As I look back at 2018, I am extremely proud of our successes. Financially, we turned a significant 2017 operations deficit into a respectable positive net income for the year. To accomplish this, it has taken several years of making calculated decisions that would not impact our Mission and still reduce our losses. Congratulations to all of our Associates for a job well done.
Our Industry Program was very healthy during the year. We added fifteen new products to the Federal Procurement List along with growing our document destruction business. New products and revenue translate to more employment hours. Congratulations to the Shredding Team for reaching the one-million pounds of shredded documents goal. Believe me, that is a lot of paper.
On the services side, we continued to work with our clients who are visually impaired to do everything possible to keep them living independently in their own homes. We grew our technology offerings for devices like Iris Vision and eSight, distributed refurbished iPhones, provided necessary training and introduced new technologies throughout the year.
As always, our Prevention Program continued to screen children and adults for symptoms that may indicate vision problems. That program, along with our Functional Vision Clinic and Remedial Eye Care program remained very active serving children and adults. I would encourage you to read our entire report to learn in more detail the other 2018 highlights.
For me, 2018 was the year I announced my retirement effective June 30, 2019. Our Board of Directors moved forward with a National search. In mid-February, we announced that Brian Patchett from Easter Seals of Nevada has accepted the President’s position and will officially take leadership of North Central Services, Inc. on July 1, 2019.
In closing, I am honored and humbled to have served North Central Sight Services, Inc. for my entire career. Overall, it has been an amazing ride. I know that upon my departure, our Agency has a very solid financial and program foundation. I couldn’t have done it without the outstanding support from our Board of Directors, all of our NCSS Associates and our community. I have indeed been blessed.
Now, as I move on to my next stage in life, I feel very positive about our direction and am confident that our current staff and Associates with Brian’s direction will continue to keep our Mission first and foremost in everything we do. Once again, thank you for giving me the opportunity that began on September 12, 1974 to be a part of this fine organization.
Robert B. Garrett
President and Chief Executive Officer
To receive a digital copy of the annual report please email your request to: ncss@ncsight.org
As we take a look at 2016, it is really a tale of two realities. We were delighted to receive the largest NIB Employment and Growth allocation in the history of the award. This means we certainly met our mission to create employment for our Associates who are blind. We also saw consistent growth in our services in our six county area. These are both good indicators that we are consistently meeting our mission.
As we close the book on 2015, several things come to mind that can summarize the year. It was very exciting to experience this years Lions of 14G Journey for Sight Walk, our third annual Dining in the Dark, and our Golf for Sight tournament. All three events brought much needed funds to our organization and involved many associates. It was a lot of fun to participate in all three events and observe the teamwork that helped make these events a huge success.
The year 2014 marks my 40th year with North Central Sight Services, Inc. (formerly the Lycoming County Association for the Blind). Over the four decades, I have seen tremendous growth, expansion, change and a myriad of people come and go. Through it all, we have stayed true to our commitment to create meaningful jobs for people who are blind, provide outstanding adjustment and rehab services for people losing their vision and screening for symptoms that may indicate potential visual problems. I have been so fortunate to have been and continue to be a part of this great organization.
As I reflect on 2013, I have lots of thoughts. It truly was a year of highs and lows. I direct your attention to the 2013 Highlights. We certainly had a lot of great events, visitors and successes. As I think about the down turn in our funding, it is never fun to have to reduce staff. But, for the overall good of our organization, we had to make that difficult decision in June of 2013.
2012 offered many opportunities for observation and reflection. As I look back, I focus on what has had a positive outcome on those that we serve, as well as what may no longer have a meaningful purpose. The numbers presented in this report show that our Social Service and Prevention of Blindness departments dedicate many hours of essential services to individuals in our community. We were successful because we detected possible vision problems and helped individuals who are visually impaired to become more independent and accepting of vision loss.
As we reflect on 2011, several events and circumstances overwhelmingly impacted our organization. The reduction in Federal spending produced a 19% reduction in sales compared to 2010. For any business, this is a significant event.