therapeutic & educational programs2019/07/01 · melissa f. dimotta daniel h. gorton, msw sonya...

��THERAPEUTIC & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS��

THERAPEUTIC & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMSInspired by Children and Families

Annual Report 2020 | July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020

FROM THE BOARD

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJohn R. Layton CFA, ChairJason H. Jenkins, Vice ChairErna Schwartz Place, PhD, SecretaryWendy W. Paul, MSHA, Treasurer

Lillian Sober Ain, PhDDiana Manchester Barrett, MSW, MBASharon Carleton, RNMelissa F. DiMottaDaniel H. Gorton, MSWSonya HamoriJack Harrington, MBAMichael P. McArdleJames Montgomery-Hyde, MA

Michael B. Moskow, TrusteeRosa Nicolazzo-DiamondDaniel S. RelihanShimna SameerSteven M. Tannenbaum, Trustee

Directors EmeritiJ. Linzee CoolidgeDavid WhiteAnne A. Wolf

PRESIDENT & CEOGene Takahashi, PhD, LICSW, MBA

Current Board of Directors as of 2/1/2021

Dear Friends,

On behalf of everyone associated with Walker, thank you for helping us to fulfill our mission to transform the lives of children and youth through exceptional therapeutic and educational programs. You are a vital part of the caring community at Walker whose thoughtfulness and generosity have remained constant, despite the unprecedented challenges and uncertainty of this past year.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March demanded adjustments to Walker’s normal operations, and I am pleased and proud that everyone—senior leaders, teachers and staff, children and parents—rose to the challenge, enabling us to continue to deliver Walker’s essential services for those in need. The dedication and tremendous efforts of our compassionate staff and the steadfast leadership of Walker’s Board of Directors joined together to help guide our organization as we navigated new pathways to success. It is my hope that you will enjoy reading about Walker’s programs and the achievements that highlight the resilience of those we serve. I also hope you will take great pride in the difference your generosity and involvement have made in the lives of children and families.

With the encouragement and support of the entire Walker community, we look ahead—as we always have at Walker—with hope.

Sincerely,

Jake LaytonChair, Walker Board of Directors

ABOUT WALKER

OUR PROGRAMS

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Community-Based and Intensive Acute Treatment

Therapeutic Residential Treatment Program

Walker Trieschman Institute for Permanency

Therapeutic After-School Program

Walker Community Counseling

Founded in 1961, Walker Therapeutic & Educational Programs (Walker) is a leading nonprofit organization providing comprehensive programming in the

fields of child welfare, children’s behavioral health, and special education. Walker provides high-quality, evidence-informed supports and services to children and families from over 150 communities throughout Massachusetts.

Walker’s portfolio of programs includes a full array of residential, school programs, outpatient, home-based, consulting, training, and community-based services. Through these services, we are able to realize our mission to transform the lives of children and youth facing complex emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. We partner with children, their families and their communities to nurture hope, build strengths, and develop lifelong skills.

Group Home

Walker Consulting

The Walker School

Walker Beacon School

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26%

14%

5%

3%

47%

3%1%

<1%1%

The Walker School


Needham Residential Programs

Community-Based Acute Treatment/Group Home

Walker Trieschman Institute


Other

Advancement

FINANCIAL REPORT

WALKER REVENUE BY SOURCETuition Reimbursement 11,629,000Department of Children & Families 6,543,000 Third Party Billing 3,533,000 Donor Contributions 1,249,000 Other Revenue 781,000 Department of Mental Health 649,000 Contracts with Local Education Agencies 272,000 Private Clients 60,000 Total Revenue $24,716,000

WALKER REVENUE

WALKER EXPENSES

The Walker School (19%)


Advancement (5%)

Advancement (2%)


(15%)


(14%)

Fiscal Year 2020

26%

14%

5%

3%

47%

3%1%

<1%1%

The Walker School






Other

Advancement

26%

14%

5%

3%

47%

3%1%

<1%1%

The Walker School






Other

Advancement Walker Beacon School (13%)

Walker Beacon School (12%)

Residential Programs (39%)


Walker Trieschman Institute (2%)

Walker Trieschman Institute (2%)

Walker Community Counseling (7%)

Walker Community Counseling (7%)

Administrative & General (19%)

Advancement

*Numbers have been rounded to nearest thousandth

FORE THE CHILDREN GOLF TOURNAMENTOctober 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the Fore the Children Golf Tournament, celebrating three decades of advocacy and support for Walker’s

life-changing programs. More than 100 golfers played a round at Dedham Country and Polo Club followed by a dinner awards reception with prizes for top players. Thanks to our committee, sponsors, players, and volunteers, we raised $140,000! Thank you to our Golf Committee:

WALKER WISHES HOLIDAY TOY DRIVEThe generosity of volunteers and donors for the Walker Wishes Holiday Toy Drive continues to grow every year! Individuals, corporate and community partners donated thousands of toys and gifts to benefit children

served by Walker’s residential, educational, and community-based programs. Nearly 100 volunteers donated their time in December 2019 to sort and wrap the toys.

TEAM WALKERAlthough the Boston Marathon® did not take place this year, our incredible runners and supporters raised more than $155,000 for Walker! Thank you

to Adam, Carly, Dan, Gil, Jenn, Kate, Mark, Michelle, Mu, and Paul who diligently trained and fundraised in preparation for the 2020 Boston Marathon. We appreciate your dedication, and we are grateful to you and our amazing Team Walker marathon donors who raised critical funds to support Walker.

LIVES IN BLOOM GALAFor the wellbeing of everyone involved, our May 2020 Lives in Bloom Gala was canceled. We look forward to celebrating Walker’s mission on a later date and recognizing Maureen O. Kelly, EdD with Walker’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award for her extraordinary service and support of children and families. Thank you to our Gala

Committee for their support and guidance during this unpredictable year.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

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TEAMWALKER

Robert Lavelle, ChairMatt Siciliano, Chair Rodney LukowskiMike McArdle

Tom McCloskeyAJ RobichaudColin RyanDeke Schultze

Paul ShorthoseJeff ShutePete Simone

Shimna Sameer, ChairJack Harrington

Amy JohnsonWendy Paul

AJ RobichaudJanet Ryan






HIGHLIGHTS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2020

IMPACT Directly served 722 children and families through Walker programs

Helped hundreds more through family support groups and provider trainings

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Thank you for helping Walker deliver highly specialized therapeutic and educational services to children and families facing mental health,

emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. With your support, we continue to strive toward our vision that every child will thrive in their family, home and community.

WORKFORCE Employed an average of 288 employees throughout the year

REACH Supported children and families from 150 communities in Massachusetts

59%

of children served

in the Therapeutic

Residential Treatment

Program and Group

Home who were in

state custody went

to live with a family

after they left Walker.

100% of Walker Beacon graduates

had a plan for after graduation

of post-secondary school,

work, or gap year. 56% were

already enrolled in a two- or

four-year college program at

the time of graduation.

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OUTCOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2020

93% of

children served in

the Therapeutic

Residential

Treatment Program

and Group Home …

99% of

children served in

Community-

Based and

Intensive Acute

Treatment …

stepped down to a less intensive setting when they left Walker.

+

61% of Walker School students

made at least half a year’s growth in reading

and 42% of students made at least

half a year’s growth in math, remarkable

achievements given the significant learning

challenges they face.

Expanded access to community-based mental health services with 78% growth in the number of people served by

Walker Community Counseling.

69% of day students at The Walker School

gained the skills they needed to move on

to a less intensive school setting.

TRANSFORMING WALKER’S ESSENTIAL SERVICES DURING COVID-19

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Throughout the pandemic, Walker transformed essential services to meet the needs of children and families. Masks, social distancing, as well as increased

hand washing and disinfecting quickly became a regular part of everyday work.

Our residential and acute treatment programs continued to serve children ages 3 to 14 on-site. We adjusted our educational programs at The Walker School (grades K-8) and Walker Beacon School (grades 7-12) to include remote learning. Students whose learning plans include specialized services such as occupational therapy and speech and language therapy received those services virtually as well. All clinicians in Walker’s outpatient mental health programs provided telehealth services to deliver critical therapeutic support.

Our staff members found innovative ways to engage with children and families. In June, groups of Walker School teachers decorated their cars and drove past their students’ homes to show encouragement before the end-of-year virtual moving on and graduation ceremony. Walker Beacon School’s graduation ceremony was completely virtual, featuring individual awards for each graduate. Children in our residential programs remained on-site during the pandemic, as off-campus activities and community outings were suspended due to safety and social distancing practices. Therefore, we prioritized improvements to our Needham campus over the summer and completed a variety of projects, including enhancing and adding to our playgrounds and play areas, and

purchasing new bikes, scooters, sprinklers, and outdoor games.

The entire Walker Community worked together to provide seamless services throughout this challenging year and adapt our programming to meet the emerging and critical needs of children and families.

WALKER CONSULTING: SHARING OUR EXPERTISE

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We continue to proudly share our expertise with other child welfare organizations, both within Massachusetts and outside, on practices

that improve permanency outcomes for children in need of adoptive families. Throughout fiscal year 2020, Walker Consulting supported six organizations in Massachusetts in meeting their permanency goals, including engaging in family finding practices to identify and connect youth with family and other adult resources. These collaborative efforts strengthen our collective voice and help to establish best practices.

Additionally, Walker coordinated a professional development program for 30 schools and districts in Massachusetts striving to create safe and supportive school environments that promote the social-emotional well-being of students, families, and staff. This series of workshops featured topics such as understanding the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL) for all, embedding SEL core competencies in curricula and lesson planning, and developing and/or deepening partnerships with community-based mental health providers. As the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in school closures across the state and there was increasing national discourse about racial injustice, the program shifted to address these issues as well, with a particular emphasis on equipping teachers and other school staff to discuss these important topics with students in a meaningful and effective way.

EXPANDING COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO THE SOUTH SHORE

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Over the past several years, Walker has expanded access to community-based mental health services through the growth of Walker Community

Counseling (WCC). WCC provides outpatient therapy for individuals, couples, and families, and offers specialized behavioral health services through the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI). CBHI ensures that children and youth have access to comprehensive, coordinated behavioral health services in their communities.

Walker opened a satellite office in Braintree, creating a new team to serve children and families in communities on the South Shore including Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth. With this expansion, we increased our capacity to deliver services, and enhanced our ability to provide services that are linguistically and culturally competent. Clinical services are typically provided in family homes and in community locations.

At the onset of the pandemic, WCC shifted to provide telehealth services offered via telephone and video conferencing. Clinicians and staff adapted creatively to find ways to connect meaningfully with children and families. For example, therapeutic mentors delivered baking kits and other activities to children’s homes so that they could work on projects together during their telehealth sessions.

During their first year of operation in fiscal year 2020, the South Shore team supported nearly 200 people. Walker is planning for continued growth in future years, anticipating these services will remain in high demand.

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THANK YOU WALKER VOLUNTEERS!

We started off this fiscal year with volunteers donating their time and energy with us in-person and at our 2019 events. With the onset of the

pandemic in March 2020, our in-person volunteer activities were paused, but we were grateful to see our amazing volunteers continue to support Walker in other creative ways. We appreciate all of you and hope to see you in person again soon!

140+ VOLUNTEERS

500+ HOURS

DONATED

OUR GRATITUDE:

IMMEASURABLE

THANK YOUThank you to our community of supporters! With your help, children

and families receive the support they need to build their brightest

futures. We are grateful for the many ways you partner with Walker to

transform the lives of children and families facing complex emotional,

behavioral, and learning challenges.

Walker Therapeutic and Educational Programs is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

WalkerCares.org

therapeutic & educational programs2019/07/01 · melissa f. dimotta daniel h. gorton, msw sonya...

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