After listening to the Treasures Report in Vail, you wonder if the AARC has the ability to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Our organization compared to the other professions is doing a great job for its members with its limited revenue. It would be very interesting to compare the benefits to members by each professional organization. If such a small amount of membership money goes to support the overall budget of the AARC, will we ever be able to put a lot of faith in the money from the membership keeping the AARC afloat in the future?

I do not have the power to predict the future of our organization. But I do have the power to use this article to express my thoughts. Sometimes I am off base but it feels good to "Think Out of the Box". I wonder if the AARC will be the same organization 20 years from now. To be a better organization in the future, the financial status of the AARC has to continue to grow. As we search for ways to generate revenue, we must continue to put on educational meetings The meetings are a good source of revenue for the organization. I think when we go after advertisement dollars, we should look outside the medical arena. As a consumer I would like to see products I use everyday. Products like Pepsi, Coke, Sears, McDonalds, Wendy, Taco Bell and other companies who are getting a big chunk of my salary. What about Delta Airlines, Alamo Car Rental and the Marriott Hotels, who benefit from our members at least twice a year? I think it is time we started getting some of the money back. I am not saying to sell space in the Respiratory Care Magazine. We must maintain the high standards already set by the publication. AARC Times is a better vehicle to display company support for our organization and its members. We have to think about our future and the ability of the AARC to continue to promote the growth of the profession of Respiratory Care.

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