Post by admin on Mar 15, 2008 9:04:11 GMT -5
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080315/NEWS01/803150366/1285/LOCAL09
FREEHOLD — With recruitment and funding numbers lower than they would like, new young leaders of the Freehold First Aid Squad are stepping up to make a change.
Just over two months since beginning their terms, the squad's new leaders have thrown themselves into their jobs, meeting with community leaders, working on a new recruitment video and utilizing new technology to get their message out.
"We're just reaching out to every possible person that could help us," said Shyamal Joshi of Freehold Township, the squad's 22-year-old president.
Funding shortfalls are certainly nothing new for the squad, which answers about 3,500 calls annually and serves both Freehold and Freehold Township.
Both the borough and the township generally donate money to the squad, which in recent years has amounted to about $50,000 per year, Joshi said. The squad usually raises another $135,000 through its annual fund drive.
But this year's budget for the squad is $252,000, Joshi said, meaning the squad still faces a shortfall of about $70,000 that members need to fill.
In recent years, the squad — which does not charge patients for its services — has had to dip into its savings to fill the holes in its budget, Joshi said.
To keep the squad afloat, Joshi and other squad leaders have launched a push to raise more funds. To do so, they say they have pulled both from the practices of their predecessors and incorporated some new ideas of their own.
"We've been trying to explore new avenues," said the squad's new assistant sergeant, 22-year-old Joe Colon of Freehold Township.
Those new avenues include Power Point presentations to introduce the squad and solicit both donations and volunteers, which Joshi plans to present to community organizations such as the local school boards, Parent Teacher Organizations and business organizations. Fifteen meetings have been scheduled so far, Joshi said.
Joshi said he also plans to approach businesses and corporations in the two Freeholds. He also wants to launch a community outreach program, which could offer services like CPR classes to groups such as the Boy Scouts of America.
To add more volunteers to the approximately 55-member squad, Joshi has begun editing a recruitment video as well.
On the marketing side, Colon has begun exploring the possibility of getting involved in town-sponsored events and partnering with local companies on events. Some ideas he has been kicking around are a golf outing, a day at Freehold Raceway and joining Freehold Center Partnership events such as the Antique Fest.
Squad leaders in past years have often reached out to the community, says 56-year squad member Bill Madden. And — like Joshi and Colon did recently — leaders have annually filmed television interviews with the township mayor, which are then aired on the township's own television channel.
"This isn't new," said Madden, 80, of Freehold.
What is new, Colon said, is that the younger leaders are taking greater advantage of the new technology they grew up with. The new leaders also have the benefit of bringing in fresh perspectives and ways of thinking, Joshi said.
"We're starting to be proactive in the way of getting funds, getting members," said Joshi, who is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration at Rutgers University.
He added: "Every business has to change with the times."
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com
FREEHOLD — With recruitment and funding numbers lower than they would like, new young leaders of the Freehold First Aid Squad are stepping up to make a change.
Just over two months since beginning their terms, the squad's new leaders have thrown themselves into their jobs, meeting with community leaders, working on a new recruitment video and utilizing new technology to get their message out.
"We're just reaching out to every possible person that could help us," said Shyamal Joshi of Freehold Township, the squad's 22-year-old president.
Funding shortfalls are certainly nothing new for the squad, which answers about 3,500 calls annually and serves both Freehold and Freehold Township.
Both the borough and the township generally donate money to the squad, which in recent years has amounted to about $50,000 per year, Joshi said. The squad usually raises another $135,000 through its annual fund drive.
But this year's budget for the squad is $252,000, Joshi said, meaning the squad still faces a shortfall of about $70,000 that members need to fill.
In recent years, the squad — which does not charge patients for its services — has had to dip into its savings to fill the holes in its budget, Joshi said.
To keep the squad afloat, Joshi and other squad leaders have launched a push to raise more funds. To do so, they say they have pulled both from the practices of their predecessors and incorporated some new ideas of their own.
"We've been trying to explore new avenues," said the squad's new assistant sergeant, 22-year-old Joe Colon of Freehold Township.
Those new avenues include Power Point presentations to introduce the squad and solicit both donations and volunteers, which Joshi plans to present to community organizations such as the local school boards, Parent Teacher Organizations and business organizations. Fifteen meetings have been scheduled so far, Joshi said.
Joshi said he also plans to approach businesses and corporations in the two Freeholds. He also wants to launch a community outreach program, which could offer services like CPR classes to groups such as the Boy Scouts of America.
To add more volunteers to the approximately 55-member squad, Joshi has begun editing a recruitment video as well.
On the marketing side, Colon has begun exploring the possibility of getting involved in town-sponsored events and partnering with local companies on events. Some ideas he has been kicking around are a golf outing, a day at Freehold Raceway and joining Freehold Center Partnership events such as the Antique Fest.
Squad leaders in past years have often reached out to the community, says 56-year squad member Bill Madden. And — like Joshi and Colon did recently — leaders have annually filmed television interviews with the township mayor, which are then aired on the township's own television channel.
"This isn't new," said Madden, 80, of Freehold.
What is new, Colon said, is that the younger leaders are taking greater advantage of the new technology they grew up with. The new leaders also have the benefit of bringing in fresh perspectives and ways of thinking, Joshi said.
"We're starting to be proactive in the way of getting funds, getting members," said Joshi, who is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration at Rutgers University.
He added: "Every business has to change with the times."
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com