Can One Non-profit Really Change the World? If One Can, it is Starting Right Here with BeauVita

November 25, 2014 - Another charity for folks with disabilities? Admittedly, some people's eyes glaze over. That's just the truth we must deal with when serving our friends with disabilities.

But BeauVita and BeauVita West are unique! Not only are we not your grandmother's non-profit, we aren't your cousin's either. BeauVita is boldly announcing that we are the Non-profit 2.0 for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. And today we have five major announcements to share with you. These changes at BeauVita signify our Board's commitment and will to be the top leaders in providing services in Southwestern Ohio for adults with DD &ID.

1. In late October the BeauVita Board confirmed a candidate for our first ever Executive Director. Onboarding for Jason Lee Overbey began in mid-November and with help from the Board, committees and the BeauVita West Program Staff, Jason has hit the ground the running. In a statement to the senior leadership of our Board, Mr. Overbey said, "One of our top priorities is to revisit our mission – our primary purpose – for this work. We must then cement that vision and get every member, staff and contractor aligned with our single purpose for being here. Our new focus will then guide every step we take at BeauVita from maintenance to major acquisitions." We are honored and excited to welcome Jason Lee Overbey, with more than 10 years in progressive management experience, to our team!

2. We have acquired, touched up and officially opened new Executive Offices on Monday, November 24, 2014, at 5213 North Bend Road in Cincinnati. You can reach our senior staff and Executive Director, Jason Lee Overbey, at 513-834-9698. These offices are just two buildings up from BeauVita West where we provide our Day Program.

3. The primary purpose of BeauVita was established back in 2007. A group of parents of children with developmental and intellectual disabilities came together. They had a real fear. Their fear was that they would pass on one day and their adult children would be left not having a strong foundation of superior support services matched with a level of independence fostered by their parenting and high quality support. With many agencies around, the "system" was still heavily burdened. Programs where their children could receive necessary support while strengthen their individual levels of independence where not readily available. These parents were focused to make sure their children would have as much opportunity and quality of life available to them as possible. They were driven to ensure they would have a "Beautiful Life"! And so BeauVita was born. So we are pleased to announce that since there are thousands on the Hamilton County waiting lists for service, BeauVita is actively looking and planning to increase our ability to serve more by opening a second location for Day Services.

4. Since 2007 we have acquired property in Green Township in Hamilton County (often called the West Side of Cincinnati) to open and grow our Day Services program. We have steadily added top notch staff and we are now at 8 total for our BeauVita West location. We have implemented transportation services to and from BeauVita West. So we are excited to announce we recently received certification to provide in-home support services. This in-home piece, just like all of our work, is centered on the family. We only provide services to families – one at a time – not to group homes. We let the parents interview our staff and choose who the right fit is for them. Program Director, Rebekah Elliott, said "We also create and maintain a family narrative for each new person we serve. We have high attendance, transparency and supervisor review expectations. No one is doing in-home support – or even Day Service – like our team at BeauVita is." Jim Washington, a Direct Care Provider with over 30 years' experience in disability services added, "I didn't have to come back to work. I'm retired. I came to BeauVita because of this program. We can – we are – a model for programs everywhere."

5. BeauVita is also excited to announce the date for our annual fundraiser & auction event held at the iconic Music Hall in downtown Cincinnati. We will hold the event, Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 7pm until Midnight. This is a major community event and we will sell out at 600 seats. Who will be this the host for 2015? Last year it was WLWT Channel 5's Sheree Paolello. In 2014 we had Paul Daugherty, sports writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Check back on our website beauvita.org and our facebook page facebook.com/BeauVitaLife for the announcement of 2015's anticipated host and our event itinerary for the evening!

So BeauVita is on the move!

As our new Executive Director, in recent comments to the President of the Board, Dr. Barry Ross and his wife, Carolyn Ross (an original founder of BeauVita) said:

"We are not confused about where we are, what we need to do and where BeauVita can go. We are going to keep a laser precision focus on six core elements:
1) parents and families of the adult with disabilities
2) services that provide superior quality for our participants
3) ensuring that inclusion in the community is a #1 priority for our participants, as well as real choice for their services
4) state-of-the-art training and staff development
5) advocacy and awareness – helping the public and leaders realize that this population is an asset and not a liability and
6) non-profit 2.0 operation: meaning we will maintain the highest transparency, accountability, and stewardship; we will be a 501(c)(3) that gives back to other non-profits by leading, networking and training; we will be innovative and entrepreneurial inasmuch as a non-profit can bring corporate progress models into its work; and we will be visible – we are going to work with elected , appointed and de facto leaders in Green Township, Cincinnati, Hamilton County – the State of Ohio and Nationwide.

We are poised to rocket expansion and leadership. We are on the move!"

Note: While BeauVita and BeauVita West are situated in Green Township in Hamilton County, Ohio, we serve many residents who live in the City of Cincinnati proper. This includes Madisonville, Avondale, Westside clients and more!