American Friends of ALYN Hospital, Inc.

I have been affiliated with AFAH since *2004*, when I first discovered the "Wheels of Love" bicycle ride, in Israel, to support ALYN Hospital there. That first ride changed my life, seeing hundreds of riders, there not primarily because they needed an exotic excursion on two wheels, but because they were united in love and kindness, and to do the right thing, to ask for charitable donations to support the medical magic ALYN dispenses to the children in need in the region.

This may be a Jewish Hospital, but its services are hardly limited to the Jewish/Israeli population. It treats Jew and gentile, Arab and Israeli, Palestinians, and those children in need, without question. It provides in- and out-patient services to Jews, Muslims, Christians, those speaking English, Hebrew, Arabic, Amharic, Russian.

I have been there numerous times and seen this with my own eyes, to report to you, emphatically, that this is so, that ALYN provides world-class medical care above the usual standard of care, because we fund it to do so

About FAH - I went o the Board of FAH in January of 2011, arriving in Manhattan in an overcoat and warm gloves for my first meeting. We are *the* funding source for this amazing hospital. It's now been nearly 11 years since I went on the Board, composed of our (now) executive director, Maayan Aviv, and incredible aides-de-camp, and the rest of Board, composed of medical and non-medical Board members, most professional, but all committed to the work it takes to keep a Class-A Act, ALYN Hospital, capable of doing what it does.

WE ARE THE INSTIUTION IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ALLOWS OUR DONORS TO MAKE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS HERE, TO BENEFIT ALYN IN ISRAEL, TO CONDUCT ITS MISSION.

We are an effective, economic, and eager organization whose efforts allows us to minimize overhead while maximizing value for our charity.

I hope to continue my affiliation with FAH and the esteemed and committed people apart of FAH for as long as I can. It's been a great honor to serve alongside them, and to be a part of something working efficiently to reach its goals.

Respectfully yours,

Harvey Grad
Seattle, WA

American Friends of Alyn has the important mission in helping fund Alyn Hospital in Israel. The hospital supports ALL the children of Israel as well as many in the broader region. The innovation, technologies and therapies developed at the hospital not only help the children at the facility but are used all over the world.

This organization services one of the most amazing and heartwarming institutions in the world: Alyn Orthopedic Hospital in Jerusalem. It is incredibly well-run and responsive and aims to direct nearly all funds to the hospital itself for the care and rehabilitation of children from all walks of life, ethnicity, race, political beliefs and religion. I am honored to fund raise and to be a part of this vital organization in its goal to support this magnificent hospital!

I have been riding to raise money for ALYN for 11 years and I am now very involved with American Friends of ALYN as a Board Member and Member of the Executive Board. This is an incredible organization. Every year I visit the hospital and see the therapies they are doing with the children. And they have cutting edge technology that enables the therapists to make great progress with the children. They help these children overcome their disabilities and get back into their communities. Just a phenomenal organization.

I have donated to the American Friends of Alyn Hospital since 1984 and visited the hospital many times. Every dollar is stretched to its limit to provide support to the children being treated there.

ALYN Hospital makes miracles happen for children. I've seen it myself from the first time I visited in 2006 through today-I know of so many kids who have greatly benefited from the therapy and innovations at ALYN. Thanks to an endowment, every penny raised through donations goes directly to help disabled children. If you want to see what Mid-East peace looks like, just open the door to ALYN where children from every background are treated wonderfully by a multi-ethnic hospital staff. At ALYN, it's all about the kids!

I learned about ALYN 25 years ago when searching to contribute to a good cause in Israel. A few years later, I had the chance to visit the hospital in Jerusalem and saw the amazing work ALYN does for ALL communities within Israel. Dedication of the staff, the families, and the children themselves - it all left a life-changing impression on me. That is when I decided to promote ALYN through independent fund-raising and awareness. I even did this in South America, where I worked and lived for nine years. ALYN is a light unto the world.

I've ridden in bicycle fundraisers for ALYN for over 10 years, and have visited the hospital many times. In Jerusalem, a place where passions and politics can run high, ALYN treats disabled and injured kids irrespective of religion or nationality, and their dedicated staff performs miracles. I've often thought that Jerusalem is supposed to be full of holy places, but if you're looking for a place where people really are doing what God wants us to, visit ALYN. American Friends is a devoted and responsible fund-raising arm, critical to the hospital's function.

ALYN hospital is the best rehabilitation center in the world, creates systems that are copied worldwide. Helps everyone no matters their believes religion or background.

American Friends of Alyn Hospital serves the important mission of supporting one the preeminent Childrens rehabilitation hospitals in the world. I joined the board as the Treasurer at the start of 2019, part of a board installing a new Executive Director that shares the board’s priorities of Discipline in Governance and Transparency in the pursuit of our important fund raising objectives. Congratulations to our ED, the Staff and the Board for achieving the highly regarded Gold star status.

Since January 2019, with the installation of a new Executive Director, American Friends of ALYN Hospital has become a premiere fundraising organization. In fact this year, even in the time of COVID, monies sent to ALYN Hospital surpassed the amount raised in any of the last 10 years

The Executive Director has the worst case of Founders Syndrome I have ever come across. She believes she can do everything herself but chooses not to; she hires "fundraisers" but then does not allow them the freedom to actually raise the funds. Several have come up with ideas which she turns down and then later claims they did not have any ideas and were not worth hiring. Perhaps this is why there have been 15 fundraisers in the past 5 years; all of whom have quit. She treats people atrociously and thinks very highly of herself. She also pays herself an exorbitant amount of money to shop online all day and go on dating websites. There is no budget for AFAH - they spend whatever they want on meetings, supplies, etc. and send whatever is left overseas to Israel. I would not give a single penny to ALYN through the American Friends. The hospital in Israel is fantastic, but this woman at their New York office is a nightmare!

The exec dir receives $300,000 in pay. Far too much for a charity that generates just $4 million.