A Message from our Leadership Team
Moving beyond the flood toward the future
The Fiscal Year 2009, which began July 1, 2008, found Waypoint still reeling from the disastrous flood in June. Not only were our buildings not habitable due to the extensive damages in the basements of the Madge Phillips Center and the main Waypoint building, but many of our colleagues had lost their homes in the flood. We were faced with countless unknowns as we began the recovery process. It was a time of uncertainty for not only Waypoint, but the entire community.
Friends and strangers offered help. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church welcomed our Uptown Kids Child Development Center for over two months. Many organizations and businesses offered financial help and volunteers. Two months later we reoccupied the main building and in October 2008 the Madge Phillips Center shelter opened, once again providing shelter to women and children in need. Full restoration of both basements was completed in August 2009, including replacement of our steam heating system.
The flood inflicted $1.2 million in damages to the facilities. We expended almost $500,000 in reserve funds and took on an equal amount of debt in a loan from the Small Business Administration. Very little of our expenses were reimbursed by FEMA. However, thanks to the extraordinary financial support from the community, our financial position is still relatively good.
Not even a historic flood could stop the Waypoint team. In July 2008 we formed a new for-profit subsidiary, Waypoint Kids, which manages two child care centers for AEGON USA/Transamerica. Later that summer, we opened the second of those centers, ParkRidge Kids, located on AEGON’s Financial Park on the south side of Cedar Rapids.
In October 2008 we began a planning process for merging the Madge Phillips Center shelter and daytime resource program and Victim’s Services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault into one cohesive division. Over time, we had identified that the lives of most of our clients, regardless of point of entry, had multiple challenges that often crossed over department lines. We spent the remainder of 2008 and well into 2009 identifying how we could better serve our clients with a more comprehensive, holistic service model. With the endorsement of all of our funding agencies and the Waypoint Board of Directors and Board of Trustees, we began implementation early in Fiscal Year 2010.
The word waypoint, means “a point along a journey.” In July 2008, we were at a point of uncertainty, with no option but to keep moving forward. Now, as we begin a new decade, Waypoint is a much stronger, confident organization that continues on its journey of serving women and their families. It is because of you, our donors, and the confidence you place in us that we will continue to build and strengthen Waypoint’s mission of helping thousands of women and children succeed in their own life journeys. On their behalf, we thank you.
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Liz Hoskins
Executive Director |
Clayton Parks
President,
Board of Directors |
Terri Christoffersen
Chair,
Board of Trustees |