Looking Ahead to 2025
Dear DSANV Community,
It’s hard to believe we are getting ready to wrap up another year! I hope that you were able to pause from the business of life last month to reflect on all of the things that you have to be thankful for. As we enter this holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect back on the incredibleness of this past year.
2024 was a year marked by growth and change for the organization. In January, our new President of the Board of Directors, Kimberly Hudson, was voted into office. Also voted in were our Vice President of the Board of Directors, Amanda Hunt, and Treasurer, Denise Squire. We held the Aim Higher Challenge to help our members prepare for our Spring Sprint, where we fundraised over $25,000. We offered numerous programs to serve our members such as our advocacy program, bingo, book club, cooking club, Friendship Connection, New Parent Breakfast, and Relationshapes. We pulled together as a community to celebrate our 20th anniversary Buddy Walk, with over 700 members in attendance and raising over $115,000! The fall brought additional programs such as Career Development, Champion Football, an inclusive football skills clinic, The Learning Program, Halloween themed karaoke, fall family photo mini-sessions, and Friendsgiving. Our Board of Directors and our programs were not the only things that experienced changes, so did some of our staff within the organization. We are so appreciative of the work of our former staff, who helped get us where we are today, and are equally as thankful for those who continue to do so. We are excited for the new year and hope that you will be pleased with some additional changes coming your way!
Last month, we held two town halls to share some of these changes and to share our collective vision of the organization through our five-year strategic plan. Thank you to everyone who took the time to join us; we truly appreciated hearing from those who participated. We value each and every one of you and will continue to work tirelessly to support your needs. As we gear up for 2025, here are the six goals that we will be working toward:
Provide meaningful resources and programs, focused on the areas of education, skills development, career development, and health and wellness for individuals with Down syndrome at all stages of life.
Advance DSANV as a resource for individuals with Down syndrome and their families through new and strengthened community relationships, and increased meaningful inclusive community events and programming.
Locate/share or provide programs and resources for families of individuals with Down syndrome (across all stages of life)
Expand offerings of programs, activities, and resources, to cover DSANV territory (6 counties and 4 cities) to increase membership accessibility to programming.
Ensure operational efficiency of the organization in keeping with professional standards and best practices.
Collect and report quantitative and qualitative data for use across the board, membership, and organizational partners.
These goals while critical to the organization’s future successes, will not be easy to achieve. Our total revenue is still $25,000-$50,000 annually less than years prior to the pandemic. The board, staff, and volunteers have been working diligently to cut unnecessary expenses, build structures and efficiencies, and eliminate waste. Due to financial constraints, we have had to delay filling organizational vacancies after staff departures. We are so grateful for our volunteers, current and previous Board members and staff, and are energized to continue to serve this community! Now is the time to invest in this organization! Join us, or rejoin us, in working to make our collective vision a reality.
Wishing you and your families a joyous holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year!
In partnership,
Heather Padgett
Executive Director