Junior Board of Directors: Get to know us!
By Almina Kovac – HoG Junior Board of Directors
Siddharth Dalal, better known as Sidd, is the Vice-Chairman of the Junior Board. He was born in Rohtak, a small town in India about one hour north of New Delhi. He moved to the U.S. in the summer of 1990 with his parents and currently resides in Macon, GA. Sidd says he’s disappointed he can’t run for President of the U.S. Sidd attended UGA and graduated with a degree in Microbiology and a minor in Anthropology. His hard work ethic and perseverance come from his mother and father. When Sidd and his family first moved to the U.S. they didn’t have much. He witnessed his dad work very hard day and night to provide for them. Sidd is currently applying and interviewing for medical school and plans on becoming a pediatrician, emergency room physician, pediatric or trauma surgeon. Sidd is what they call an “outdoorsy” person; he enjoys hiking, fishing and kayaking. He loves to be fit and has participated in several triathlons.
Sidd first learned about HoG through Camp Wannaklot. A friend of his told him about camp, and then one summer Sidd decided to volunteer as a counselor. That experience was amazing! Sidd knew he had found an organization he wanted to support and started volunteering at other HoG events. Sidd, along with the rest of the members of the Junior Board, would like to bring more awareness about inherited bleeding disorders as well as support Hemophilia of Georgia in its mission.
This past January the Junior Board was invited to attend HoG’s annual Governance Board Training Retreat. It was an eye opening experience to learn of all the different ways in which HoG works to ensure that people affected by bleeding disorders live as normally and productively as possible. We learned about all the work the social workers, the managed care contract specialist and advocacy team are doing to help people get insurance under the new Affordable Care Act. We also learned how HoG supports others in the world who don’t have as many resources as people in Georgia, through its twinning program in Bolivia and by shipping factor donated to the World Federation of Hemophilia around the world. We heard of the leadership role HoG plays in the southeast region, to ensure that people throughout the region affected with bleeding disorders have access to quality care. We were also told about the research HoG funds to help find a cure.
After that weekend we are more committed than ever and feel blessed and privileged to be able to support such an awesome organization! The Junior Board is made up of former HoG Leaders in Training, volunteers and young people affected by a bleeding disorder. There are seven members on the Junior Board: Tyler, Sidd, Ashley, Brittany, Martez, Almina and Danny. Look for upcoming articles about the Junior Board in future newsletters and visit our Facebook Page Hemophilia of Georgia Junior Board for updates on what we are doing!