NEW YORK, New York, January 17, 2005: The Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) is soliciting nominations for up to six open seats on its Board of Directors.

Current BRA Honorary Board members: Tony Pena, Kansas City Royals Manager; Ruben Silie, Secretary General of Association of Caribbean States; Rhoda S. Jacobs, Member of New York State Assembly. Current BRA Board members: Carol King, Esq., Thomas Beague, O.D., Raymond Thertulien, M.D., Ph.D., Paul Nacier, M.D., Pierre Leger, M.D., Sara Beague.

In an effort to help us consider potential candidates, we have listed below the Ten Basic Responsibilities of Non-Profit Boards*. In addition to these Responsibilities, the BRA expects its Board members to participate in one meeting per year.

This year, the BRA is particularly interested in receiving nominations for prospective board members who can be of assistance with specific emphasis on the two following responsibilities:

1.1 Ensure adequate resources: Each board member must contribute financially to the organization, and find others to donate. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.

1.2 Enhance the organization’s public standing: Each board member should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments and goals to the public and garner support from the community.

Nominations should be directed to Sara Beague, Board Development Chair or Ulrick Gaillard, BRA?s Executive Director. Nominations may be submitted via email or postal courier, and should include the CV of the nominee for full consideration.

Before you submit a nomination, we strongly encourage you to visit the BRA’s website at www.bateyrelief.org to learn more about the organization. Thank you for your participation.

Sara Beague/Ulrick Gaillard
Batey Relief Alliance
P.O. Box 300565
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230, USA
bra@bateyrelief.org
(917) 627-5026
www.bateyrelief.org

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The Board Source Ten Basic Responsibilities of Board Members (Board Source, formerly National Center for Nonprofit Boards - November, 2002.)

1. Determine the organization’s mission and purpose. It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served.

2. Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.

3. Provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.

4. Ensure adequate resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission

5. Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.

6. Ensure effective organizational planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementation and monitoring the plan’s goals.

7. Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate its own performance.

8. Enhance the organization’s public standing. The board should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community.

9. Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services. The board’s responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and to monitor their effectiveness.

10. Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the financial, moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization.

Dear BRA Supporter:

We appreciate your generous support of our work this past year, and we are excited to let you know about a new way to give. We have added a new feature to our website enabling you to donate online, instantly! Our Donate Now! button is a major step foward into the emerging arena of e-philanthropy, and we are excited to provide this new option to you. Check it out at Donate Now.

The Donate Now! feature is made possible through Groundspring.org, a nonprofit Internet foundation. All donations are processed by Groundspring.org, utilizing the newest secure technology developed for e-commerce to ensure that your information is kept private and safe.

Ulrick Gaillard, BRA’s Executive Director feels that it is an important step in the organization’s five-year technology update. “We believe that the Donate Now! button will allow us to cater to a broad new audience over the web. We are very excited because it offers a safe and easy way for our current supporters to contribute to our work, and the ability to reach new donors around the world in a very low-cost way.”

We invite you to utilize this feature, and we look forward to receiving your tax- deductible gifts online via our website at www.bateyrelief.org.

If you have any questions or comments regarding our Donate Now!, please contact Ulrick Gaillard at bra@bateyrelief.org or (917) 627-5026.

Thank you for your continued support!

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, March 9, 2005. To help the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA Dominicana) enhance its humanitarian health intervention in the bateyes, the United States-based Disciples of Christ?s Week of Compassion (WOC) donated last week funds to the organization to purchase a new motor vehicle. ?Disciples\WOC are pleased to be in partnership with BRA to respond to medical needs in the Dominican Republic,? said Johnny Wray, Executive Director of the WOC.

The double-cabin pick up truck will make it easier for BRA?s local foreign volunteers, health care providers, personnel and patients to travel to and from the bateyes ? and to rush critical medicines, supplies and laboratory test results to the organization?s mobile clinic and medical center where hundreds of poor undocumented Haitian migrant families, their children and Dominicans receive free health care. ?We express our sincere gratitude and thanks to the WOC and Johnny Wray for their continued support to the BRA. Through this generous gift, they are increasing our capacity to save more lives,? said Ulrick Gaillard, Chief Executive Officer of the BRA.

BRA recognized the WOC’s donation by inscribing on the vehicle?s doors: Donated by Disciples’ Week of Compassion.

The BRA seeks to purchase a second vehicle to provide additional transport to critically-ill patients who need to travel to city hospitals for advanced treatment. Many sometimes are too poor to afford basic public transport ? example of which, one BRA AIDS pregnant patient had to delivery naturally at home because she did not have money to travel to a hospital to deliver by C-section to prevent her new born from contracting the HIV virus.

Please help by mailing your tax-deductible gifts payable to Batey Relief Alliance, P.O. Box 300565, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230. You may also make your donations ONLINE.