I am the Commission: Annie Mulgrew and the cause she will never walk away.
Annie Mulgrew is the Development Officer of the Commission in charge of getting funds for the agency. Annie was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee and moved to New York to attend New York University, where she majored in Religious Studies and English. Faithful to women, she loves fashion and shopping. Besides these guilty pleasures, she loves to read, travel, and spend time with her family and friends.
 How hard is to get funds for non-profits nowadays considering the financial situation the economy is going through?
 Although the economic climate has been challenging, it is actually during times like these that people feel most compelled to give. The Commission is blessed to have the commitment of many companies, corporations, and individuals who continue to give generously to our programming and events, regardless of the economic downturn. The difference is not in people or companies not willing to give, but in the amount of money that they are able to give. That is where we have experienced difficulty. However, Cielo Latino, our annual fundraising gala, raised more money this year than it did last year.
There are many agencies locally and nationwide that deal with HIV. What is the particularity of the Commission? How is the Commission positioned in the market?
The Commission is able to set itself apart from other organizations addressing the same health concerns in minority populations because of our work at a local, regional, and national level. Because of our expertise at each of these levels, the Commission is able to continually adapt itself to fulfilling the ever changing needs of Latinos whereby position itself as leading force for change. I also believe that the Commission recognizes (and rightly so) the importance of culturally relevant media and publications in reaching out to and engaging the population that it serves. This allows the Commission to be more visible and to reach a larger audience.
Although you don't work directly with HIV programs or clients, how does working at the Commission has change your point of view about this epidemic?
Although I do not work directly with programs or clients, I must as a Development professional continue to educate myself not only on the statistics of HIV/AIDS, but also on other issues facing the Latino Community. In so doing, I see, hear, read, and experience first hand the devastation that HIV/AIDS has had on Latinos in this country as well as the challenges that the Commission must overcome in combating it. Because of this experience, I will never be able to walk away from this cause.
As a non-hispanic, how comfortable do you feel working with a heavily Hispanic work force at the Commission? Did you learn some Spanish?
It is an absolute pleasure working at the Commission, and it is because we have such a strong and dedicated staff. Although the language barrier can be tricky from time to time, I have never felt like a minority at the organization or felt as if I was not welcome or an intricate part. The Commission values its diverse staff and the different experiences and opinions that such a staff is able to offer. I minored in Spanish in college and studied abroad in Spain, so I have an elementary level of spoken and written Spanish. Of course, some staff members love to speak in colloquialisms or dialects that they know I will not be able to understand in order to play jokes on me. But, they do it because they know that I can take the joke. Don’t worry; I get back at them in my own ways!
"I am the commission" archive
|
|
|
