The last 12 months have been extraordinary. The economic and financial meltdown in Lebanon coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on everyone – and every institution – in the country. The situation was dire even before the August 4 explosion devastated our city.
We asked for your support over and over again – for the Solidarity Appeal to provide scholarships for our students and to assist financially needy patients seeking care at our medical center; for the AUBMC Corona Response Fund, which supported the operations of our Pandemic Evaluation Clinic and Center, including patient care; for the Emergency Appeal, to support the most vulnerable members of our AUB community and help assure the survival of the university and its medical center; and for the AUB4Beirut Disaster Response, including the AUB4Beirut Run and #AUBNecessary, for outreach initiatives benefiting the people of Beirut and needs on campus in the aftermath of the August 4 explosion.
You responded in a truly extraordinary way. Again and again, you gave to AUB and to the people of Lebanon. Your prayers, your emails, your phone calls, your energy, your ideas, and your philanthropy lifted the spirits, eased the pain, and gave hope to the people of Beirut, and to our university. You make it possible for us to do what we are so proud to do – to provide a singular education to our students, to care for the sick and wounded at our hospital, and to give back to our community. As VP for Advancement and Business Development Imad B. Baalbaki said recently, “This has been a challenging year for everyone – for our university, for Lebanon, and for many of our donors and their families and so we are especially grateful for the truly extraordinary support we have received for the many urgent needs at our university and in our community.”
The task before us is daunting. The road to recovery will be long. We are up to the challenge. This is our city. This is our community. As President Khuri said in his message on August 5, “Keep your faith in AUB and in Lebanon, which will surely endure.”
