American Diabetes Association Recognizes local Latina for great work
Recognizing Staff “On A Mission” Congratulations, Helene Velazquez!
As part of the American Diabetes Association’s 75th Anniversary celebration, it continues to put the spotlight on dedicated staff members whose work goes above and beyond to support our mission. Congratulations
Helene Velazquez, Director, Mission Delivery at The American Diabetes Association of Greater New York.
Throughout 2015, members of the senior staff are highlighting outstanding staff members from across the Association for their ability to align their work with our strategic imperatives and for doing so with tremendous success. As we acknowledge our rich history, it is also important to recognize the impressive contributions that are being made by staff across the organization to get us closer to seeing our vision of life free of diabetes and all of its burdens.
On a Mission: Helene Velazquez, Director, Mission Delivery, Greater New York
Helene was nominated by Kevin Shippy, Executive Director, Greater New York American Diabetes Association. The nomination was approved by Andrea Maddox-Smith, Senior Vice President, Eastern Division/Field Programs. Helene has been with the American Diabetes Association for six years. In her role as Director, Mission Delivery, Greater New York, Helene leads a team of two in serving more than 15 million residents within a 100-mile radius of NYC.
How Does Her Work Directly Support the Strategic Imperatives?
Here is how Kevin Shippy describes the effective way that Helene dedicates her work to support our strategic imperatives: “In her six-year tenure with the American Diabetes Association Helene has assembled an exceptionally high-performing Executive Committee of volunteers for NYC’s Latino Initiatives Committee, which is responsible for running the popular annual Feria de Salud outdoor health & music festival in the Bronx (August 15 this year). This event attracts more than 5,000 attendees to the highest risk (and poorest financial) borough, where the Association secures complimentary health testing on site, coupled with live salsa musical entertainment and speakers. This year, Helene also launched an Asian Initiatives Committee of influential business leaders among Chinese and Korean communities, with other Asian groups hopeful to organize similarly and lend their cultural commitments. Helene is the Queen of relationship building, and recruiting impactful volunteers to help her reach more than 60,000 New Yorkers annually via more than 400 Association community outreach programs. She is exceptionally skilled at identifying new revenue opportunities and unselfishly offers her nurtured contacts to benefit the Association nationally. Most recently, Helene was invited to Cuba along with U.S. legislators in a Congressional Diabetes Caucus visit of Cuba’s success in treating diabetes.”
Congratulations to Helene Velazquez for being on a mission to make life better for people with diabetes and for doing it so well.
