Alliance National Conference kicks off yearlong
celebration of ‘A Century of Strength’
The Alliance for Children and Families is both rolling out the welcome mat and kicking off a yearlong centennial celebration at the 2010 Alliance National Conference Oct. 20-22 in Milwaukee.
As home to the Alliance’s headquarters for the past 24 years, Milwaukee is a fitting destination for reflecting on 100 years of service and convening the largest annual gathering of the Alliance membership.
In addition to commemorating a century of service by the Alliance and its predecessor organizations, the centennial celebration will pay tribute to the significant contributions Alliance members, their volunteer board leaders, and their professional staff have made to improving the well-being of children, families, and older adults, and to the field at large.
“It is only through the members and their work that the Alliance is viable. Without them, there would be no Alliance,” says Patti Lyons, co-chair of the Alliance Centennial Planning Committee, which worked in concert with the Alliance National Conference Planning Committee to organize the 2010 conference. Lyons is former president and CEO of two Alliance members: Consuelo Foundation, Honolulu, and Child and Family Service, Ewa Beach, Hawaii. She continues with the Consuelo Foundation as a board member.
| Milwaukee, the Alliance's hometown, offers conference attendees a rich cultural experience and world-renowned architecture. |
The centennial committee is responsible for weaving various celebratory activities throughout the three-day conference. Committee members played an integral role in securing a distinctive location for the welcome reception Wednesday, Oct. 20: the new Harley-Davidson Museum®.
“The 2010 Alliance National Conference celebrates a historical milestone, so we thought it was appropriate to select a site for the welcome reception that has historical significance to Milwaukee,” Lyons says.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which celebrated its 105th anniversary in 2008, is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of motorcycles. Its world headquarters also is in Milwaukee.
Throughout the conference, special tribute will be paid to retired executives of Alliance member organizations, as well as former Alliance board members.
“These are the men and women who made the Alliance what it is today,” Lyons says. “It is important for them to share their wisdom and strength with current CEOs, senior staff, and board members. We have a lot to learn from them.”
Demonstrating her belief in the value of shared wisdom and experience, Lyons is bringing 21 people from the Consuelo Foundation to the conference.
In addition to organizing a special dinner for retired executives Oct. 21, the Alliance Centennial Planning Committee commissioned the development of a special candid conversation workshop for the same day.
Candid conversations, a popular track of workshops introduced at the 2009 Alliance National Conference, capture the rich, informal exchanges of information that often occur behind the scenes between CEOs and board members.
“The workshop will provide a forum for current and retired executives to discuss the similarities and differences facing human service sector leaders during their tenures as CEOs,” says Reed Henderson, retired president and CEO of Alliance member Family Lifeline, Richmond, Va. Henderson is a member of the Alliance National Conference Planning Committee, and he led the development of this workshop.
He adds, “Attendees will explore how leaders simultaneously rely on the foundation laid by their predecessors, while strengthening that foundation for future generations of leaders.
In addition to the candid conversations track, conference workshops focus on several areas of interest: governance, human resources, innovative programs, leadership, management, marketing and communications, public policy, and resource development.
“The 2010 Alliance National Conference will be the springboard that launches us into a full-scale centennial celebration,” says C.T. O’Donnell, co-chair of the Alliance Centennial Planning Committee.
To launch the celebration, on the first morning of the conference, the Alliance will unveil a historical narrative that recaps 100 years of achievements within the nonprofit human service field, both by Alliance members and at the Alliance.
“Our celebration will start in earnest in October 2010 and peak at the 2011 Alliance National Conference in Washington, D.C.,” O’Donnell says. “It’s an exciting time to be part of the Alliance network.”
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