Older, Wiser, Grateful AND MORE
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Putting wings on their potential, giving wings to possibilities.
Letter from Our CEO AS I REFLECT ON THE LAST SCHOOL AND FISCAL YEAR,
I am overwhelmed
with feelings of gratitude. Gratitude for the hard working team I am surrounded by every day; gratitude for you, the thousands of supporters and WINGS advocates; and most of all, for the thousands of kids who have come into our lives. In 1998, I signed on to WINGS as the very first employee. I vividly recall sitting with my first group of WINGS kids and sharing my excitement about being recently engaged. A 4th grader in the group said, “Oh Miss Bridget, why do you have to go and get married? Now you’re going to get black eyes and bruised up.” I realized all he had ever seen were abusive relationships; he couldn’t understand a relationship could be full of love, support, and trust. I knew right there and then that I was fully committed to getting WINGS to as many kids as possible, to bring the relationship skills we were teaching to thousands more kids. Flash forward to 2016 as we celebrate WINGS’ 20th birthday! As a parent, each birthday is an emotional reminder of the year that my own children entered my life. For WINGS, that proud parent is Ginny Deerin. Ginny was the spark that got this fire started 20 years ago. As we celebrate our 20th birthday, we also celebrate and honor you, Ginny. This annual report summarizes our accomplishments from the last fiscal year (July 2015–June 2016.) As I write this, we are already a quarter of the way into fiscal year 2017. While it’s gratifying to reflect and celebrate, we have our eyes on a new horizon
—an aggressive five year strategic growth plan. We must grow. We must spread our wings. More kids need us and we see this as nothing less than our responsibility and obligation to reach as many of those kids as we can. In the coming years we will apply what we have learned over the last 20 years and develop new partnerships with schools and after school providers to scale the use of our curriculum across the country. Our next five years will bring new and greater challenges. We have a solid foundation to build on, a committed board of directors, and a phenomenal team of dedicated employees. Soaring, Bridget
VISION & MISSION We believe that strong social and emotional skills transforms the lives of kids by helping them become well-rounded individuals—instilling the desire and inspiration to be the best version of themselves. O ur mission is to help as many low-income kids as possible experience high-quality and effective social and emotional learning. We work toward this aim because research shows that strong social and emotional skills are key to helping kids succeed in school, be prepared for the workforce, and become positive and healthy contributors to society.
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WHO WE ARE
G R O W I N G U P I N T O D AY ’ S W O R L D I S T O U G H — G R O W I N G U P W I T H O U T T H E R E S O U R C E S A N D S U P P O RT Y O U N E E D I S E V E N T O U G H E R .
Kids deserve the opportunity to learn, grow, dream and believe that they can succeed. When kids better understand themselves and others, practice selfmanagement and conflict resolution, and know how to make smart decisions, they are better equipped to succeed. When kids have caring mentors to look up to, feel engaged and supported, and are taught the skills to handle life’s challenges, they can reach the sky. Kids that participate in WINGS develop confidence in themselves and trust in others, they learn self-control, kindness, and empathy. The result is an enormous confidence boost, hope for their future, and the belief that they can make it all happen. Armed with these skills, imagine the possibilities!
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20 CHANGING YEARS
B E F O R E G R I T, 2 1 S T C E N T U RY S K I L L S , O R C H A R A C T E R E D U C AT I O N T H E R E WA S W I N G S F O R K I D S —defining,
OF
practicing, and teaching social-emotional skills. What began as a girls summer camp with an explicit focus on emotional intelligence developed into an effective, high-impact, research-
LIVES
driven after school program for low-income elementary school-aged students. Along the way, we became an AmeriCorps program, an Edna McConnell Clark Foundation grantee, the
6,338 576 Kids served
recipient of multi-year NoVo grants, a Wallace Foundation grantee, and the subject of a 4-year randomized control trial conducted by the University of Virginia and funded by the U.S.
WINGSLeaders empowered
Dept. of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.
H I S T O R I C A L I M PA C T
Higher self-esteem and lessened anxiety1
Measurable academic improvements1
Significant display of executive function2,3
Yale University Research: Ivcevic, Rivers & Brackett, 2004 Preliminary RCT findings: Grissmer, 2016 3 Executive Function: the mental processes that enable one to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. 1 2
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Improved classroom behavior observed by teachers2
Increased attachment to school1
ASHLEY— THEN & NOW
severe behavioral problems, parents were not highly involved, and enrollment was declining. The WINGS curriculum was extremely helpful for Chicora’s students, and helped us to redirect negative behavior and empower students to resolve their
I’m currently a special education
problems. I saw those changes happening every day.
teacher in New York City, supporting
But when I think about my time with WINGS, what
students with various barriers to
stands out most to me is our Community Unity time
academic achievement. While
each day—when students shouted the Creed at the top
my job is challenging, I’m able to
of their lungs from their nests and contributed to an
enter the classroom each day with
indescribable wave of positive energy.
confidence and skills built in large part from my experiences with WINGS for kids.
And I also think of how WINGS allowed Nkyra, a third grader in our program, to soar. When I first met her, she gossiped, bullied, and did not trust her group leader.
I first connected with WINGS through the WINGS for
The approach? We leveraged a support system that
Girls summer camp, which I attended for several years in
used consistent language, set high expectations and
the 1990s. In addition to the traditional camp experience,
provided Nkyra with the tools to meet them. At the
we engaged in social and emotional skill-building
time of her graduation, she gained a reputation for
activities. Alongside other girls, I started to learn about
positivity, an inclination to help whenever possible, and
feeling secure in my own skin, unafraid to share my
a passion for acting.
thoughts and perspectives with the world. When I graduated from college in May 2012, my sister happened to be working for the Coastal Community Foundation. She forwarded me a job description that she thought might be of interest—and it just so happened to be an opportunity to work with WINGS for kids. I took one look and knew I had to apply.
Like Nkyra, every student that graduated from WINGS improved and grew—even in the span of just one year. As my two-year anniversary at WINGS approached in June 2015, I saw the impact educators had on their children—and realized the opportunities I could have in the classroom. NYC Teaching Fellows came forward with such an opportunity last summer and I had to
I was lucky enough to be selected for the job, and
pursue it. On that last day, I hugged parents and
delighted to find as a program assistant that the
students with tears in my eyes, hoping to remain in
energy and positivity I remembered from my camp
touch—and saw that the program made a distinct
days still ran through the core of WINGS. After a year
impact on their lives.
of training, I stepped into a program director role for Chicora Elementary. The challenges were real in this new role. The students came largely from impoverished homes led by single parents and the community we served had been hard hit by drug abuse. At Chicora, many students had
To this day, I still receive texts and calls from both parents and students. WINGS has helped me to become the teacher and person I am today. To read all 20 stories, please visit: www.wingsforkids.org/20thAnniversary
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OUR PROGRAMS W I N G S C R E AT E S A N E N V I R O N M E N T W H E R E K I D S C A N B E K I D S .
We
equip adults to be supportive, engaging, and thoughtful so kids can celebrate, talk about their emotions, and work through struggles all while feeling cared for, understood, and listened to. We provide an education program that intentionally teaches kids how to behave well, make good decisions, and build healthy relationships. We do this by weaving a comprehensive social and emotional learning curriculum into a fresh and fun after school program. Kids get the life lessons they need to succeed and be happy and they get a safe place to call home after school. THIS YEAR’S NUMBERS
1,597
99
107
College-aged mentors served as WINGSLeaders
Nests in each program —sporting names like the herons, bluebirds, and hawks
675
13,500
936
Circle games played to reinforce weekly objective
Minutes dedicated to discussion and understanding of weekly objectives
Hours of enrichment activities like skateboarding, cooking, dance, and sculpture
132
432
864
Hours spent by WINGSLeaders observing their kids and teachers in the classroom
Praise awards given to kids and staff who went above and beyond
Raffle prizes presented as positive incentives for kids
17,000
100%
$0
Hot dinners served before WINGS kids headed home
Of programs provide a safe place for kids
The cost to our kids and their families
Students participated in nine programs across three states AT L A N TA : 6 9 7 CHARLOTTE: 193 SOUTH CAROLINA: 707
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2015–2016 I M PA C T W I T H A N U N WAV E R I N G C O M M I T M E N T T O O U T C O M E S , W E A R E
Data from the 2015-16 school year
D E L I B E R AT E A N D M E T H O D I C A L .
show the significant impact that WINGS has on students—proof that the development of social and emotional skills have a tangible impact on student behavior and success in school.
84%
of WINGS students passed objective knowledge
tests assessing their comprehension of self-awareness,
self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills F E W E R D I S C I P L I N A RY R E F E R R A L S
LESS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
4%
# of kids with referrals
93
WINGS kids who are chronically absent
WINGS kids
12%
338
Non-WINGS kids
Average # of referrals per kid
2.3
Non-WINGS kids who are chronically absent
WINGS kids
4.4
Non-WINGS kids
% of kids with fewer than 2 referrals
Chronic Absenteeism: Kids missing 18+ days in a school year (10% of school)
82% 32% WINGS kids
Non-WINGS kids
S T U D E N T S & PA R E N T S S U R V E Y E D
82%
Better able to control themselves
84%
76%
Do better in my school work
91%
74%
Deal better w/people & situations that used to be a problem for them
87%
79% STUDENTS
Do better when they have free time
90%
76%
Deal more effectively with daily problems
89%
82%
Feel better about themselves
89%
STUDENTS
STUDENTS
STUDENTS
PARENTS
PARENTS
PARENTS
STUDENTS
STUDENTS
PARENTS
PARENTS
PARENTS
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“WINGS gives me a chance to do what I’m passionate about—and that’s trying to help shape the lives of children for the better. It is the most rewarding experience.” — WINGSLEADER, 2016
BEHIND THE SCENES
W I N G S ’ S U C C E S S I S N O A C C I D E N T.
Our 20-year
track record of program quality and impact requires intensive training and constant monitoring.
446
18
58
WINGSLeader applications received and processed
Colleges and universities represented through our WINGSLeaders
Hours of training delivered to WINGSLeaders
16,200
2,115
62
Minutes of staff meetings to coach and mentor WINGSLeaders
CIA’s (Caught in the Act) given out to WINGSLeaders when their supervisor observed exemplary behavior
Site visits performed by Regional Operations Directors
27
14
29,339
Program assessments conducted by Chief Program Officer and Program Fidelity & Instruction Associate
States visited for conferences, collaborations, and cultivation
Miles driven between states and programs
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OUR LEARNING YEAR
420
Additional kids reached through a piloted partnership with Charleston County School District’s after school program Kaleidoscope
1,651
Hours spent formulating our 5 Year Strategic Business Plan
13
Personal exchanges between new penpals in the Kindred Kids project—our first time pairing up kids from diverse backgrounds
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FINANCIALS REVENUE:
Earned Income: 1% In-Kind: 11%
EXPENSES:
Management: 15%
Foundations: 44% Individuals: 2%
Federal Funding: 39%
State & Local: 3%
REVENUE:
$6,799,089 EXPENSES: $6,788,673 N E T I N C O M E : $10,416
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Fundraising: 2% Program: 83%
W I N G S FA M I LY BOARD OF DIRECTORS David L. Morley, Chair Chad Walldorf, Treasurer Pat Ilderton, Secretary Marc Brackett, Ph.D. Ginny Deerin Becky Marson Steve Parker, Jr. David Rawle Judith Ranger Smith John Roberts, Jr. Jenny Sanford Vicky Sullivan Neil D. Thomson Mike Tollin LaTisha Vaughn-Brandon Tricia Wilson ATLANTA ADVISORY BOARD Cindia DeVaughn Tenee Hawkins Anne Marino Ashley Parks Maggie Paynich Mary Thompson
DONORS $500,000+ The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Georgia Department of Education – 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grants $300,000+ Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism The Goizueta Foundation AmeriCorps, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service South Carolina Department of Education – 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grants $100,000+ Belk Foundation Georgia Department of Human Services Lake City Partnership Council North Carolina Department of Public Instruction – 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant NoVo Foundation Trident United Way The Wallace Foundation
CHARLOTTE ADVISORY BOARD Ben Brandon Jessica Hall Melissa Logan Blake Shell Clay Shupak Cecil F. Stodghill, Jr. Sydney Weaver-Bey Denytra Logan Whitner PARTNERS Accrue Partners Atlanta Public Schools Be a Mentor Big Brothers Big Sisters Boeing “REACH” Program Bridges Central Piedmont Community College Charleston County School District Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District-Project L.I.F.T Chucktown Squash
$65,000+ Social Venture Partners Charleston Speedwell Foundation $40,000+ Bright from the Start Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools – Project L.I.F.T. Fulton County Schools George Lucas Family Foundation Jean and James Rion Endowment* PACE Foundation** Sara Giles Moore Foundation United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta University of Virginia – I nstitute of Education Sciences Grant $20,000+ Dave and Cheryl Morley** Foundation for the Carolinas John and Kate Huey Luther and Susie Harrison Foundation Singing for Change Foundation** Sisters of Charity of South Carolina Suzan and Stephen Zoukis Wells Fargo Foundation The Zeist Foundation
City of Charleston Mayor’s Office of Children and Families City of North Charleston College of Charleston Communities in Schools The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center Florence County School District 3 Fulton County Board of Commissioners Fulton County Schools Girls Rock Charleston HALOS
Illinois State University Johnson C. Smith University Lake City Library Lowcountry Food Bank Mason Preparatory School North Charleston Police Department PACE Palmetto Community Action Partnership Pomona Unified School District
$10,000+ Blackbaud Fund* Creative Artists Agency Dorothy D. Smith Charitable Foundation Fulton County – FRESH Grant Herzman-Fishman Foundation InterTech Group Foundation, Inc. Les Moonves Open Grants* Pat and Cheryl Ilderton** Pearlstine Family Fund* Skelly Family Fund* $5,000+ Bakker Family Fund* Daniel and Vicky Sullivan** David and Carol Rawle** Elizabeth Cleveland Employee Community Fund of Boeing South Carolina Finn Brooks Family Foundation First Tennessee Bank Greystone Power Foundation Inc. Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation IBM Foundation Joseph J. Schott Foundation Mark Elliott Motley Foundation
Portland State University Tricounty Family Ministries Trident United Way United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta University of Missouri University of North Carolina Charlotte University of Virginia US Citizenship and Immigration Services PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS Mike Bailin, Former President, The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation David E.K. Hunter, Ph.D., Hunter Consulting Foley Hoag LLP LeadWell Partners Kristin Moore, Ph.D., Child Trends Karen Walker, Ph.D., Child Trends
Micah Utt | Green Gopher Golf Classic Pathfinder Foundation Rusty and Anne Bennett TJX Foundation Wenda Harris Millard $1,000–$4,999 Atlas Family Foundation Barter Family Fund* Ben and Sara DeWolf The Bill, Jennie & Harry Ackerman Foundation Trust Bill and Leslie Mischler Blackbaud, Inc. Chad and Jena Walldorf** Check Point Software Technologies Church of Christ Our King Colbert Family Fund* Daltorio Family Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation Elizabeth Kaye Ginger Lay Heirloom Foundation Horn Foundation Jeff and Ainsley Goldstein Judy Neilson Julian and Julie Raney Kellett Family Foundation Kennedy Kennard Family Fund Laurie Ekstrand Lavonne Phillips 2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6 A N N U A L R E P O RT | 1 1
Linda and Harriet Ripinsky Majestic Realty Foundation Michael and Anne Marino** Morgan Jones Rae Sanchini Read Simmons Rowe/Miller Productions Saul Alexander Foundation* South Carolina Ports Authority Susan Dietz Susan R. and John W. Sullivan Foundation In Honor of Jenny Sanford** Timothy W. Bouch Ziff Properties $5–999 Aaron Thompson Adam and Jessie Pomerantz*** Adriane Keepler Alan Epstein Alan Hergott Albert and Donna Andreano Alexandra McCray Allstate Amazon Smile Amy Horwitz Angela Yim Anna Bailey Anna Hartman Annie Burton*** Ashley Parks** Bagel Cafe Barbara Hawkins Barbra Buoy*** Barnes & Noble Benevity Community Impact Fund Betty-Sue Garrish Bob and Ann Ellis Bob and Cathy Hill Bridget Laird*** Butler & College, LLC Cara Mitchell*** Carol Hubbard Celeste and Charles Patrick Cheryl Hollis*** Chris Silbermann Christine Pekatos Cindy Seabrook Clyde and Carlin Timmons Coastal Carolina Combined Federal Campaign Conley and Meredith Rollins Cynthia Karr Daniel Island Community Foundation Dave and Megan Crotts David Arnold David Mandel David Plaistowe David Savard Denise Blake*** Donate Well Dorian DeBarr
Eleanor Smythe Elizabeth and Maybank Hagood Elizabeth Pena Emanuel and Anna Weinstein Foundation Eric Thomas Family Skate Night Gabrielle and Ivan Bonaparte*** George Hill Ginny Deerin** Goldman Sachs Matching Gift Program Good Done Great GoodCoin Foundation Gwyn Conway Hayes Mizell and Kate Swanson** Henry and Laura Wilson Henry E. Miller James Crocker James F Gregory Jared Levine Jay W Witkowski Jennifer Park*** Jennifer Prins Jeremy and Rachael Hunt Jill HaLevi Jill Lovecchio Joan and John Algar Joan Hornig Jocelyn Smith Cox Joe and Anita Durkan John and Carole Deerin John Read Jolie Logan*** Judy and Larry Tarleton Judy Phillips Lallis Julia Rugg*** JustGive Kaley Stunkard*** Karen Fonkert Karen Rhett Kars4Kids Kathryn Christen Katie and Jack Kotz Kaye and Randy Koonce Kim Hallin Knights of Columbus Council 704 Charity Kristen Taylor Kroger Community Rewards Kyhann Thomas*** Kyoko Tsuzuki L&M Structured Wiring L&W Entertainment LLC LaTisha Vaughn-Brandon** Laura Beck Laura Schaible Lauren Barron Lee Hilton*** Leigh Trivette Leona Taylor Levin Charitable Fund Lewis and Mary Dumont Libby and Brew Hagood
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Liz Mester*** Louisa Hawkins Lucy Fisher Lydia Blanton Matthews Lydia Hirt Marcie Shelton Margaret Sklaroff Maria Blake Mark DeFilippo Marquise Britt McNeal Mary Mester Mary Thompson** Michael and Sally Bailin Michael Gorfaine Michael Johnson Michael Worley Michael Wright Modibor Fullah Mollie Fair National Welders Supply Company Endowment Fund Nicole Cooper Nicole Lovecchio*** Pamela Simons Pat Hettche Pat Hilton Patrice Kelly Patricia Baskin Patty Fischer Paula Feldman Paula Schwed and Matthew Quinn Pay Pal Giving Fund Peggy Schachte and Hal Currey Principle Art Gallery Regina Blake Richard Glover Robert and Constance Gentile Robert and Virginia Marcus Robert DiFalco Ronald and Michele Utt Sally J Ehrenfried Samuel Lawrence Samuel Schwartz Sarah Huefner*** Sean McCants*** Shark Bait 5K Sheila Wertimer Sherwood and Ron Coish Sports Trophies / Palmetto Awards Stephen Perry Stillwaters Community Worship Sue Miller Susan Davidson Susan Huefner Susan Waters Suzanne Coffman Tamatha Psenka Ted Keller Tenee Hawkins** Terry Ann Rickson, Esq. Terry Peterson Thomas Hess Toby Wheeler Jackson
Tony Bertauski Trident United Way Donors United Way of Rhode Island United Way Suncoast University of Georgia University of Kansas | Alternative Breaks Vonda Henry Wellesley College William Dufford Zaxby’s IN KIND Bagel Nation Blue Ion BowTie Photos, LLC Charleston County School District Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools City of North Charleston Florence District 3 Fulton County Schools Ford Wallace Thomson LLC** Georgia State University Gigapark Hyman’s Seafood Jack Alterman Studios Jason’s Jump Castle Jim N’ Nicks Kathy Kaknes Kickin Chicken Moe’s Southwest Grille Poe’s Tavern Stanton Design Ted’s Butcherblock Wenda Millard
*Fund at Coastal Community Foundation **WINGS Board Member/ Advisory Board Member ***WINGS Staff
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