New England Center for the Deaf, Inc.

2012 Annual Report

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New England Center for the Deaf, Inc. originated in 2011 as a result of the tragic loss of a young man in the Deaf community. This loss illuminated the need for Deaf –competent social services and thus NECD, Inc. was formed.  The founding members, Tracy Knight and Joseph Sisk formed their board and this was the beginning. 

 

Since the formation of the Board and the Incorporation in March of 2011, we have moved forward in our development.  Our Board currently consists of 7 members, most of whom have been involved since the inception of NECD, Inc.  The Board members are very committed to our mission and come to us from a variety of backgrounds.  All board members bring specific strengths and benefits to the Board and the agency. 

 

We are very proud to introduce the NECD, Inc. Board of Directors. 

 

Tracy Knight:  Tracy has her BSW from the University of Saint Joseph (formerly St. Joseph College) and her MSW from Fordham University.  She is a co-founder of NECD, Inc. and is the mother of a hearing impaired son.  Tracy has been connected with the Deaf communities in Missouri, Kansas and Connecticut for almost 20 years.  During this time, Tracy served on the Region 5 Council of Developmental Disabilities, the southwest Missouri Task force on Autism and is a former member of the Parent Advisory Committee at the American School for the Deaf.  In addition to her efforts in the creation and development of NECD, Inc., Tracy is currently working full time as a Case Manager.  Prior to this, Tracy was the Administrator of a small non-profit agency and it was there that she became familiar with grant writing and fundraising.  Tracy is the board President and the Chief Executive Officer of NECD, Inc. 

 

Joseph Sisk:  Joe has his BA in Psychology from Bard College and his MA in Psychology from The New School for Social Research.  He has subsequently earned his License as a Professional Counselor and he is a Nationally Certified Counselor and holds his Specialty Certificate in Substance Abuse.  Joe is a co-founder of NECD, Inc. and he is the Chairman of the Board and is the Chief Operating Officer for NECD, Inc.   Joe has over 20 years of experience in the field of human services including over 16 years of management experience.  In addition to his responsibilities at NECD, Inc., Joe currently work full time as the Director of a Clinical Assessment unit at another social service agency in Connecticut. 

 

William Gilbert: Bill attended Boston College for his undergraduate work as well as his MSW.  He subsequently earned his Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential and then his Specialty Certificate in Substance Abuse.   He holds the position of the Vice-Chair on the NECD, Inc. Board.  Bill has almost 2 decades of management experience in the field of social services and has been a Senior Manager and agency Vice President for many of those years at a substance abuse counseling agency.  Bill currently works as the Clinical Director for a large program in Connecticut. 

 

Daniel Millstein:  Dan holds his JD degree and had spent many years practicing law.  He recently decided on a change of careers and he entered the field of social services.  Dan is currently attending Fordham University and is working on his Master in Social Work degree.   He holds the position as Treasurer on the NECD, Inc. Board and has done so since its inception. 

 

Maria Weingart: Maria has been connected to the Deaf community for over 20 years.  She is fluent in American Sign Language and is strongly committed to the welfare of the Deaf individuals in Connecticut.  Maria also has had personal experience with the Deaf community being the mother of a Deaf son.  Maria holds the position of Secretary on the NECD, Inc. board.   

 

Christopher Knight, Jr.:  Chris (Cj) is a Director on the NECD, Inc. board.  He is hearing impaired and is fluent in American Sign Language.  After growing up in Missouri and being educated in the mainstream through elementary school, his family moved to Kansas where he attended the Kansas State School for the Deaf.  He graduated from middle school at KSD.  Chris came to CT where he attended the American School for the Deaf and graduated with his high school diploma.  Since graduation he has obtained his veterinary assistant certificate from Tunxis Community College. 

 

Ruth Ennis:  We were happy to welcome Ruth as our newest Board member this year.  Ruth has her Master degree in Education and currently works in special education with hearing impaired students in the public school system.  Ruth is the mother of a hearing impaired daughter and is very committed to the mission of NECD, Inc. 

 

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NON-PROFIT STATUS

New England Center for the Deaf, Inc. is a 501 C 3 non-profit agency.  We are very proud to have achieved this status during this past year.  Our application was completed and was approved with only a single edit required.  As a non-profit agency, all donations (whether cash or goods) given to the agency to assist with operations are tax deductible. 

 

                                                                                   

STRATEGIC PLAN

New England Center for the Deaf, Inc. developed its first strategic plan, budget and an executive summary during 2012.  The plan was designed to assist us in setting goals for the current fiscal year.  We have made some great progress in achieving many of the goals for this year and will continue to move forward towards these goals as the fiscal year progresses.

 

FUNDRAISING

NECD, Inc. has held our first fundraiser by selling Gooseberry Patch cook books.  The money we raised during this project (about $600) allowed us to move forward with some other projects.  We are able to have our self-designed brochure, envelopes and business card printed.  These became the basis for our current fundraising effort; our annual letter writing appeal campaign.  Our first annual appeal has been thus far successful; as we continue to see donations arrive. 

On this report you can see the NECD, Inc. logo which we designed and have used on our letterhead, business cards, and brochure and is now part of our agency brand. 

NECD, Inc. purchased a year membership to Grant Station.  This is a service that monitors new grants that are available and send a weekly email to the subscribers with potential grant opportunities.  We have not yet found an appropriate and feasible grant, but we continue to look. 

 

e-NCOUNTERS

New England Center for the Deaf, Inc. has entered the electronic age.  We have a Facebook account which has almost 50 likes thus far many of which are international individuals and Deaf agencies form across the globe.  We can be found on Facebook at New England Center for the Deaf.  Through Facebook we are able to communicate with potential constituents and begin marketing. 

2012 has also seen the beginning of a New England Center for the Deaf, Inc. web site.  Soon to be located at www.necd-inc.org, we have contracted with a great organization to assist us in developing our web site.  Once developed, our comprehensive web site will allow us to communicate with potential clients, referral sources and donors about our agency development progress, NECD, Inc. fundraising and meet-and-greet events, and provide a portal for donations through a recently set up PayPal account.  We are very excited about the web site which is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2013. 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE

NECD, Inc. purchased QuickBooks to assist us in maintaining the accounting element required of all non-profit agencies.  It has served to be a good tool for us to maintain our financial records and to run financial reports for the Board Treasurer to review and present at the board meetings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New England Center for the Deaf, Inc.

2012 Contributors

 

The Board of Directors and Management of NECD, Inc. wishes to thank all of those people who have helped us with contributions provided during our fundraising campaigns this year.  Without the generosity of you we would not have been able to facilitate the building of NECD, Inc.  Thank you all.

 

 

Supporters                    0-$99

David and Mary Berndston

Lisa Bishop

Amy Bobinski

Christine and Michael Bonchick

Nancy Britton

Eleanor Cook

Liz Cyr

Shay Davis

Robert and Barbara Dicks

Lucio and Beth DiLoreto

Ruth Ennis

Patti Gainsly

Diane Madigan

Patricia McKay

Lisa Marda

Theresa Nygren

Beth Olson

Pappano Family

Dawn Porter

Frank Radzrigome

Jerrid and Diane Redekas

Denise Rubbilard

Kathy Schoepfen

Rose Simichak

Wayne Sinclair

Irene Sisk

Craig and Anne Staebner

Amy Stepka

Rachel Tully

Sharron Weingart

Maria Weingart

Patricia Weingart

Shirley Zelman

Elizabeth and Stephen Ziba

 

Sponsors              $100-$499

 

 

Donors                 $500-$999

Tracy Knight

Joseph Sisk

 

Patrons                $1000-$4999

 

Benefactors          $5000-$9999

 

Endowers            $10,000-

 

Donations of Goods

 

Corporate Sponsorship