israelis were in need of emergency care, MDA was there.

With more than 120 emergency medical stations all over Israel, including 16 in Judea/Samaria, MDA’s lifesaving paramedics and ambulances can be dispatched anywhere in the country at a moment’s notice.

American supporters have built or renovated 16 of those stations, including the recently opened William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station, which fielded approximately 40,000 emergency calls in 2012.


Architect’s renderings of new National Blood Services Center

AFMDA: Looking Ahead

New MDA Blood Services Center

One of the key lessons learned from Operation Pillar of Defense was the extent to which Israel’s national blood supply is vulnerable to attack. The November 2012 rocket assaults that reached the middle of the country proved that there are no longer “safe” areas — every part of Israel is now at risk. This makes safeguarding the country’s blood supply a higher priority than previously thought.

The existing center — now 30 years old — needs to be relocated in order to withstand direct rocket attacks. Also, Israel sits on an active seismic fault line and there are concerns that the current center might not withstand an earthquake.

The threat is clear. And a response must be equally strong because the stakes are too high: MDA’s National Blood Services Center supplies 100 percent of the Israel Defense Forces’ blood and 97 percent of the country’s hospital blood needs. Managing a safe and secure blood supply is a critical piece of MDA’s responsibility to the Israeli people.

Plans for a new National Blood Services Center are currently in development. And just as Americans took the lead in constructing the original center, the new building will require a significant financial commitment from AFMDA and its supporters to make it a reality.

The Beacon Society

In 2012, AFMDA rolled out a new initiative for supporters to connect with MDA’s work in Israel: the Beacon Society, a program that acknowledges individuals who have made saving lives in Israel a reality by sponsoring an ambulance.

MDA’s 1,050 ambulances are the workhorses of its fleet and the lifeline to Israelis. But on average, an MDA ambulance has a lifespan of only three to five years, and 20 to 30 percent of MDA’s fleet must be replaced annually. If ambulances are the staple of MDA’s operations, then ambulance sponsors are the lifeblood of AFMDA’s work. To learn more about the Beacon Society, contact Bonnie Finley, AFMDA’s ambulance coordinator, toll-free at 866.632.2763 or [email protected].


Every day, MDA bloodmobiles are stationed around Israel.

People volunteer to give blood.

The blood is taken directly to the MDA National Blood Services Center.

There, it’s tested to ensure patient safety.

Red Blood Cells Platelets Plasma Cryoprecipitate

1

2

3

4

5

6

Then it’s separated into fourcomponents, each requiring different processing and storage procedures.

Blood components are sent to hospitals according to their requests and transfused into patients.

Each blood transfusion means the difference between life and death.

BLOODMOBILE

Blood Means Life

2012: Your Gift at Work in Israel

EMERGENCY MEDICAL VEHICLES

Generous donors supplied Israel with 91 new ambulances in 2012. The various vehicles you helped provide — everything from Mobile Intensive Care Units to motorbikes — are saving lives in Israel.

BLOOD BANK

Thanks to your support, MDA continued to maintain Israel’s blood supply. The MDA National Blood Services Center supplies 100 percent of the Israel Defense Forces’ blood needs and 97 percent of Israeli hospitals’ blood needs.

CUTTING-EDGE EQUIPMENT

New technological advancements allow first-responders to treat victims faster and with more efficiency than ever. Our donors are a major reason for that. New tools — such as the Motobridge, which allows for better communication between MDA paramedics and other emergency personnel — were introduced this year and are saving lives.

“ The number of missiles was unprecedented. Day after day, replete with incidents, MDA was at the hub of the action — on average, an MDA ambulance was called out every 10 minutes.”

—MDA Director-General Eli Bin on Operation Pillar of Defense



Allocations to Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel for programs, medical equipment, ambulances, and general expenses

AFMDA administrative expenses

AFMDA fundraising expenses

Breakdown of emergency vehicle sponsorships, allocations, and general expenses to MDA in Israel*

AFMDA operational expenses and allocations to MDA in Israel

Financial Statement for 2012

$1,938,000

$1,938,000(8%)

$3,544,000$3,544,000

(15%)

$18,056,000

$18,056,000(77%)

*Funds raised are allocated for the following year.

$3,992,000(22.10%)

$5,230,000(28.96%)

$1,200,000(6.65%)

$850,000 (4.71%)

$760,000(4.21%)

$2,500,000(13.85%)

$580,000(3.21%)

Additional financial data available upon request.

$1,200,000

$580,000

Total: $18,056,000

$3,992,000

$760,000

$5,230,000

$850,000

$2,500,000

Total: $23,538,000

$2,944,000

Ambulance and Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) costs

Ambulance parts, MCRVs, and command car

Renovations, supplies, and testing kits for Blood Services Center

Training and supplies for workers and volunteers

MDA computers and telecommunications

Medical equipment and supplies

Construction and renovation of emergency medical stations

General expenses

$2,944,000(16.31%)

2012 Financial Reports


About Us & Contact AFMDA

Magen David Adom provides a rapid and skilled emergency medical response, including disaster, ambulance, and blood services, to Israel’s 8 million people. MDA is the only organization mandated by the Israeli government to serve in this role, but it’s not funded by the government. Instead, MDA relies on funding from donors around the world. Through your gift, you’re saving lives

Contact UsAFMDA National Headquarters352 Seventh Avenue, Suite 400New York, NY 10001Toll-Free: 866.632.2763Tel: 212.757.1627Fax: [email protected]

Northeast Region352 Seventh Avenue, Suite 400New York, NY 10001Toll-Free: 866.632.2763Tel: 212.757.1627Fax: [email protected]

Greater Philadelphia AreaPO Box 52158Philadelphia, PA 19115Tel: [email protected]

New EnglandPO Box 600714Newton, MA 02460Tel: [email protected]

Southeast Region1900 NW Corporate Blvd, Suite W-310Boca Raton, FL 33431Toll-Free: 800.626.0046Tel: 954.457.9766Fax: [email protected]

Palm Beach3300 PGA Blvd., Suite 510Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410Tel: 561.835.0510Fax: [email protected]

Midwest Region3175 Commercial Avenue, Suite 101Northbrook, IL 60062Toll-Free: 888.674.4871Tel: 847.509.9802Fax: [email protected]

Ohio/Kentucky/Michigan/ Western Pennsylvania23215 Commerce Park Road Suite 306Beachwood, OH 44122Toll-Free: 877.405.3913Tel: 216.342.4032Fax: [email protected]

Western Region6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 650Los Angeles, CA 90048Toll-Free: 800.323.2371Tel: 323.655.4655Fax: [email protected]

AFMDA IsraelTel: [email protected]

www.afmda.org

www.facebook.com/afmda

www.twitter.com/afmda

www.vimeo.com/afmda

www.youtube.com/user/AFMDA09

AFMDA NATIONAL OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

National ChairmanMark D. Lebow

Chief Executive OfficerArnold Gerson

Vice Chair, DevelopmentDaniel Dobin

Vice Chair, Public RelationsJacqueline Goldman

Vice Chair, Projects and AllocationsGershon W. Trimpol

TreasurerFraeda Kopman

SecretaryPaula Blaine Cohen

Audit ChairJeffrey I. Lipschutz

DirectorsSeymour BriefDonna Fried CalcaterraMartin CohenSteven EinhornBarry FeldmanNeil FoxLes HandelsmanStuart A. JacksonBarbara KayDina LeedsAnn LesserMitchel A. MaidmanMorris W. Offit

Honorary ChairmanJoseph Handleman, z”l

www.afmda.org

american friends of magen david adom · 6 2012 afmda report to the community message from mda’s...

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