Quarterly Newsletter                                             JAN - MAR 2024

Jason Ashbrook, President/CEO

From the President's Desk...👨‍💼 

I am excited to share my first official entry in the Bawac Bulletin!  But first, a BIG shout-out to our retired President & CEO, Ken Schmidt.  Ken is one of the region’s foremost pioneers, innovators, and champions of creating opportunities for individuals of all abilities.  Bawac and the Northern Kentucky community are stronger because of Ken’s leadership.  

Now, on to some highlights from the past three months... Community Rehabilitation, Adult Day Training, and Life Transitions Services have seen increases in new clients, lifting our total onsite clients up to pre-COVID levels.  Supported Employment, the program focused on helping individuals obtain and retain competitive employment in the local community, has experienced an increase in referrals and clients served, while maintaining a nearly 80% retention rate of clients working in competitive employment.  We also had a great Open House event for our Norse Project Search program to recruit for the 2024-2025 school year, in partnership with NKU and Campbell County Schools.  Our Production services continue to provide exceptional services for our business partners, including Toyota.  Our Transportation services are thriving, serving over 220 people/day to and from competitive employment, day and/or training programs, and non-emergency medical trips. 

We also welcomed three new individuals to our Board of Directors, including Dr. LaVette Burnette (NKU), Nancy Spivey (NKY Chamber), and Canis Wirth (Commonwealth of KY, ret.).  Special thanks to Megan O’Brien (Current HR) and Corey Sidebottom (First National Bank) for their outstanding leadership and service as they completed their second terms.   

I am grateful to our clients, team members, and board of directors for the opportunity to serve this amazing organization.  I also want to thank our generous volunteers, donors, business customers, and community partners for your unwavering support of our mission to transform barriers into opportunities!

Looking forward to what's ahead in 2024!

-Jason

The Living Legend, Ken Schmidt, Retires...🎉

On December 12th, our Original President and Founder Ken Schmidt officially retired and received a proclamation from the City of Florence declaring December 12th "Ken Schmidt Day".   Later in the week, he was given a special sendoff by his BAWAC family.  There's no doubt Ken has made a lasting impression on countless lives who have been forever changed because of his vision and lifelong commitment.  Vince Lombardi said, "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender", and after dedicating fifty years to what once was a dream, Ken can attest to that sentiment.  Congratulations, Ken!  You rock!

Welcoming New Team Members at BAWAC...🤗

Bookkeeper Barry Scott.  Barry joined the BAWAC team in May of 2023 and holds the role of Bookkeeper in the Accounting Department.  Barry’s work history and educational background is in sales, however he stepped up to the challenge in transitioning to an accounting role.  Barry has been known to enjoy a Skyline 3 way and cheese coney on occasion and is a Bengals fan.  What goes better with a Bengals game than Skyline?  Barry has been a wonderful addition to the agency within the accounting department.  We are thrilled to have him at BAWAC!

Supported Employment Specialist Dawn Goodness.  Dawn started with BAWAC in July of 2023 and is the latest member to join our Supported Employment staff as an Employment Specialist.  Although originally from Long Island, NY,  Dawn has called Kentucky home for many years.  She recently retired from the educational system where she taught in Union, KY and served as a Special Education Team Teacher.  She has been active with Special Olympics as a Bowling Coach since 2014.  Dawn has adapted to her role quickly and has become a wonderful addition to the Supported Employment team.  

Executive Administrative Assistant Mindy Nemoff.  Mindy joined the BAWAC team on November 27th as an Executive Administrative Assistant.  Mindy resides in Cincinnati and is extremely motivated with 15+ years’ experience in executive administrative roles, with the majority being in the non-profit sector.  Mindy has several hobbies, including crafting.  She has a passion for helping people in all walks of life, which made her a natural fit for BAWAC and our mission.  Mindy's acute attention to detail, outgoing personality, and positive energy have been a wonderful addition to the BAWAC team!

Contracted Partner (Accounting) Patricia B. Hassel.  Patricia ("Patty") joined the BAWAC team in November, in partnership with Excelsior Accounting Services.  She has extensive fiscal/accounting experience and has also served as the CFO for other non-profits.  She's proven to be a fantastic support to BAWAC, and our Accountant Megan Kannady.  Patty has shared great insights on best practices, fiscal controls, and efficiencies.  We're thankful to have her on the team!

Board of Directors Updates: Welcoming New Board Members, Recognizing Outgoing Members...📢

New Board Member: Dr. LaVette Burnette, Northern Kentucky University (NKU).  Dr. Burnette has over 20 years of experience in higher education.  She serves as the Director of LGBTQA+ Student Initiatives with NKU.

New Board Member: Nancy Spivey, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.  Nancy is a regional workforce development leader and strategist, with additional backgrounds in marketing and community development.  Nancy serves as the Vice President of Talent Strategies for the NKY Chamber.

New Board Member: Canis Wirth, Commonwealth of Kentucky, Office of Employment and Training (retired).  Canis served as the Regional Trade Facilitator, Office Administrator/Manager, and Employment Specialist; she also served on the NKY Workforce Investment Board. 

Outgoing Board Member: Corey Sidebottom,  Marketing Manager for First National Bank of Kentucky.  Corey served two terms on BAWAC's Board of Directors and will remain an active member of the Finance Committee.  He has been a committed friend and an inexhaustible champion for our purpose! 

Outgoing Board Member: Megan O'Brien, COO for Current HR.  Megan served two terms on BAWAC's Board of Directors and will remain an active member of the Personnel Committee.  Her expertise and support have been invaluable assets for our organization!

Hitting the Mark... 🎯

Community Rehabilitation (CRS) -  CRS welcomed three new clients into their base program and one new client into Life Transitions in November.  A group of Campbell County High School students recently toured our facility as prospective program candidates.     

Supported Employment -  Referrals are on the upswing for Supported Employment services.  A handful of new placements were made successfully since October.  Open House for Norse Project SEARCH was November 16th.  A Project SEARCH alumni graduate was the guest of honor and shared her success story with potential program applicants.  Read more here. 

Production - Our Production Department has kept our client employees busy the past few months with several recurring work orders for assembly and packaging services.  Most recently, they've assembled wall calendars to be bound for a local company.  There are also potential new production jobs on the horizon for the new year. 

Businesses, do you need production support, including assembly, packaging, and/or light manufacturing, with optimal quality and timeliness?  Contact production@bawac.org and let us know what we can do for YOU!

Transportation - Our Transportation Department has been very busy, adding more passengers to their daily routes and more vans to our fleet, including adding an accessible van for CRS community activities.  A growing need in Pendleton county has them working on a hub in Falmouth. 

If you'd like to drive for us, or work as a Transportation Specialist, please visit bawac.org/careers or click the "Apply Now" button in the We're Hiring section below!

Fundraising... 💰

The 2023 BAWAC Holiday Stars gift campaign was a success!  Thanks to all of our family and friends who donated and purchased gift tags we were able to purchase gifts for all of our client-employees to enjoy this season.  Special thanks to Chris Owens from Taylor Oswald for donating a plethora of collectibles to distribute between our gift programs throughout the year!

Our first Deck the Y'alls fundraiser night on Saturday, December 2nd was an opportunity to help supplement our gift campaign this year.  We sold enough tickets to provide revenue for three gifts,  and the event provided a fun holiday activity for some of our BAWAC clients, family and staff.  We are grateful to those who participated.

Save the Dates... 📅

• BAWAC's Annual Charity Golf Outing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11th at Boone Links Golf & Event Center with guest host Lewis Johnson.  

Our Facebook Page has Moved...🚚

Access to our original Facebook page was lost in late October and we need rebuild our following!  Please click here for a link to our new page location to Like, Follow, and Share with friends.  You can "unfollow" or "unlike" our old page here to help steer the analytics in the right direction.  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, and hope that we'll see all of our faithful friends (and then some) keeping up with us on our new site!  

We're Hiring! 💪

Come join the BAWAC family and take part in transforming barriers into opportunities for adults with disabilities and other barriers to employment! 

​​​​​We are currently accepting applications for the following positions:

• Transportation Drivers
• Transportation Specialist
• Driver-Shipping & Receiving-Material Handler
• Supported Employment Specialist

Click below to obtain an application.  Email to info@bawac.org or submit in person M-F 8a-4p.  

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