As the anniversary of the September 11 tragedy nears, it is comforting and rewarding to belong to an organization like ICON. ICON’s members continually show how they care for each other and share their talents and resources with others. We can be proud of this tradition as we directly and indirectly help people from all walks of life to get well and stay well.

HealthHQ is a project that ICON has created to help consumers find support groups to educate and console them. As this service is expanded to include all Nebraska, ICON members work to support it and to seek funds from the National Library of Medicine for its continued growth. If your institution hasn’t written a letter of support for this grant yet, please be sure to send your letter to Mary Helms as soon as possible.

The fall cycle of scholarships is underway, and ICON will be offering its first collection development grant. All individual members are encouraged to apply for the CE scholarships, and all institutional members are encouraged to apply for up to $500 in collection development funds when the announcement is made. These offerings indicate how ICON provides benefits to all its members based on their changing needs.

ICON is ready to respond to the needs of its members. I encourage everyone to become involved, whether on committees or simply attending the meetings and voicing your opinions. You may even decide that you’d like to become an officer, help write a grant, or help with meeting programs or special continuing education offerings. Please let one of the officers know if you’d like a more active role in ICON, so that we can continue the tradition of caring and sharing.

--Karen Mier, Senior Executive Board Member