North Central Sight Services Inc., has officially launched its Diamond Anniversary year, announcing an exciting year that celebrates the values of the agency – employment, prevention, and independence. North Central Sight Services was established in 1957 as the Lycoming County Association for the Blind, which manufactured rubber door mats from recycled automobile tires, and performed subcontract work for local businesses. The agency has since evolved into a pillar of service in the local community, dedicating its efforts to the blind and visually impaired in six counties within North-Central Pennsylvania.
“Over the course of our rich 60-year history, North Central Sight Services has remained true to its mission – Provide exceptional programs, services and employment to the blind and visually impaired, as well as excellent education, prevention services and products to all customers,” says Robert Garrett, President and CEO of North Central Sight Services. “It is with great excitement that our team enters this Diamond year of celebration and reaffirms our solid commitment to the communities we serve.”
To kick-off the celebrations, a vignette series will be launched on social media using #NCSS60. These short-form retrospective videos will highlight how North Central Sight Services has impacted the community over the past sixty years. Ultimately these videos will be featured on the new ncsight.org, launching in August 2017. This new website will provide more resources for the community and be accessible to all viewers.
Annual events slated for 2017 will include some unique features to celebrate this Diamond Anniversary. Mark your calendars for the following signature events.
Dining in the Dark – This annual event will be held on March 18, 2017 at Le Jeune Chef on the campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology. Students at Le Jeune Chef work closely with the North Central Sight Services team to create an evening unlike any other. All guests are guided to their seats and served dinner completely blindfolded. This allows participants to understand in a very small way, and for a short period of time, what daily life can be like for someone who is blind or visually impaired.
Annual Celebration – North Central Sight Services is privileged to have such wonderful community supporters. Each year in April, NCSS honors those dedicated supporters and friends at a celebration and awards ceremony. This year a timeline display illustrating the evolution of NCSS will be featured for community members to enjoy.
Lions Journey for Sight 5K Walk – Join the NCSS team on May 7, 2017 to enjoy a day of friends and fun. Proceeds are returned to the community through rehabilitation services, prevention of blindness services, and employment for the blind and visually impaired.
Golf for Sight Tournament – This fundraiser brings local businesses together for an afternoon of fun and philanthropy. Teams engage in some friendly competition while supporting the mission and vision of North Central Sight Services. This year’s event will be played on Friday, June 2nd at the Wynding Brook Golf Club in Milton.
Garrett goes on to say, “It has been a wonderful and exciting opportunity for me to have been involved with NCSS since 1974. Over that time, I have experienced incredible change, growth and a culture dedicated to serve people who are blind.”
Updates and more detailed information on all of these activities can be found on ncsight.org. Also, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for updates throughout the year.
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.
I’m very pleased with the turn-around we experienced in 2010. As you know, 2009 was very difficult for us with the loss of significant revenue from our flash media line. We were very focused in 2010 to reduce expenses throughout the organization, from suppliers, service providers and even the printing of our newsletter. The net result was more than $250,000 in savings at all levels.
As I reflect on 2009, there are several key points that come to mind. After five years of growth and financial stability, our organization experienced a difficult year in 2009. The loss of revenue from our flash media line had a significant impact on our revenue. The loss of $2.7 million in sales from this product line was significant. Also like many other organizations, we experienced a reduction in our State contracts for SS and Prevention services. Both of these events contributed to some difficult challenges for North Central Sight Services, Inc. in 2009.