By Gina Ryan, CAE
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Claire Rosenzweig (left), CAE, President and CEO of Education and Research Foundation of the Better Business Bureau of Metro New York and a Past Chair of the Board of NYSAE, and Luana Lewis (right), Senior Vice President for Programs and Services at the BBB, received NYSAE’s 2014 Social Responsibility Award for its “Identity Theft: You Could Be Next” radio call-in program conducted in Spanish. Also pictured is Carter Keithly, Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of NYSAE and President of the Toy Industry Association.
Established in 1991 to recognize the amazing contributions to America that associations, nonprofits, and suppliers to the industry make to America, NYSAE’s Social Responsibility Award continues to recognize the extraordinary contributions that we all make above and beyond our primary missions.
The 2014 Social Responsibility Award was presented to the Education and Research Foundation of the Better Business Bureau of Metro New York headed by Claire Rosenzweig, CAE, who is also a past Chair of the Board of NYSAE.
The BBB of Metro New York Education and Research Foundation created a consumer protection project to address identity theft among vulnerable populations. Coordinated by Luana Lewis, Senior Vice President for Programs and Services at the BBB, the project involved creating a live call-in program entitled, “Identity Theft: You Could Be Next.” The program was conducted in Spanish, with media support from Univision and sponsorship from Popular Community Bank. This $10,000 project involved 43 specially trained volunteers and two staff members. It began in 2012, was repeated in January 2013 and will be conducted again May 14th of this year.
Last year, the project served nearly 600 consumers, focusing particularly on tax-related ID theft. Consumers were provided with tip sheets in Spanish and were referred to additional sources of qualified help where needed. Last May, the New York Times featured a link to a previous BBB live program’s content about debt issues on its online blog. The program content remains posted in the BBB website in both English and Spanish.
Congratulations to the 2014 Social Responsibility Award winner–the Education and Research Foundation of the Better Business Bureau of Metro New York!
Gina Ryan, CAE, is President of CEO Pathways/Creative Executive Options, a firm offering interim executive director services and transition management to newly formed or recently challenged associations. Ryan is a former NYSAE board member and is the Vice Chair of the Awards Committee. She can be reached at ceopathways@mac.com or 917-971-7524.