The last couple of years, we’ve had to navigate the many challenges of COVID. And navigating those many hurdles placed in our path by the pandemic ultimately made us stronger as an organization. During much of 2020 and 2021 we were able to turn challenges into opportunities.
In 2022 we faced another big challenge, but again, one that also presented a magnificent opportunity: we moved to our new home at the SOMI Unified Sports & Inclusion Center!
Along with that move came a major fundraising campaign, the aptly named “Expanding Equal Access: A New Home for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.”
Though for many organizations our campaign would have been small, for us it was pretty audacious. We wanted to raise $266,000, money that would allow us to move and to remodel and modernize our space in ways that would benefit the many folks we serve each day.And when the Campaign closed, we hadn’t just met the goal, we’d exceeded it by almost 10 percent! Our ribbon cutting event in August celebrated our move and a new space for our agency and the communities we serve. And we were thrilled to show our offices to the community for the first time.
The new space is already paying off. We hosted a Halloween event for our Youth Program there recently. Our senior workshops are meeting in the building every month, as is our Tuesday Group. We have weekly ASL classes on site (plus online). And our annual Signing Santa will be there on December 10. We know there is much, much more to come.
As we look ahead to 2023, we are filled with excitement. And with thankfulness. We know that what we do is a community effort, a community you are an important part of. So, in this season of celebration, we celebrate you, and we thank you.
Deb Atwood, Executive Director, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
-on behalf of the staff, the board and all those we serve
