ANNUAL REPORT2017-2018

Be amazed.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2

1180 STUDENTS

SOLD-OUT FUNDRAISING GALA

4,000 BLUE MARGARITAS SOLD IN SUPPORT OF BRIDGEWAY ACADEMY

105 STUDENTS USING ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION

$200K+ FINANCIAL AID GIVEN TO FAMILIES

BUILDINGS

180 STAFF

21 CLASSROOMS

FROM THE DIRECTORS:

The last 12 months have been amazing. In this, our 2017-18 annual report, we highlight some of the amazing things that we as Directors are fortunate enough to witness every day at Bridgeway Academy. These amazing moments, and the individuals that make them possible, make Bridgeway Academy the special place that it is today.

The 2017-18 year was an important one for Bridgeway Academy. We opened the Secondary School and Therapy Center – for students in grades 4 through 12. The building also houses our Vocational Skills Center, Life Skills Center, and Transition services. Opening this building gave us the opportunity to serve more students and alleviate the overcrowding at our Medary Avenue building – which now houses pre-school through grade 3.

We expanded our Board of Trustees to help us prepare for our next great adventure at Bridgeway Academy – the search for a permanent home where all our students and clients can learn under one roof.

Probably the biggest news to come out of the past year was the adoption of our brand new mission and vision statements. Our truly amazing staff bring these statements to life in both of our buildings, every single day.

None of these amazing things happen without your support. We are so grateful to everyone who contributes their time, talent, and resources - making a difference for our children. Every single contribution makes an impact in the life of Bridgeway Academy and we simply couldn’t do it without all of you.

As we look ahead to the 2018-19 school year, we will hit another major milestone in the life of our organization. We will graduate our first class of Seniors – three hardworking, amazing young people who have bright futures ahead of them.

We invite you to review this report and be amazed at the information and stories inside.

&

ABIGAIL S. DAVIDCo-Founder / Co-Executive Director

Co-Founder / Co-Executive Director

ERIN K. NEALY

STAFF

With gratitude,

AMAZING FAMILIES

The Alexander Family

“In the summer of 2017, my son Forrest was still very reluctant to be away from us – he was unsure of himself and unsure of how to interact with his peers. His speech had made some strides, but he still wasn’t dependably communicating with us or his brother in any consistent way. He didn’t appear to have interest in other modes of communication, either. He didn’t greet friends or family or engage in play with others readily.

It seemed as if he was existing on a constant hum of overload, and we knew how frustrated he was every day. We came to Bridgeway Academy with high hopes that he (and we, his parents) could develop some tools to reduce the stress that kept him from connecting with much of the world around him in ways that were meaningful to him.

Most importantly, Forrest likes himself. Nobody has tried to change him...

“ “

I can say that Forrest’s first year at Bridgeway Academy changed our lives. Receiving therapy during the school day considerably reduced stress levels for ALL of us, immediately. Forrest’s small class size and knowledgeable and compassionate team of teachers and therapists flipped his attitudes about school and therapy, and he became enthusiastic about his school day.

He began to communicate via speech dependably, and Forrest suddenly began to express his feelings more readily. Now, he tells jokes, he’s joyful and engaged, and he knows that he can count on his support team at Bridgeway Academy to help him (and us!) with nearly anything.

Most importantly, Forrest likes himself. Nobody has tried to change him, and what is most important to us about Bridgeway Academy is that every teacher, staff member, and therapist we have worked with is interested in helping Forrest be successful as who he is. That is why we’re enthusiastic about another year, and it’s also why we enrolled our youngest son, Eliot, in preschool at Bridgeway Academy as a peer model.”

– Rebecca Alexander

AMAZING EXPERIENCES

U-FITStudents from the Secondary School and Therapy Center had the opportunity to explore physical fitness in the community with outings at U-FIT in Dublin, a fitness facility built and operated specifically for people with disabilities.

COSIStudents from our Primary building go on field trips in the community to places like COSI – where they can learn about science in a hands-on way, and practice valuable social skills out in the community.

THE AWESOME COMPANYAs part of our transition-to-adulthood program, older students begin weekly internships at off-site companies. One internship partner is The Awesome Company, which is dedicated to employing people with autism.

SENSORY ROOMSThanks to the generous support of: The Country Club at Muirfield Village Foundation, our amazing #GivingTuesday donors, our Occupational Therapy team and our talented facilities staff - we were able to build custom sensory rooms in both buildings.

$9,566,321 TOTAL

Education Center $6,530,787

Therapy Center$2,558,575

Special Events(NET)/Other $118,485

Contributions $277,647Daycare

$80,827

Revenue:

Expenses:

Bridgeway Academy’s Finance Committee, chaired by the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, works closely with staff leadership to identify financial goals and objectives and manage the organization’s funds. During the 2017-18 academic year Bridgeway Academy expanded, opening the Secondary School and Therapy Center. As a result of careful, responsible planning for this growth, Bridgeway Academy remained a fiscally responsible, high-performing organization with strong financial health. Bridgeway Academy undergoes an annual financial audit led by an independent firm, to assure its financial position and compliance with generally-accepted accounting principles.

FINANCIALS

$9,187,196 TOTAL

Therapy Center $2,357,927Education Center

$5,797,084

Event & Development $112,000

Management & General $821,084Daycare

$99,101

AMAZING S T A F F

Bridgeway Academy’s AMAZING staff turn our mission, vision, and values into action every single day. In January 2018, our Board of Trustees met in retreat to discuss the past, present and future of Bridgeway Academy.

Facilitated by Mollard Consulting, the board engaged in discussion about our plans for future growth and community impact.

After much discussion, it was determined that Bridgeway Academy’s mission and vision statements should be updated to capture the spirit of the organization and its important work while looking toward a bright future for our community.

It is with great excitement that we share these new statements – we hope that you’ll be as excited as we are about this mission and vision leading us into an exciting future for Bridgeway Academy.

MISSIONInspire the potential and celebrate the ability of every child.

VISION A world of opportunity for every child and a community of support for every family.

VALUESStudent and Client Centered – Developing an individualized approach to meet educational and therapeutic goals, ensuring students and clients achieve their full potential.

Collaborative – Seeking creative ways to bring everyone’s unique talents together in order to provide outstanding educational and therapeutic opportunities.

Respectful – Interacting with and serving everyone in a manner that preserves their dignity and humanity while celebrating diversity, neuro-diversity and inclusion.

Evidence-Based – Utilizing research-based approaches and individualized data to provide best practice treatment for students and clients.

Compassionate – Empathizing with students, clients and families and providing information, time, a listening ear and safe place for them to express themselves.

Integrity –Meeting and exceeding our commitments by providing services based on sound moral principles, high ethical standards, transparency, good character and honesty.

Supportive – Providing a positive learning environment to foster growth for all.

Thank you to ALL our amazing donors who contribute their time, talent and resources, making the amazing possible.

BRIDGEWAY ACADEMY HEROES (June 1, 2017 – May 30, 2018)

Carol Argiro Lina Attaie Vanessa Barbe Sharee BrandlerEric Brewer Tammy Brinser Ken and Katie Brower Adam and Katie BrownLindsey Paden Cargill Sreerekha Char Martin and Elene Christensen Brad and Tanya CorsoKathleen David Theodore M. David Matt and Katie Del Vecchio Brian DonatoTom and Andrea Easley Stan and Jennifer Fuller Tom and Susan Goodlive Daniel and Kimberly Colwell GoreAnthony and Sarah Groh Anne Semerar-Gwin Thomas and Krista Hagans John HamiltonMark Harris Rebecca Harris Kourtni Hatton Yvette HoelyfieldMatt Huffman Mark and Laurie Huffnagle

Suryaprakash V. KavalipatiDave and Karen LawlerGreg and Rose LawyerLouis C. Buckalew and Cathi E. MehlDavid MoffattChris and Jen MoranChris McCloskeyDan MushalkoJeffrey Perko and Daniela OlsonLynn and Joe PadenEdward Lee PattonJohn and Carolyn PhillipsMichael and Rachel PiekarskiDaniel and Jennifer QuinnElizabeth RaveDavid Staley and Alexa ReckWilliam and Tina RootMike and Elexis RyanDrs. Alex and Sandra SaboJohn and Erin SamenukRobert and Mary Claire SchmidtRick and Bonnie SimonettaKevin and Cathleen SmithRyann Smith-NolfiJames and Romina Fischman-SmithDavid and Dr. Judy WestmanJames Patrick and Lorna WhyteJeff and Whitney Orr WilliamsStephen and Vicki Zwelling

*Qualified contributions are general operation support and non-restricted gifts. Sponsorships, live/silent auction and ticket purchases are not qualified contributions.

AMAZING DONOR S

We give this special recognition and thanks to Bridgeway Academy’s most generous donors: our Heroes and Superheroes.

Heroes donate a minimum of $500* annually; Superheroes donate a minimum of $1,500* annually.

BRIDGEWAY ACADEMY SUPERHEROES (June 1, 2017 – May 30, 2018)

Scott and Abigail DavidTom and Jennifer BakerJim and Michelle CroftMike FarrisBrad and Stephanie FerrellAndrew and Devon FreemanDave and Sara FreetageChris and Kristie HenryBill and Marci IngramBruce Miller and Jennifer Lyle

Jacqueline MahanMartha MahanJon and Rachel MesterBrian and Jen MillerDarren and Erin NealyRichard and Doreen SchostekRobert and Kelly ShentonKen DiPaola and Andrea SternJay and DeAnn Young

The Big Give Donors gave big in the fall of 2017 during The Big Give, hosted by The Columbus Foundation. We submitted this photo to their Instagram contest and were chosen as the winner of a bonus $1,500 grant – bringing the total raised for Bridgeway Academy in the 24-hour giving period to over $21,000!

2500 Medary AvenueColumbus, Ohio 43202www.bridgewayohio.org614.262.7520

William Root, Resch, Root & Philipps, LLCB, ChairRobert Shenton, Plante Moran, Vice ChairChris Henry, JPMorgan Chase, TreasurerKourtni Hatton, United Way of Central Ohio, Secretary Lina Attaie, NationwideMichelle CroftDaniel Gore, The Pizutti CompaniesMatthew Huffman, Liberty Township AdministratorRose Lawyer, HuntingtonDave Moffatt, Prentke Romich Company – Board of DirectorsChristopher Moran, PNCDan Mushalko, WCBE 90.5 FMRick Schostek, Honda North America, Inc.

Abigail S. David and Erin K. Nealy, Co-Founders and Co-Executive DirectorsCarol Argiro, Director of DevelopmentSharee Brandler, Director of Business OperationsLindsey Cargill, Director of Therapy ServicesIngrid Fogle, Program DirectorAlyssa Hatton, Program DirectorLindsay Imagie-Douglas, Program DirectorBethany Jones, Program DirectorMike Ryan, Director of FacilitiesAnn Shipley, Director of Program DevelopmentBeth Stuecher, Program DirectorLorna Whyte, Director of Human Resources

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

STAFF LEADERSHIP TEAM