Dear Friends,

It is with a great deal of pleasure that I join you—friends, supporters and veterans of social change—in celebrating NYPIRG’s 35th anniversary. As I reflect on the past three and a half decades of work, I experience true wonder at what this organization, started by a handful of students with incredible vision, has accomplished.

Much has changed since the 1970s. Today’s consumers face the problems of Internet fraud and increased threats to privacy, but thousands can be mobilized with the stroke of a key. Global warming worsens as we burn fossil fuels, but wind and other green energy solutions have become part of the mainstream discussion. NYPIRG has persevered as a strong voice for environmental protection, consumer rights and government accountability throughout these changes and so many more.

This kind of work is not easy. Our honorees, Eileen Hershenov and Mike Pratt, are an inspiration to those of us who find ourselves working in the public interest. Eileen is currently Vice President and General Counsel of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports. She began her post-college career with NYPIRG before serving nearly 10 years with George Soros’s Open Society Institute. As for Mike, after working as an organizer with NYPIRG, he spent 10 years practicing law with New York City’s Legal Aid Society before entering the world of philanthropy. Today, Mike serves as Program Officer and Treasurer of the Scherman Foundation and Chair of the Pratt Institute Board of Directors. The nature of their contributions typifies one of the great strengths of NYPIRG’s model—to harness the energy of the best and the brightest, teach and train, and set them out in the world.

A passion for public interest work is more important than ever as we face uncertain economic times. NYPIRG remains a vigilant voice for the parent struggling to afford college tuition, the student denied the right to vote, the homeowner trying to pay for heat, and all of us who demand green energy and green jobs. Even as NYPIRG faces new funding obstacles on campus, our tireless staff is unstoppable. From first year Project Coordinators to veterans of the first Bottle Bill battle, I am inspired by, and privileged to lead, my wonderful colleagues each day. Our students, as always, provide inexpressible strength and vision.

And now I honor you — our treasured friends who have taken time and resources from busy lives to make this evening, and all the years preceding it, so special. I offer heartfelt thanks to each of you.

Respectfully yours,
Rebecca J. Weber
Executive Director