STORIES of Gratitude and Inspiration

2012 ANNUAL REPORT

ENERGY ASSISTAN COM CE ENG MU AGE NIT ME Y N

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T and TAR ART D SHEAD ST Y HEA ARL
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Helping People. Changing Lives.

Helping People. Changing Lives.

Dear Friends,
Looking back over 2012, we are struck by how much was accomplished as we strove even harder to serve almost 79,000 people in Ramsey and Washington counties. The stories and data in this report communicate the work we do and the impact we have. We have grown stronger as an agency through improved processes, increased transparency, and a focus on strategic planning. Our Head Start program successfully passed the rigorous federal review with no findings in any area of child and family development. The program also received a Four Star Parent Aware rating allowing us to receive scholarship funds. While our Energy Assistance program was busy serving over 23,000 households in six different languages, they also completed the switch to digital management, processing, and storage of participants documents. Our Energy Conservation program helped participants save an average of 20% on fuel bills through home weatherization. The staff also connected two data bases resulting in significant savings in staff documentation time. Our Community Engagement program served 1,500 people through seven programs, all of which emphasized self-sufficiency and advocacy. One of the biggest efforts for the year was a focus on strategic planning. We evaluated our mission, vision and values, completed a community needs assessment, and finished by creating a new 2013-2015 strategic plan. Finally, we also received a clean financial audit for the fifth straight year. We are guided always by the principles of Community Action and are eagerly facing the future. Your help and support are critical to our success. Thank you for your commitment. Warm regards,
Clarence Hightower Executive Director Dennis Hegberg President, Board of Directors

Community Action | 2012 Annual Report

Stories of

Gratitude and Inspiration

Getting a head start
Moo Koh, a two-and-a-half-year-old little girl in Community Actions HEAD START & Early Head Start program, lived EARLY HEAD START with her family in Burmese refugee camps before moving to St. Paul last year. She was born with an ear defect that caused moderate hearing loss, as well as a mild cleft lipa condition that can make it difficult for a child to achieve proper nutrition. Moo Koh became underweight, falling below the first percentile. So Early Head Start brought together a team of experts to help her thrive. Partnering with medical services, the Department of Human Services, the Feeding Clinic and Roseville Public Schools, her family received weekly help to increase her weight, and Moo Koh was able to see an audiologist, who hopes shell have surgery on her ear before starting kindergarten. Youll be glad to hear that Moo Koh is active, curious and thriving and will move on to Head Start next year.

families served through Head Start

1,516 7,830

times parenting skills provided in Head Start

Community Action

2012 Annual Report

I feel blessed by the kindness of your organization. Its nice to see that somebody still cares in this world.

People have to know you are out here, because it can help them!

Finding FAIM
A full-time foster parent with nine children, Tara realized there COMMUNITY were very few daycare options ENGAGEMENT available for kids with special needs. Through Community Actions job-search classes, Tara heard about Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM), which is a matched savings program. Tara brought her idea of a special-needs daycare program to her FAIM program coach, who encouraged her to follow her dream. She wrote an outstanding business plan and started saving $40 each month. Ultimately, her savings were matched 3-to-1 for a total of $3,480, and she was able to start her business without loans. After Tara completed the FAIM program, she started construction in her home to meet requirement standards for her daycare facility. Even with volunteer support, funds ran low. A friend sent her story to celebrity chef Rachel Ray who responded by installing a brand new kitchen for Tara! Tara hopes her daycare will be fully operational for the 2013-2014 school year. Plus, the Mounds View School District is eager to develop a partnering contract!

people educated about voting

1,144 240

participants completed financial literacy classes

The major benefit of FAIM was the whole sense of accomplishment I wouldnt have been able to do it without my coach and the support of the program.

Helping with energy bills

Danas husband was running his own company while ENERGY Dana raised her two small ASSISTANCE children. But, when he suddenly passed away from an aneurism in 2010, Dana found herself running her husbands company. She did all she could to keep it afloat, but she had to shut the business down after ten months. Deep in debt, Dana was threatened with foreclosure (as well as a legal fight with the title insurance company). Because her financial battles were consuming so much time, she even had to turn down a job offer. Dana sought help last winter and learned about Energy Assistance through a helpline. It was fabulous, she says. Community Action gave hope to my children that there is help out there if something happens to you. With the help of Energy Assistance, Dana was able to get caught up with bills and focus on her family. Community Action also referred her to other services she wouldnt have known about otherwise. You can get help and people care, she says about Community Action.

households helped with energy assistance

23,420

households funded for energy crisis

6,307

replaced or repaired unsafe heating systems

557

All the comforts of home

ENERGY CONSERVATION
Linda, a low-income senior living in Forest Lake, had cold drafts coming from her townhouse windows and door. She contacted Community Action and received an energy assistance grant to help pay her heating bill and help with repair of her boiler.

Linda also qualified for a free energy audit and weatherization services through Community Actions Energy Conservation program. Over the next couple of months, Community Action cleaned and tuned the water heater, sealed up air leaks, and installed additional attic insulation. We also installed an energy efficient bathroom fan, an energy star refrigerator, compact fluorescent light bulbs, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and re-vented the clothes dryer. Linda also received individual education about her homes energy use. She is now part of the solution in reducing her energy bills! These improvements have made Linda significantly more comfortable. Im so grateful for all the wonderful things Community Action has done for me, she says. I feel blessed by the kindness of your organization. Its nice to see that somebody still cares in this world.

homes weatherized

337

average savings on fuel bills

20%

Making ends meet during tough times

As single mom raising two kids, Shellie worked as a secretary, and made a pretty good living. Then she retired and lived on social security and a tiny pension. But income wasnt enough to cover basic living expenses. The food shelves she tried turned her away because of eligibility requirements, and she felt she was treated poorly.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

I wouldnt have been able to negotiate this maze without Community Action as an ally. I have more peace, and its a relief to know Im okay. Im ever so grateful.

With Community Actions help, Shellie applied for food stamps. When she was denied, staff advocated for her, getting her approved for an amount that would offer relief. My Community Action coordinator is my advocate and is as caring as a friend, Shellie says. She understands the system and has a sense for what will help people. She goes beyond the call of duty. In order to supplement Shellies food stamps, Community Action helped Shellie locate a food shelf for which she was eligible, and where she could get the care and assistance she needed.

Stories of Gratitude and Inspiration

25,274
households served

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

Year ended September 30, 2012
Cash Receivables Escrow Inventory & Other Prepaid Expenses, Advances Property & Equipment, Net

Assets
$1,368,394 1,483,929 403,511 50,918 275,242 5,330,777 15.4% 16.6% 4.5% 0.6% 3.1% 59.8%

74,445
people served

Total Assets Liabilities & Net Assets

$8,912,771

100.0%

20,410

volunteer hours given to Community Action

Accounts Payable Accrued Expenses Deferred Revenue & Other Long-term Debt Unrestricted Net Assets Temporarily Restricted Net Assets

$345,963 1,754,952 154,999 1,285,000 2,571,669 2,800,188

3.9% 19.7% 1.7% 14.4% 28.9% 31.4%

Total Liabilities & Net Assets $8,912,771 100.00%

Financial Summary

Year ended September 30, 2012

Grant Revenue Program Income In-Kind Contributions Other Income

Sources of Dollars Used to Finance Operations

$19,897,663 903,319 500,545 1,055,907 89.0% 4.0% 2.3% 4.7%

Total Revenue

$22,357,434

100.0%

Expenditures by Service Group

Head Start/Early Head Start Energy Conservation Energy Assistance Property Management Planning Community Engagement Fundraising Administration $13,441,952 3,009,973 2,238,790 627,404 424,329 1,006,922 90,074 1,555,500

60.0% 13.4% 10.0% 2.8% 1.9% 4.5% 0.4% 7.0%

Total Expenses Change in Net Assets

$22,394,944 $(37,510)

100.0%

This document can be made available in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille or audio tape, by calling 651-603-5923 (voice) or via TTY through the Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.

2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Community Action has a tripartite board of directors, at least onethird representation from the community, one- third representation from the private sector, and one-third representing the public sector.

Low-Income Representatives
LEANDRA ESTIS Leading Individuals and Families Together to End Poverty RANESHA JACKSON Head Start Policy Council SHONAGH JONES Community Member TALISA LISSIMORE Head Start Policy Council JULIE MARTIGNACCO Washington County Housing and Redevelopment

Authority Resident Advisory Board, Member At- Large

SHANIKA MORRIS Head Start Policy Council

Private Sector Representatives

KEN GILCHRIST Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Secretary SHAR KNUTSON Minnesota ALF-CIO KEVIN MYREN CommonBond Communities, Treasurer KERRI SAWYER Minnesota Department of Health JASON WALKER Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Public Sector Representatives

AMY BRENDMOEN City of Saint Paul Mayors Office TONI CARTER Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, Vice President DENNIS HEGBERG Washington County Board of Commissioners, President JIM MCDONOUGH Ramsey County Board of Commissioners LEE MEHRKENS Ramsey County Board of Commissioners

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties

450 Syndicate Street North, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104 651-645-6445 www.caprw.org

06/2013-1200