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.
Category: News
Annual Report – 2014
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.
In 2014, we continued to experience growth in our commercial business, streamline and realign our services to meet the changing needs of our community and make personnel changes to improve our team. We definitely had success in all three areas! As we begin 2015, we will continue to stay the course set forth in our Strategic Plan. In fact, this is year three. Later this year, we will begin the process of crafting a new plan to guide us in the years ahead.
I want to take this time to extend my thanks to our Board of Directors for their counsel and guidance and to our Associates for their tireless commitment to our mission. With a lot of hard work, we will continue to make a difference in our community, make lives better for people who are blind and prevent vision loss through our screening and educational efforts.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Garrett, President/C.E.O
To receive a digital copy of the annual report please email your request to: ncss@ncsight.org
Annual Report – 2013
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.
Annual Report – 2012
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.
Annual Report – 2011
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.
After detailed discussion and pains taking review of all positions, we implemented a realignment of our organization in August of 2011. Seven positions were eliminated and other cost saving measures were put into place. The good news is we did not reduce services to people who are blind. Throughout this process, our Board of Directors remained steadfast in their commitment to our mission.
Annual Report – 2010
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.
Here at NCSS, we have an interesting structure whereby the net revenue generated by our Industry Program is used to offset the revenue shortages from our Social/Rehabilitation and Prevention service programs. Going forward, we have to become more creative and look for other revenue sources to fund our services programs. During 2011, we will be actively looking for grants and leaning on our Board Fundraising Committee to help us grow new revenue streams. We are fully committed to maintaining our service commitment in 2011.
Congratulations to all of our Associates who worked very hard to help us achieve success in 2010. We know that there are new funding challenges in 2011. I’m confident we’ll move forward, realize additional cost savings and continue to provide outstanding services to all customers.
To receive a digital copy of the annual report please email your request to: ncss@ncsight.org
Annual Report – 2009
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.
Annual Report – 2008
As we look back on 2008, I am so proud of our success. The number of customers served by our SS and POB Teams is the highest ever. We have been able to employ additional Associates in our Industry and our financial success is absolutely stellar. Everyone is focused on making NCSS the best possible place to work and provide outstanding customer service. Our Associates at all levels have really stepped up to adjust to the ever changing environment and needs of our organization and those we serve.
We have a fully developed Strategic Plan that has helped us focus on where we are and where we need to be. I’m sure 2009 will have its challenges, but if we stay focused on our Mission and continuously improve what we do and how we do it, it will be another successful year.