Columbus Foundation Inc

COLUMBUS FOUNDATION, INC. SUPPORTS COLUMBUS COMMUNITY CENTER IN CREATING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ENABLE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE POSSIBLE. THE ORGANIZATION HAS FOUR MAJOR PROGRAMS WHICH ARE OFFERED FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: VOCATIONAL TRAINING, SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT; RESIDENTIAL SERVICES; AND A DAY ACTIVITY PROGRAM.

VOCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES THE PANDEMIC SIGNIFICANTLY CURTAILED OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE VOCATIONAL SUPPORTS IN THE COMMUNITY. SPECIFICALLY, THE IHC LAUNDRY PROGRAM PAUSED THE CONTRACT WHILE ELECTIVE SURGERIES WERE PUT ON HOLD. JUST PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 2020/2021 FISCAL YEAR IHC RESUMED THE CONTRACT WITH A MINIMAL WORKFORCE OF 10, BUT BY THE END OF THE YEAR HAD INCREASED THE STAFFING TO 16 CLIENTS, AND ADDED 3 ADDITIONAL CLIENTS TO THE 4 ALREADY WORKING AT IHC HOMECARE. THE JANITORIAL CONTRACTS CHANGED THEIR FUNCTION FROM DAILY CLEANING TO DEEP CLEANING AND THE GROUNDS CONTRACTS WENT GENERALLY UNAFFECTED BY COVID DUE TO THE JOB BEING OUTSIDE AND THE EASE IN SOCIAL DISTANCING. WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO EMPLOY THE 26 STAFF AND CLIENTS WORKING ON THOSE CONTRACTS. SHRED TOOK ONE OF THE DEEPEST HITS TO THE PROGRAM DURING COVID DUE TO THE NEED TO ENTER OTHER COMPANY'S OFFICE SPACE AND VISITOR RESTRICTIONS, AND STILL HASN'T FULLY RECOVERED. MANY OF THE CLIENTS IN THE SHRED PROGRAM, UPON THEIR RETURN, OPTED TO MOVE TO THE ACTIVITIES PROGRAM, AND THEREFORE ARE STILL RECEIVING SERVICES AT COLUMBUS, BUT NOT EMPLOYMENT AT COLUMBUS.

ACTIVITIES THE ORGANIZATION'S STAFF PROVIDES AN ACTIVITIES PROGRAM FOR MEDICALLY FRAGILE AND OTHER CLIENTS WHO ARE NOT CAPABLE OF WORKING BUT ARE ABLE AND WILLING TO SOCIALIZE WITH EACH OTHER. THE ACTIVITIES PROGRAM IS OPERATED IN A SEPARATE BUILDING. FY21, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED ACTIVITIES PROGRAMS FOR 66 INDIVIDUALS.

IT WAS AN EXCELLENT YEAR FOR COLUMBUS, WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGE AND GROWTH. AS WE MANAGED THE PANDEMIC'S TAIL-END, WE TOOK ALL THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT OUR CLIENTS AND STAFF FROM THE PERSISTENT COVID OUTBREAKS. HOWEVER, THE UNCERTAINTY OF ACUTE LABOR SHORTAGES AND ECONOMIC VOLATILITY REQUIRED US TO CREATIVELY HONE OUR OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE PROVIDING THE QUALITY SERVICES OUR CLIENTS DEPEND UPON. BY KEEPING OUR CLIENTS' NEEDS CENTRAL TO ALL OUR DECISION-MAKING, WE CULTIVATED AN ENVIRONMENT OF CARING THAT CONTINUES TO SERVE US TODAY. IN APRIL 2022, OUR STATE LEGISLATURE GAVE US THE MUCH-NEEDED LIFELINE OF INCREASING OUR FEE REIMBURSEMENT, ALLOWING US TO OFFER OUR STAFF A LIVING WAGE. THIS WAGE INCREASE WAS A SAVING GRACE FOR COLUMBUS AND ALL OUR FRONTLINE CARETAKERS WHO ENSURE OUR CLIENTS REMAIN HEALTHY AND HAPPY. WE ALSO ELIMINATED THE SUB-MINIMUM WAGE STANDARD, INTRODUCED OVER THIRTY YEARS AGO, ALLOWING OUR CLIENTS THE DIGNITY OF FAIR PAY. WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT THIS MORE EQUITABLE COMPENSATION HAS CREATED A STABLE WORKFORCE WITH MINIMAL TURNOVER. OUR OPERATIONS SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM A CONGREGATE SETTING TO ONE THAT COMPLIES WITH HOME AND COMMUNITY BASED SETTINGS (HCBS) STANDARDS. OUR FIFTY-YEAR-OLD BUSINESS MODEL FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED OVER THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR. WE MET THIS CHALLENGE WITH STRATEGIC DELIBERATION, SOUND BUSINESS ACUMEN, AND SOLID COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES THAT POSITION US WELL INTO THE FUTURE. CHANGE IS NEVER EASY, AND WE THANK OUR STAKEHOLDERS FOR THEIR CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT. OUR NEXTWORK ADULT AUTISM PROGRAM CONTINUES TO FLOURISH. OUR FIRST COHORT GRADUATED THIS PAST YEAR, AND WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR PROGRAM WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF EACH OF THEIR LIVES BY GIVING THEM THE NECESSARY LIFE AND WORK SKILLS TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY. WE'VE LEARNED QUITE A BIT OVER THREE YEARS THAT WILL TRANSLATE WELL INTO WHAT IS BECOMING A LEADING NATIONAL MODEL FOR ADULTS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. AS WE LOOK FORWARD, ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE IN PLACE TO FURTHER OUR MISSION. WE ARE FINANCIALLY STABLE WITH A SOLID INFRASTRUCTURE ENERGIZED BY A TALENTED BOARD AND STAFF THAT WORK WELL TOGETHER. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ONGOING SUCCESS. COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT: THROUGH A CLIENT-CENTERED APPROACH, COLUMBUS FACILITATED CUSTOMIZED CAREER ASSESSMENTS, SKILL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, AND JOB READINESS TRAINING, EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS AND SECURE MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT FOR OVER 260 INDIVIDUALS. ADDITIONALLY, COLUMBUS ESTABLISHED STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESULTING IN AN EXPANDED NETWORK OF INCLUSIVE EMPLOYERS COMMITTED TO HIRING DIVERSE TALENT AND FOSTERING A MORE INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE. RESIDENTIAL SERVICES: COLUMBUS PROVIDES INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY INTEGRATION, SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT, EMPOWERING OVER 60 RESIDENTS TO LEAD FULFILLING LIVES AND PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. ACTIVITIES: COLUMBUS SUCCESSFULLY REVAMPED OUR DAY ACTIVITY PROGRAM TO OFFER A DIVERSE RANGE OF ENGAGING ACTIVITIES THAT CATERED TO THE UNIQUE INTERESTS AND ABILITIES OF OVER 95 INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. BY INTRODUCING NEW RECREATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND VOCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, COLUMBUS WITNESSED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PARTICIPANT ATTENDANCE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION.

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES RESIDENTIAL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO APPROXIMATELY 56 CLIENTS AT A TIME, RANGING FROM MEDICALLY FRAGILE TO REASONABLY INDEPENDENT IN SEVEN FACILITIES LOCATED IN THE SALT LAKE AREA. SOME OF THE RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES ARE STAFFED 24 HOURS DAILY, WHILE OTHER RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES ARE STAFFED AS NEEDED TO PROVIDE OCCASIONAL ASSISTANCE TO CLIENTS. DURING FY21, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED RESIDENTIAL SERVICES TO 59 INDIVIDUALS. WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR CLIENTS REMAINED HEALTHY THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC WITH ALL RESIDENTIAL CLIENTS FULLY VACCINATED IN EARLY 2021.

COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT THE COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT CONSISTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. THE FIRST ONE IS OUR SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM. THE SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT STAFF WORKED WITH 80 INDIVIDUALS TO FIND AND MAINTAIN COMPETITIVE INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT IN THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS PROVIDING ON-GOING JOB COACHING FOR CLIENT'S WHO NEED THIS SERVICE. THE SECOND PROGRAM IS THE NEXTWORK AUTISM PROGRAM. DURING FY20 THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED ASSESSMENTS, CLASSES, AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TO 58 INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM. IN FY21, 10 CLIENTS WERE ABLE TO MOVE INTO THE NEW HUB OF OPPORTUNITY BUILDING IN WHICH NEXTWORK NOW OPERATES. THE THIRD PROGRAM IS COLUMBUS CONNECTS. THIS PROGRAM IS FUNDED BY USOR (UTAH STATE OFFICE OF REHABILITATION) AND PROVIDED PRE-ETS (PRE-EMPLOYMENT AND TRANSITION SERVICES) SERVICES TO STUDENTS AGES 14-21 YEARS OLD. THE REMOTE LEARNING CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC SIGNIFICANTLY CURTAILED THIS PROGRAM WITH COLUMBUS CONNECTS SERVING 35 STUDENTS FOR THE YEAR.