2018 Annual Report
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Fellow Members and Friends of the Bittersweet Community,
Hello and Happy Spring! As we welcome the change of seasons, I reflect upon another successful year at Bittersweet Farms and remain keenly aware that our success is only made possible through the continued commitment and support of so many wonderful people working together to positively impact the amazing individuals we serve, and I am grateful to each of you.
2018 was a busy year filled with activity, progress, and accomplishment. In addition to the countless positive achievements made by our participants and team members each day, there were many highlights for the organization over the past year, including:
Completion of the Bittersweet Gardens building addition, made possible through the very generous support of donors. This renovation greatly expands the work and storage spaces for the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, facilitates increased participation, improves product quality, and limits loss of product to spoilage.
Holding our annual leadership retreat over the summer, facilitated by the Impact Group out of Cleveland. It was an inspiring day focused on nurturing a positive work culture in fun and creative ways. We have already seen a tremendous value in implementing the ideas and tools gained from this experience.
The success of the “Bittersweet Music Vine”, which was created and coordinated by our day program team and consists of a different local musical act kindly performing free of charge every Friday at 11:00. This event has quickly grown in popularity with attendees and artists alike, necessitating a move from our pavilion at the farm to the theater inside the Grand Rapids Town Hall during the winter months. After establishing the event at this location over a small number of weeks, the Grand Rapids Arts Council and the Grand Rapids Historical Society graciously offered to cover the expense of leasing the theater and utilities for the event moving forward.
Continued implementation of emerging technology to improve several areas of operation, including new platforms for electronic medical administration records (e-MAR), work order requests, “client information”, and vehicle scheduling, respectively. We also invested in an online library of interactive professional development trainings with Relias software, including newly required trainings for experienced Direct Support Professionals to qualify for wage increases under the recent Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities rule.
Hosted the successful “Celebrating Possibilities” spring fundraiser. Many thanks to our tremendous volunteers, sponsors and, of course, all attendees. Be sure to mark your calendars for this year’s event on May 23rd!
Implementing and applying our 2018 – 2022 Strategic Plan, with focus areas of Quality, Funding, Visibility and Growth, while giving flexibility for periodic adjustments as needed.
It is important to note that we have achieved success in spite of mounting challenges, the most serious of which continues to be in the areas of workforce availability and retention, insufficient funding for services, and
adaptation to an ever changing and increasingly complex service industry. As these fronts are interdependent, so too are their resolutions. While increasing attention and effort to these issues at the state and federal level gives reason for hope, and we have made promising gains thus far, we must continue to be vigilant now and in the future to combat these challenges head on, especially in light of the compounding workforce shortages forecasted for the future.
Despite these challenges, I remain confident that we will continue to accomplish our mission given that we remain united in our cause to realize the full value, potential, and promise of Bittersweet Farms, and that of the people we serve. Many thanks to our dedicated employees for your daily commitment and compassion, our fantastic professional partners and community stakeholders with whom we collaborate, our awesome volunteers who so kindly give of their time and talents and our immensely generous donors who value, support, and enable our delivery of quality services. Above all, I humbly thank our participants and their families for choosing Bittersweet as a service provider, and positively impacting all of our lives in turn.
Dustin Watkins
Executive Director
