2011 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Our youth development programs served 619 youth. We have programs year-round for youth ages 5-21 and served: 

  • 46 youth through our afterschool program (ages 5-13);
  • 108 youth through our summer enrichment camp (ages 5-13);
  • 20 youth in goal setting and life skills (ages 10-13);
  • 22 youth in teen leadership (ages 14-18);
  • 21 youth in College Prep Boot Camp (ages 16-20);
  • Over 150 youth through summer employment soft skills training (ages 16-24); and
  • 242 youth and their parents at our Youth Summit (ages 13-22).

  These programs keep new American youth engaged educationally, physically, and socially.

• Our English for speakers of other langages (ESOL) and basic job skills training classes served 384 adults:

  • 262 participants through on-the-job training with our new work experience program;
  • 16 students and 10 enthusiastic volunteer tutors participated in a citizenship class; and
  • 530 referrals to service providers and assisted clients with translation and interpretation, housing, health, and legal services by our case managers.

• We made great strides in forming new collaborations this year. In addition to our established Grassroots Service Coalition, we started:

  • A youth collaborative board made up of local government agencies, social service providers, and ethnic community organizations to plan the Youth Summit and share ideas about how to improve youth programs;
  • An international community leaders collaborative with leaders from the new American communities who meet every quarter to discuss the challenges their communities are facing, share information, and identify best practices; and
  • A civic engagement forum made up of interested people from new American communities to identify issues and to engage policymakers and public leaders.

• We provided services to individuals from 33 countries. In order to develop a strong new American community, we held events where our clients and their families could come together and share their culture, food, song, and dance. We increased the number of community building events held: 

  • Enkutatash Celebration, when more than 750 people attended a fun-filled day celebrating the Ethiopian New Year with food, the traditional coffee ceremony, music, dance, and fashion show;
  • Learning celebrations were held every quarter to recognize the accomplishments of our youth and adult participants; and
  • The Youth Summit, held annually for new American youth and their parents to build leadership skills, enhance communication within families, and raise awareness in the larger Columbus community.

2012 GOALS

• We will offer cultural competency training, perform research on the different ethnic communities in Columbus, and develop strategic partnerships to serve as a bridge that facilitates the immigrant and refugee community's use of social and community services.

• We will work to instill a sense of cultural pride in the immigrant and refugee community and raise awareness of their cultures in the larger community through annual events celebrating the learning of our students, the Ethiopian New Year Celebration Enkutatash, and classes to educate second generation students in their native languages.

• We will increase promotion of workplace skill development to assist low-income immigrants and refugees achieve their economic goals through basic job skills training, job placement, and job retention services. We will also provide entrepreneurial assistance for people who want to start their own businesses.

• We will increase immigrants' and refugees’ awareness of health risks and help them develop and maintain healthy eating and fitness habits. We will offer health fairs, health and wellness classes, information on communicable diseases, and mental health education.

In 2005, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS) became incorporated as a free-standing nonprofit entity and was selected by the Capacity Building Initiative, a collaboration of the Franklin County Commissioners, United Way, The Columbus Foundation, and others, to receive a mini grant and technical assistance for two years. in April 2006, we relocated to our current main office, and in May of that year, we opened a second location in Whitehall. In 2008, we opened a third location with Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on the east side of Columbus.

In 2009, we formed the Grassroots Service Coalition with Somali, Asian, and Hispanic communities and members of the Federation of African Organizations in Ohio, which allowed us to expand our services to the larger refugee and immigrant community. Also in 2009, ETSS merged with the organizations Refugee Immigrant Chamber and Fountain of Life Foundation to broadenour service offerings and began providing services in five locations throughout Columbus.

ETSS's purpose is to provide programs and services to central Ohio refugees and immigrants, adults and youth, that encourage: community integration, sustained employment, education, and strong families. The organization seeks to be the focal point of integration for immigrant and refugee families, and to assist in developing a healthy, wealthy, and self-reliant new American community.

 

As co-founder and executive director of ETSS, I have seen the ups and downs of establishing, managing, and expanding a nonprofit organization. I have walked the walk with ETSS from its inception, birth, and growth. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see the organization that I helped start impact and transform lives in a positive way. ETSS is growing at 50% per year in programming and funding. At a time when many big and small organizations are being forced by the economy to shrink and rethink their priorities, we are fortunate that our board, staff, and volunteers had the foresight to begin the planning process years ago. We have set a five-year strategic development plan and are on target. Thanks to the vision of our leadership, we are a more focused and efficient organization than we have ever been.

In its short seven years as a 501(c)(3) organization, ETSS has experienced dynamic growth. During the first two years, the organization focused primarily on issues within the Ethiopian immigrant community. This provided a foundational cultural interest, as is evident in ETTS’s very popular annual September celebration of the Ethiopian New Year, which this year, had more than 500 guests. Since 2008, ETSS has reached out to other immigrant and refugee committees, including Somali, Liberian, Bhutanese, Latino, and Iraqi, as well as churches, government, and businesses. Part of our motivation for collaboration is strength in numbers. More important, however, is that while refugee and immigrant cultures do differ, concerns for the welfare and education of children and communities provide much common ground. The board is very proud of ETSS’s collaborative work with Columbus’s newest residents and citizens.

	2011	2010	2009
Total Direct Support	$15,431	$106,908	$29,112
Direct Support Foundations	-	$15,000	-
Direct Support Corporations	-	-	-
Direct Support Individuals	$15,431	$13,210	$3,912
Direct Support Unspecified	-	$78,698	$25,200
Government	$969,262	$373,589	$123,886
Indirect Public Support	-	$2,610	-
Earned Revenue	$2	-	-
Interest and Dividends	-	-	-
Membership Dues	-	-	-
Special Events	$1,590	-	-
In-kind	-	-	-
			Misc.
Other	-	-	$5,667
TOTAL REVENUE	$986,285	$483,107	$158,665

	2011	2010	2009
Programs	$723,225	$419,678	$126,789
Administration	$160,054	$51,426	$21,646
Fundraising	-	-	-
Payment to Affiliates	-	-	-
TOTAL EXPENSES	$883,279	$471,104	$148,435

	2011	2010	2009
Total Assets	$219,325	$76,609	$46,801
Current Assets	$213,847	$75,712	$46,801
Total Liabilities	$59,844	$20,133	$2,327
Current Liabilities	$3,541	$20,133	$2,327
NET ASSETS	$159,481	$56,476	$44,474

TCF Staff:
	The increase in FY10 revenue represents an increase in support from the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, as does the FY11 increase.
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