Home Communications From the President of the Language Center
From the President of the Language Center
Written by Ralph Shelton   
Thursday, 30 April 2009 16:00
Take a moment to think about our Language Center. I haven't updated you in a few months, and now it's time to report to you on our status, our future, and also some opportunities to support our Center efforts.

First, we've grown. We've grown quite a bit. When I took over the position of President, we were typically serving 8 to 10 kids, with a waiting list of about 10, and we had just one person working in the Center- Gina Nimmo. Now, we still have Gina, and have added an Administrative Assistant and two interns, with plansto add another Assistant Speech Language Professional (ASLP). By using our resources efficiently, we're now able to serve more than 35 children, and I'm very proud of that progress.

Of course, I hear often about the effects of the economy, and am reminded that while our investments have done well in the past, that's not currently the case. Our investment accounts have lost some ground. But not matter what happens with the stock market, there are still many children who are very much in need of the services of our Center. The reality is simple - no matter what happens with the economy, children need us, and we're going to continue to meet that need.

You see, a child who doesn't speak misses a tremendous number of opportunities. They're not part of the main stream youth, and they miss out on an educational opportunity as well as workplace advancement. As they mature, they are less likely to be productive members of society, and if they're not treated in childhood, their adult life will largely be one of solitude. Take a moment and let that sink in. Make a list of the jobs available to someone who doesn't speak effectively. It's a pretty short list.

Investing in these children now will yield a tremendous return in the future. They'll become valued employeesas adults, they'll have the opportunity to become educated and skilled, and to, in turn, make their contribution to the economy. When times are lean, we have all the more reason to invest in these children.

Our Center is, I am happy to report, still financially sound. Our bylaws require us to maintain at least two years anticipated expenses on deposit with the Foundation, and we have double that. Our services to the children are indeed assured. But we also need to grow, and to continue to grow our investments. Your Center Board has outlined a conservative growth plan that will increase our capacity by expanding our hours of operation as well as our staff. Our presence is becoming known in the community, and we are having a measurable impact.

In addition to expanding the services of the Center, we are reaching out to the community. We have commenced efforts to form a Community Advisory Committee, to help us reach out and to feed back to us the community outlook. We plan to utilize that Advisory group to expand our fundraising efforts into additional events that will involve the community, in the same way that our Golf Tournament does.

That's what we've been up to these past few months, and this is a very exciting time. But the backbone of the Center support has always been, and will always be, the Valley membership. In that regard, it's time to reach out to the brethren with a reminder of the need for their support, and to communicate to each of you the ways you can help. This month, I'd like to focus on direct gifts. Direct Donations - The 365 Club, continuing donations, and one-time donations.

When you visit our Center web page, you'll see that there is a link for giving. There you can click on the gift you choose, and make a donation.  The 365 Clubis, in short, a dollar a day that you give to the Center. It's a one-time payment of $365, and, as you know, almost every cent of that money goes directly to treatment of the children. We have several members who have been members of that "club" for a few years now, and you'll soon see recognition for them. It's a good time to join the club, and each year that you maintain your membership you'll be recognized.

If you're in a position to make a donation that's larger than $365, you'll still be a member of the club, and it's just as easy to do. Select the appropriate link, and fill in the amount you choose. Of course, you'll be recognized, but more importantly you'll be enabling us to continue this important work. The third direct gifting option you'll find on the web page is my favorite- the recurring gift. Many members are not in a position to make a lump sum contribution, but a monthly payment of a lesser amount will add up over the course of a year. You can select that option, and give, say, $50.00 per month. It will be automatically charged to your credit card, and by the end of the year, you'll have contributed $600.00.

I'm hoping to see more of you subscribe to the monthly contribution plan. You can easily track your contributions on your credit card statement, and as with all contributions to the Center, they're fully tax deductible.

Here's a question for you to ponder. How much do you spend each month on Cable TV? I know what I spend, and it comes out to a few dollars a day for a zillion channels I don't watch and high speed internet service. I think I deserve it- I work pretty hard, and I like watching movies and surfing the net after a day of toiling. For that same expense, I could also make a big impact when it comes to our Center. But a closer look will show you how a few of us doing the same can translate into thousands of hours of treatment.

Our children receive both individual and group treatment. When a clinician works one-on-one with a boy or girl, that's one hour of treatment. When they work with a group of, say, 5 children, each kid gets an hour of treatment for every hour the clinician expends. So say we add a clinician to the staff, and that clinician treats 5 hours individually and 5 hours in groups of 5 children each week. That's 10 hours worked, and 30 hours of treatment received. Over a 50 week period, that comes to 1500 hours of treatment. If ten of us contribute the amount of our cable bill each month, we've just covered the cost of an enormous number of treatment hours, grown the Center's ability to treat, and set aside some money for the future. In the process, we've given children opportunities they'd never have had otherwise, earned a tax deduction, and taken a very real and affirmative step in shaping our society for the better.

Visit the Valley website (it's at http://www.savalley.org ) and you'll see the link for "Online SRF Donations". Click on that, and you're ready to make your selection. At that point, you can choose to make a difference in the lives of children, and in our future.

Ralph C. Shelton
President, Childhood Language Center
 

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