Chairperson's Report

The Horizon Achievement Centre is now in its 20th year of operation. In November, we will be holding festivities for two days to celebrate this momentous occasion.
      The past year has been a busy one as clients and staff continue to produce quality products and deliver quality service.
      In 2003 we entered into a joint partnership with the Department of Community Services and Human Resource Service Development. This partnership provided us with the means to address the growing demand for direct employment services by providing training to adults experiencing multiple barriers to employment.
      The Work Activity Centre, located on 77 Kings Road, was officially opened in November of 2003 by the Hon. Minister of Community Services, David Morse and Member of Parliament Mark Eyking. The first two groups of participants completed their program this year and many are now working in the community. A sincere congratulations to all participants and staff.
      In 2003, the roof of the building had to be replaced. This was achieved by a partnership with the Kinsmen Club of Sydney, Human Resource Service Development and the Society.
      The main issues facing us at present are the need for more space to accommodate the increase in the demand for service, our aging population and increased productivity. Faced with this dilemma, we must now decide what our options are: do we advocate for additional funding for rental facilities; can we renovate this current facility to meet this demand; or do we construct a new facility? All of these options are being carefully considered by the Board.
      As a part of this process, the Board will be looking at the possibility of starting a foundation so that funds can be raised specifically for this purpose. A meeting to discuss these options and our plans was held with the Department of Community Services, the Executive of the Board and senior staff.
      The Board continues to work with the adhoc Committee of Directions (formerly the Workshop Council of Nova Scotia) to obtain salary increases for our administrative staff. This increase is long overdue and we hope these increases will soon be forth coming.
      The Policy Committee has been meeting frequently to bring policies up-to-date and to develop new ones. Our strategic plan needs to be updated and at present we are trying to secure funding for this project
      On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to express our Thanks to our funders, the Executive Director, the staff and all clients for their continued support and dedication to the mandate of this organization.

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