Personal & Mission Statement
I am a founding member of GAHF (and former Secretary) and pledge to further two of our current goals: to increase our individual membership and to make all Americans aware of the wonderful contributions German-Americans have made to society. I look forward to the various activities and events leading up to our 50th anniversary. I will also work towards having all officers and directors cooperate fully with each other together with our staff and volunteers.
I, Fred Hansen, hereby declare my candidacy to serve as the Secretary of GAHF. I am completely familiar with the Foundation’s mission and by-laws, having been a contributor to the original formulation of these by-laws and having participated in discussions and deliberations in formulating these by-laws as well as the mission statement.
I am also intimately knowledgeable about the organization’s history, present operation, challenges and future plans. I was present at the initial meetings of our organization which were held both in Philadelphia and subsequently in the Casino of Schuetzenpark in North Bergen, NJ. Therefore, I have been a part of this organization since its inception. I am a founding charter member of the organization. I am very familiar with the present operation and with the current challenges and the future plans.
I attend all quarterly meetings of the Board, usually in person, either in Philadelphia or in Washington D.C., traveling hundreds of miles in order to accomplish this task. I also make annual contributions to our organization for the past several years that has been $1,000 per year. I am an original Council of 1000 member. I participate in discussions and deliberations which lead to our fundraising plan. I attend special events of our organization whenever possible and inform others of these upcoming events and encourage them to attend as well.
During the past years I have contributed substantially to the purchase of Hockemeyer Hall ($25,000). Without the help of numerous others, this purchase of the museum building would not have been possible. Those of us who contributed, including myself, realized the importance of establishing the museum in a visible location in our nation’s capital and therefore, I was happy to contribute to this cause.
If elected, I intend to contact friends to encourage them to contribute towards our museum and foundation. I will also contact former contributors in order to encourage them to once again make a contribution towards our museum in order that we may continue our operation. I believe that through joint efforts of all Board members, we can succeed in fulfilling our goal to continue to promote our German American culture and heritage in the United States of America.