We Believe in Hope, Humanity and Serving People
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RADICALLY HUMAN We believe in hope, humanity and serving people. 2016 ANNUAL REPORT A Letter from Our CEO Despite the challenges we face in this country and in Table of Contents this region, people still manage to care for and support one another. Houstonians always seem to step up to A Letter from Our CEO ........................................................2 the challenge, whether it’s helping save lives during a natural disaster or voicing our opinions about policies Financials ....................................................................3 that affect our region. But they also support and encourage one another when things are going well. Introduction .................................................................5 There are many unreported stories of people helping each other and striving to make their neighborhoods Earn .........................................................................6 safer, welcoming and vibrant. Fueling Houston’s Entrepreneurial Aspirations Innovation in Community Tax Centers Learn .......................................................................10 Charter Schools Rooted in Community Head Start For 110 years, our work has been a response to what’s Adult Education happening in the world. We adapt our programs and services to serve the current needs of our neighbors. Belong ......................................................................14 We work to help peoples’ voices be heard, find living- Helping Newcomers Find Welcome wage jobs and feel welcome. Giving Older Adults a Sense of Belonging Supporting Caregivers Helps Strengthen Communities We bring people together to focus on Get Involved with BakerRipley ...............................................18 what unites us—the universal human aspirations to earn, learn and belong. 2016 was a tumultuous year. If there was ever a time when we needed to be reminded of our shared humanity, it is now. I call it being “radically human.” At BakerRipley we stand with our neighbors because of This spirit of “we’re in this together” happens daily in our shared beliefs about people and community. the communities BakerRipley serves. Seeing neighbors living as friends makes the work we do worthwhile. —Angela Blanchard, President and CEO 1 2 Executive Leadership Team Kirk Rummel Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Angela Blanchard Rene Solis BAKERRIPLEY LEADERSHIP President and CEO Senior Vice President of Public Sector Solutions Claudia Aguirre-Vasquez Senior Vice President, Chief Program Officer AND FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP Jane Bavineau Vice President of Senior Services BakerRipley is a nationally recognized community The agency recently undertook a $50 million capital Kate Birenbaum development organization that has transformed campaign; the largest in our agency’s history, to build a Vice President of Governance neighborhoods across Houston for more than 110 years. new community center in East Aldine, expand our We’re among the top one percent of nonprofits Pasadena center to serve more people in the Ann Hilbig nationwide and have 60 + locations in the area. southeast region, support our efforts at Gulfton and Senior Vice President of Program Planning and Evaluation fund our endowment. Jeff Kramer Vice President of Fund Development We serve more than half-a-million Melissa Noriega people each year delivering innovative Vice President for Policy and Partnerships solutions that keep our region a place Stephenie Schillaci Olguin of opportunity for everyone. Vice President of Marketing and Communications Annise Parker Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer BakerRipley has been successful in attracting and leveraging private dollars to augment 36 public funding streams. In 2004, the agency held $38,569,140 in total assets. In 2016, our assets grew to $93,931,359. Since 2009, private philanthropic investment has grown 45 percent and we intend to build on these investments in the coming years. In 2018, BakerRipley will move its headquarters to a new office in the East End of Downtown Houston where our first community center, Ripley House was established. These initiatives are a testament to BakerRipley’s leadership capacity and financial stability. In the future, our leadership team will continue to guide the organization and build upon our financial The resources we secure will allow strength by working with donors, businesses and us to create and deliver flexible government agencies to secure resources. programs that meet the evolving aspirations of the people we serve. 3 4 INTRODUCTION In today’s culture, it’s easy to focus on what divides us—political affiliation, race, gender, immigration status or religious beliefs. At BakerRipley, we strive to build bridges between different people, connecting them to one another and facilitating conversations that lead to mutual understanding. We believe that our shared humanity makes us stronger and that no “ism” can withstand the power of relationship. This has been our approach to people EARN. and community for 110 years. Rooted in the Settlement House Movement, BakerRipley has always stayed true to our history of democracy and inclusion. At the end of 2016, our organization, formerly Through our recognized and unique approach to Neighborhood Centers, merged with the Daniel and community engagement, we work side-by-side with BakerRipley connects people to better paying jobs so they can earn more, Edith Ripley Foundation and we adopted a new agency community leaders and residents to discover their keep more of what they earn and spend more time with their families. name, BakerRipley—a name that reflects the enduring strengths, craft a collective vision and design programs legacy of two families whose leadership bridges more and services to create opportunities where they may Operating 11 of the busiest Workforce Solutions career At the end of the four-year program, their pay rate than a century of visionary service and connects the not have existed before. organization to our future. offices in the Houston region, in 2016 BakerRipley reaches $22.50 per hour. Once people complete the The Houston area provides the perfect environment for offered career counseling, education scholarships and program, they can take an exam to become a the work that we do. Houston is the most ethnically employment connections to more than 192,942 job journeyman electrician—earning $34 per hour or more and racially diverse metropolitan area in the United seekers. About a third of these reported a 20 percent as a journeyman with four years’ experience. States. In fact, close to one in four Houstonians is increase in income after working with us. By using good foreign born and the region will continue to attract recruiting and assessment approaches, over 75 percent Fueling Houston’s people seeking stability and opportunity. Houston is a of the people entering one of our training or certification Entrepreneurial Aspirations place where a person can start at the bottom and programs are successfully completing them. work his or her way to the top. Our city is conducive to BakerRipley’s small business program helps In 2015, BakerRipley launched ASPIRE in partnership and supportive of this type of upward mobility. entrepreneurs to create new businesses or expand with JPMorgan Chase and the Greater Houston Leaders and neighbors make a way for themselves their existing ones. Partnership. Our goal with ASPIRE is to connect 1,000 while paving a way for others. underemployed individuals to training and middle skill Houston relies on BakerRipley to connect people with careers by the end of 2018. Since our launch, 29 Since 2015, the program has helped the opportunities to be successful however they employers including Fluor, Walgreen’s, Trio Electric and choose to define it. We build on Houston’s dynamic Windcom Services saw the value in the program and launch 12 new businesses and create economy by delivering community-based solutions signed agreements to place our clients in living-wage jobs. and retain 59 jobs. that enable individuals to fulfill their aspirations to At Trio Electric, for example, apprentices start earning earn, learn and belong. $13 per hour and receive a pay raise twice a year. 5 6 Upon completion of the program, apprentices at Trio Electric can earn up to $34 per hour. One of the most prominent features of the new community center will be the new Fab Lab, a digital Tax Centers The initiative is possible thanks to a makerspace. BakerRipley is committed to the hard-working partnership between BakerRipley, Chevron and the Fab families of Houston who need every dollar of their Our new East Aldine Community Campus and the Lab Foundation. It is one of the eleven Fab Labs that Innovation in Community tax refund, which can represent up to two months programs that will be offered there are designed to Chevron is bringing to areas where the company operates of earnings. Gross tax refunds directly impact the support residents’ entrepreneurial spirit and desire for When BakerRipley first started working in East Aldine, as a result of its strong commitment to communities. Houston economy by returning money back to local self-sufficiency. The center will have programs focused people wondered, “Why?” “We believe that STEM education is vital to innovation, businesses. on small business incubation, workforce readiness and to the ability to create good jobs and to maintaining our a Maker Market for residents to learn, make and sell. In addition to being a trusted provider of free said This unincorporated area