2022 Year End Report
I am writing to you at the end of a very busy and productive year. Below I’ll report on what we’ve done this year and where we plan to go in 2023. Before I get to that, I want to express my deep appreciation for your support for Project Beacon Texas in 2022. As you will see in the following paragraphs, we are off to a strong start on our mission to build and sustain a safe, caring, and vibrant community for adults with autism and other neurodiversities. NONE of this would have been possible without YOU. Your financial and other support has enabled us to build a strong foundation upon which we can move forward on our journey. All of us on the Project Beacon Texas Board want to express how moved and grateful we are to you. We are indeed on the move!
Now, to share some highlights of what we did in 2022:
We added two new board members, both subject matter experts in autism and neurodiversities. Dr. Amy Wood and Dr. Annie Kennelly-Helms have immediately impacted our work. Because of their involvement, we plan to offer day programming in the 2nd half of 2023 that will provide workshops and engagement opportunities to the people we seek to serve. We are actively working to finalize some exciting collaborations to help us deliver these programs to our community.
We secured our own tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. While this milestone does not change our current arrangement with Players Philanthropy Fund (PPF), our fiscal sponsor, it does provide us the future opportunity to take donations directly when we feel the time is right to become independent of PPF.
We have continued to build our network and expand our collaboration. We have engaged substantively with organizations such as The Grove, Texas Autism Academy, and Interfaith of The Woodlands to explore ways to work together in the future to serve our community. The enthusiasm of these and other potential partners and collaborators have heartened us.
We held three successful fundraising events in 2022. Our first was at the Glade Arts Foundation in March and introduced Project Beacon to The Woodlands Community. Our 2nd was a golf tournament in June 2022, which was very successful, particularly for an initial event. And many of you attended and supported our fall event – Havana Nights. We raised over $100,000 at Havana Nights, and plans are already underway for an even more successful event next fall.
In August, we held an event at Truluck’s in Hughes Landing, honoring the parents of students at Texas Autism Academy and The Grove. The evening introduced Project Beacon to these families and helped us find opportunities to support them as we move forward.
We have contracted with a professional grant writer to assist us in engaging with area foundations and submitting grant applications to support our work. Great news – in November 2022, we were notified by the Montgomery County Community Foundation that we were the recipient of grant funds that will enable us to purchase and utilize technology to build a strong foundation for Project Beacon!
We conducted several benchmarking visits to existing communities to learn best practices and assess the various operating models they are using. This information is helping shape our programming and site development work.
We have begun engaging with local and county government officials to share our story and mission and to enlist their support. These efforts will continue in 2023.
We have engaged with the local business and philanthropic community to build our network and bring them on as supporters. As an example, we have joined The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce.
WHEW!
We are on firm financial footing, with over $111,000 on hand. This is the result of event sponsorships, underwriting, and individual donations. To date, we have 155 individual donors to Project Beacon, and we are grateful for every one of you.
We have big plans for 2023 as well.
We will continue our outreach to the local community, business leaders, and Houston-area foundations. We plan to submit several grant applications to area foundations in 2023. As we build connections to these leaders and foundations, outreach will be an area of focus for us.
In 2023 our goal is to onboard professional staff and deliver quality educational and enrichment programs. To do this we will continue our fundraising efforts. We aim to raise $450,000 in 2023.
We plan to hold at least two “major” fundraising events in 2023. We will have a golf tournament (location TBD) in late Spring and another “gala” in the fall. We are already reaching out to potential chairs and sponsors for these events.
We plan to hold several information events for potential supporters to share our story further.
We will continue to refine our vision and architectural master plan for our intentional residential community with Woodlands-based Vanderwahl Architects.
It has been an incredibly busy and rewarding year. Thank you for being so supportive. We will continue to need that support in 2023 and beyond. We hope you will consider financially supporting our work and volunteering your time and talents.
You can speak for them when they can’t. You can let them know that they are not alone. You can help us build safe homes and vibrant futures for our adults living with autism and other neurodiversities. Give today and consider giving throughout the year.
Our very best wishes for a happy and healthy Holiday season and our deep appreciation for all you do. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
With deepest gratitude –
Kelly Baughman
President and CoFounder
