Annual Report 2011 - Our Piece of the Pie

Annual Report
2011
e
c
e
i
P
r
O u Of The P ie
a
e
D
∆ Fro
OPP s m July 1, 20
erved
1 , 10 – June
1 1 9 u r 30, 2011,
ban y
outh
∆
e
i
r
rF
,
s
d
n
Even though we faced a challenging economic
environment in 2011, OPP continued to transform
the lives of urban youth and to help them become
successful adults and productive members of our
community. We are truly grateful for the support
and encouragement you’ve given us in this important
work, and we’d like to share a few of this year’s major
highlights with you.
In June, our first group of students graduated from
Opportunity High School. This unique partnership
with Hartford Public Schools gives young people who
dropped out of other high schools a second chance
to earn their diplomas. There were 40 students in
the groundbreaking Class of 2011, and they’re now
finding good jobs and furthering their education at
colleges and universities. Enrollment at OHS continues
to grow, and we’re looking forward to many more
successful graduating classes in the future.
We also launched a Champions Council this year.
The council is made up of an elite group of leaders
and executives from across the Greater Hartford
region. They will help guide us as we continue to
improve our services and expand our funding
sources. We expect to add several new members
to the Champions Council in the coming year.
Finally, we’ve taken significant steps to strengthen
and enhance our organization so we can take advantage of growth opportunities that arise in the future.
We named Hector Rivera our new Chief Operating
Officer, and welcomed Scott Sugarman, Director of
Educational Initiatives, and Sean Seepersad, Ph.D.,
our first full-time Researcher, to our staff. We already
have a great team at OPP, and these dynamic individuals will help us continue to improve and innovate
so we can deliver even better results for the growing
number of youth we hope to serve in the future.
Still, OPP is only part of the story. Successful youth
have parents and employers who support and care
for them. In the pages that follow, you’ll read about
three youth whose lives have been transformed by
OPP and meet the people who helped to make that
transformation possible. We promise that with your
help and support, there will many more success
stories in the years to come.
Bob Rath, President and CEO
Mike Connelly, Chair of the Board
Randall Williams
Randall Williams’ mom, Minnie, cried when her son graduated from Opportunity
High School (OHS) this spring.
So did Randall.
F
t
s
ir
s
s
Cla
“I made a lot of friends at OHS and I had wonderful relationships with my Youth
Development Specialist, teachers and staff,” Randall says. “I felt like I was leaving
my family.”
Randall was one of 40 students in the first-ever graduating class at OHS, which
gives youth who have dropped out of other high schools a second chance to earn
a diploma.
“Randall didn’t do very well at Hartford High,” his mom admits, “but the folks at
OPP and OHS really helped him turn his life around. I think he surprised himself
by how well he did in school and the fact that he graduated with honors.”
“OHS has a very unique and supportive learning environment,” explains Mike
Nelson, one of OPP’s Youth Development Specialists at the school. “Our classes
t s re dit s
u d e n ore c hool ∆
p
at O
s t ol earned mrevious sc
f
o
c ho
eir p
5%
∆ 9 nity High S y did at th
e
u
por t
th
than
are small, our teachers are committed, and each student has a YDS who helps
them map out their future. Everyone gets a lot of personal attention here and
the tools to succeed. We’re all very proud of what Randall accomplished. It’s been
a pleasure working with him and seeing him develop and grow. Although well
on his pathway to success, Randall still comes back to visit and we hold him up
as a role model for students at OHS today.”
This fall, Randall enrolled at Capital Community College, and again OPP was by
his side.
“Billie Augustin (OPP’s Youth Development Specialist at the college) helped us
fill out the paperwork Randall needed to get into school,” Minnie Williams says.
“She also helped us get financial aid so Randall can focus on his studies, rather
than worrying about getting a job right away. We really appreciate everything
she’s done for us.”
“We know that college can be a challenge, even for a good student like Randall,”
Augustin says. “That’s why we do everything we can to make the transition from
high school as smooth as possible. And, since I’m at the college every day, I can
keep an eye on Randall. I’m pleased to report that he’s doing very well so far.”
This is just the start of Randall Williams’ journey. “I love animals and I want to be
a zoologist some day,” he says. “Before I went to OHS, I didn’t think that would
be possible. Now, thanks to Mike and Billie and my mom, I don’t believe there
are any limits on what I can do.”
l in anl program ∆
l
o
r
n
t h e ’s or vocationa
u
o
y
% of te’s, Bachelor
9
8
∆
ia
A s s oc
Featured with Randall Williams left to right: Mike Nelson, Minnie Williams, and Billie Augustin.
Isiah Vinters
Isiah Vinters understands that he’s one of the lucky ones. “I’ve got a great job,
I work with people I like, and I have plenty of opportunities to advance if I keep
doing the right things. Not everyone can say that in today’s economy.”
e
h
t
f
s
o
e
e
n
O n u cky O
L
Vinters, who was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal about young
people getting their first job, has been working at the Shop Rite supermarket
in East Hartford, CT for the past eight months. He was recently promoted to a
new position in the Produce Department.
“Isiah is a natural for an organization like ours, where customer service is the
foundation for our success,” says Jordan Cohen Coe, who, along with her family,
owns and operates the Shop Rite in East Hartford and another supermarket in
Manchester. “Isiah is efficient, friendly and always has a positive attitude. No-one
at the store was surprised when he received an Exceptional Experience© Award
(a copyrighted recognition program at Shop Rite) after only eight weeks on the job.”
There are other keys to his success as well. “I spent four months at OPP learning
the skills I’d need to land a job and be successful once I was hired,” Vinters says.
“I was also very fortunate to have Robert Felder open the door for me.”
ained
t
n
i
a
t h mt for
u
o
y
f
en
o
∆ 73 % ning ful employmnths or more ∆
o
a
me
twelve
m
∆
e
a rg rs ∆
t ht i n r yea
u
o u a fou
y
f a dwithin
o
% g r o ol
0
h
8
hs
hig
c
Featured with Isiah Vinters left to right:
Jordan Cohen Coe and Robert Felder.
“My role is to be an ambassador to the workplace,” explains Felder, who has been
an Employment Specialist at OPP since 2009. “Because we have a solid relationship with Jordan, as well as many other employers in the Hartford area, I was able
to get Isiah an internship at Shop Rite last summer. They liked his work, and hired
him as an associate at the store. Clearly, he’s using his natural abilities, and the
skills he learned at OPP, to full advantage.”
“My family, and our Human Resources team, has a long history of working with
youth in the Hartford area, and I’m proud to carry on that tradition,” says Cohen
Coe, who recently joined OPP’s Board of Directors. “There’s no doubt that the
requirements of our business will keep changing, but I’m confident OPP will
continue to prepare bright young people like Isiah who will be able to meet our
needs seamlessly.”
“Working at Shop Rite has already been a great experience for me,” Vinters says,
“and I really appreciate all the help and support I’ve gotten from Robert and
Jordan. But what’s really exciting is that I’m starting to see opportunities for the
future that I never even knew existed before. It’s really amazing what you can do
when good people believe in you.”
Jay Watkins
e
t
e un d
l
p
m
o
o
r
C
A Turna
∆ 53
an Ass
o
% of y
outh
, Bach
a re a
elor’s
tta in
or voc
f ive ye
ationa
ars of
ing
l
cer tif
grad
ciate’s
uating
ication
high s
within
c ho ol
∆
Jay Watkins took a slightly different route to OPP than many other youth:
he was referred by his probation officer. “I got into trouble when I was 17,”
Watkins admits, “and I ended up in the Corrections System. Marlowe Barnes
and OPP gave me a chance to turn my life around, and my mom made sure
I didn’t waste the opportunity.”
“OPP is very special, because we can stay close to young people for years and
provide a wide range of resources to help them keep their lives on track and
become successful,” says Barnes. “Even better, all of us who work here get an
amazing feeling of personal satisfaction watching these young people grow up
before our eyes.”
“Jay was 17 years old, with no job and no education when he was referred to OPP,”
recalls Donna Forrester, Jay’s mom. “The first thing we did was make sure he
finished high school. He didn’t graduate until he was 19, because he had to repeat
his senior year, but seeing him get his diploma in June was one of the proudest
moments of my life.”
“Both of the jobs I have now are in food service, and I’d really like to have my
own restaurant some day,” says Watkins. “Marlowe, Billie and my mom make me
believe that anything is possible and that I never have to give up on my dreams.”
“We wanted to make sure Jay was prepared to take the next steps when he
finished high school, so we enrolled him in OPP’s Career Competency Development Training while he was at Hartford Public High,” explains Marlowe Barnes,
a Youth Development Specialist who works with hard-to-engage criminallyinvolved youth. “Jay is definitely a fast learner: he landed two jobs this summer
and started college in September.”
Finding a job wasn’t easy, Watkins admits. “I decided I wouldn’t take ‘no’ for
an answer. Once I put in an application, I would go back two or three times a
week to follow up. Both my mom and Marlowe told me that persistence would
pay off, and they were definitely right about that. My days are very busy right
now, but I’ve never been happier.”
“I’m truly grateful for everything OPP has done for us,” Forrester says. “Jay is a
completely different person than he was three years ago, and I truly believe OPP
helped save his life.”
o u t s PP ∆
p
o
r
o o l df ter coming to O
h
c
s
a
h ig h
c ho ol
∆ 4 6 le d in high s
ol
re e n r
In September, Watkins began taking a full course load at Capital Community
College. “Billie Augustin (the Youth Development Specialist at the college, who
also works with Randall Williams) helped us with admissions and financial aid,
which was a real blessing,“ Forrester says. “College is a lot tougher for Jay than
high school, but he’s a good student, and I know that he’ll continue to do well.”
Featured with Jay Watkins left to right:
Donna Forrester and Marlowe Barnes.
Financial Statement
For the year ended June 30, 2011
Expenses
2010–2011
Funding Sources 2010-2011
Operating Revenues
Government
$2,363,468
Corporations, Foundations and Individuals $1,442,603
United Way
Program Fees
Total Revenue
Foundations & Corporations
Waterford Group
Craig & Kimberly Anderson
Lloyd Frazee
American Eagle Federal Credit Union
Webster Bank
Anonymous
Kelly A. Gallagher
Bank of America
Wells Fargo Foundation
Ronald Apter
Paula Gilberto
Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation
Fund at the Hartford Foundation
for Public Giving
Whittlesey & Hadley PC
Don Ashton
Angela Gomes
Charles Rath
In memory of Betty Rath
YWCA Hartford Region
Rob Bartha
Peter & Winifred Grimaldi
Lindsey Robbins
Jeffrey A. Bartholomay
Avery & Monica Rockefeller
Raymond Bazzano
Richard Guglielmetti,
Furniture Emporium
Djuana Beamon
William & Joanne Hastings
Joseph Santoro
Jay & Jeanne Benet
Paul & Nancy Hoey
Dean & Barb Benne
In memory of Betty Rath
Jerome & Margaret Houle
Jake & Mary Lou Schaeffer
In memory of Betty Rath
Marlene & Jim Ibsen
William & Sandra Semevolos
Rob & Lisa Berman
Aaron T. Jainchill
Eugene A. Sheehan, III
Lee & Melody Bernhardt
David C. Johnston
Rebecca Sherlock
Thomas M. Bienemann
Lois M. Kate
ShopRite of Enfield—Miller Family Farms
Kathleen Bolduc
William & Susan Kelly
Frank Simboski
Indrit Brahimi
Howard Knoll
Thomas Sliney
Hartford Public Schools
William A. Brown
Ann Slyh
National Endowment for the Arts
Dan & Kelly Browne
Michael & Jaydene Laros
In memory of Betty Rath
United States Department of Labor
Kevin & Marlene Buckman
Frank Leone
Stephen Sonnone
United Way of Central &
Northeastern Connecticut
Joseph Campert
Jo-Anne Leventhal
John & Diane Sperger
Daynor M. Carman
Matt & Annette Lilly
Dwight & Margaret Stauffer
Chuck Chamberlain
Stephen & Jennifer Lima
Lisa A. Stewart
Jerrol Charles & Family
Tom Lofredo
Leadership Circle
Wayne & Tracie Chuang
Michael Longo
Kathy Stillson
In memory of Betty Rath
Anonymous
Mary & Joseph Cicarello
Brendan & Mimi Lynch
Kurt & Jane Strasser
Claire Burns
Sherry Ann Coelho & Keith Merritt
Dale R. Masslon
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Torello
Mike & Schalleen Connelly
Andy & Ruth Cohen
Joe Mastroianni
Ann Traynor
Jordan Cohen Coe, ShopRite of
Manchester/East Hartford—
Waverly Markets LLC
Karen McAndrew
Elizabeth Tyler
Marie McFadden
Matt Vendetti
Marcus McGregor
Jose Villaluz
C. Edward & Margaret Connelly
Patrick & Sharon McHale
AJ & Jodi Wasserstein
John & Pauline Cusmano
Nancy M. Mulroy
Iris White
Carnegie Corporation of New York
CIGNA
$350,144
Citizens Bank
$4,614
Crosskey Architects, LLC
Ensworth Charitable Foundation
$4,160,829
Fisher Foundation
Goodwin College
Operating Expenses
H.A. Vance Foundation
Youth Development Services
$764,425
Halloran & Sage LLP
Youth Business
$945,244
Hartford Hospital
Opportunity High School $508,670
Education*
$496,572
ING
Jackson Lewis LLC
John Hunt Scholarship Program
at the Hartford Foundation
for Public Giving
$3,770,861
Management and General
$606,216
Fundraising
$277,681
Total Supporting Services
$883,897
Total Expenses
Home Depot
$1,055,950
Youth Employment Services
Total Program Services
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
KTI, Inc.
Lincoln Financial Foundation
Lindberg & Ripple
National Youth Employment Coalition
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
$4,654,758
NewAlliance Foundation
People’s United Community Foundation
Government
Capital Workforce Partners
City of Hartford
City of Hartford, Office of Youth Services
Connecticut Child & Adult
Care Food Program
Connecticut Department of
Children & Families
Connecticut Department of Education
Corporation for National &
Community Service
Individuals
Denise deFiebre
Matt Frazee
Larry & Kate Greenberg
Elizabeth Rath
In memory of Betty Rath
Gregg Rosh
Donna Sodipo
Temporarily Restricted Net Assets
$470,066
Prudential
Net Assets released from restrictions
-$149,000
Reflexite
Kate Family Foundation
In honor of Fritz Kate & Betty Rath
Sovereign Bank
John & Mary Little
Kelly Cusson
Patrick Murray
Arthur & Vivien White
State Farm Companies Foundation
Alden Davis
Mark Murzin
William Wilcox
Sullivan & LeShane Companies
Bob & Marilyn Rath
In memory of Betty Rath
Deanna & John Discenza
Robert Naylor
Andy & Julie Willett
TD Charitable Foundation
David & Donna Reis
Gregory & Haddya Nye
The Fund for Greater Hartford
John & Lisa Sundean
Lynn Dolan & Kevin Wojcik
In honor of Mary Jane Wrenn
The George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation
Wilson Family Fund
John D. Donnell
Jeremy Paul
Matthew Dwyer
Stephen Peterson
Change in Temporarily Restricted Net Assets
$321,066
Total Change in Net Assets
-$172,863
Net Assets at the Beginning of the Year
$1,490,129
Net Assets at the End of the Year
$1,317,266
*Education expenses include AmeriCorps
Youth Business
Management and General
Youth Employment Services
Fundraising
Opportunity High School
Youth Development Services
Education
The Prudential Foundation
Michael J. Parkin
The Technology Group
Friends
Luke & Melanie Ebersold
Doreen Petrozza
The Tow Foundation
Tokunbo Akinbajo
E-Tech Systems LLC
Robert Pitocco
Travelers
Sandra L. Allen
Richard & Wendy Fair
Tarra Pressey
Travelers Foundation
Lourdes Alvarez-Ortiz
John Forren
Joseph Ragusa
Management
Bob Rath, President & Chief Executive Officer
Hector M. Rivera, Jr., Chief Operating Officer
Champions Council
Administrative Office
20–28 Sargeant Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
860.761.7300
www.opp.org
Edward Budd
Mickey Herbert
Peter Kelly
Don Wilson
Board of Directors
Mike Connelly, Chair
John Little, Treasurer
Tokunbo Akinbajo, Secretary; Chair of Governance Committee
Daniel Browne, Chair of Development Committee
Zeanique L. Barber
Rob Berman
Wayne Chuang
Jordan Cohen Coe
Denise deFiebre
Matt Frazee
Joanne Hastings
Brooke Karsten
Kate Liburdi
Jennifer Lima
Board Emeritus
Robert Pitocco
Larry Greenberg
Stephen Sonnone
Andy Cohen
Jim Walsh
Frank Scalise
Alvin R. Wilson, Jr.
Design by WondriskaRusso (wondriskarusso.com)
Photography by Lanny Nagler (lannynagler.com)