The past year has presented us with opportunities for growth and unexpected hurdles, and I share this update with humility and transparency. Despite our best efforts and strategic planning, we faced a deficit that tested our resilience and commitment to our mission. While this news may come with a feeling of disappointment, we believe in fostering open communication and accountability within our community.

Our team's dedication and unwavering determination have shone brightly throughout our financial challenges. We have implemented cost-saving measures, reevaluated our financial strategies, and leveraged our team to understand and develop innovative approaches to optimize our resources. These efforts have not only mitigated the impact of the deficit but have also positioned us for growth and success in the future.

Despite the financial challenges, we have continued to uphold our core values and mission of providing innovative, high-quality behaviour therapy services that are evidence-based and individualized to meet the specific and evolving needs of children, youth, and adults. 

Our fee based services continued to see adjustments to funding availability, which created uncertainty about how we were operating this service and what we needed to learn and shift to continue it.  The greatest growth continues to provide additional opportunities to learn and lead in ways that require a different alignment to our strategic initiatives and our planning and execution to meet the needs of our clients.

Our core programs continued to be successful over the past year. The Entry to School, Urgent Response, and Foundation Family Services all saw impact and successes for those who participated in these programs. Our adult services also saw a successful year serving over 265 clients. We continued to see growth and development for clients, caregivers, and our community.

We are grateful for the grants we received this past year.  We had 2 Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) grants.  One OTF grant was for a washroom renovation completed last spring; the other was our Facing Your Fears service grant, which completed its 3-year program in November.  We are very appreciative and thankful for the support from OTF for both of these opportunities.  We also received a Workforce Capacity grant from the Ministry of Children Community and Social Services, where we partnered with Durham College to develop a hands-on training program for students to prepare them for a career in the field of behaviour analysis. Thank you to our supporters and employees who helped implement these grants.

Looking ahead, we remain cautiously optimistic about the future. We recognize that the road to recovery may be gradual, but we are confident in our ability to adapt, innovate, and thrive in the face of adversity. With the unwavering support of our employees, Board of Directors, and community, we are committed to overcoming challenges, optimizing opportunities, and continuing to work towards our vision of an inclusive community where everyone can thrive.

In closing, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each member of our team, our dedicated Board of Directors, our generous donors/sponsors, and our community for their commitment, support and invaluable contributions. Together, we are working through the challenges and emerging stronger, more resilient, and more united.

Thank you for your continued trust, support, and belief in our mission. As we progress with our journey, I am confident that we will continue positively impacting the lives of those we serve and connect with.