Since New Horizons started in 1954, its budget has grown dramatically as the organization serves developmentally disabled adults in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. New Horizons serves about 800 clients, a major increase from about 300 clients 13 years ago and from only eight families when the organization began. With a budget of $12.5 million, the organization provides residential, employment and other support services to disabled adults. At its 20,000 square-foot workshop, New Horizons clients receive employment coaching and earn paychecks by assembling and packaging products for prominent businesses from within and outside the community. CEO Cynthia Kawa said the organization has become a leading nonprofit because it functions like a business. “We are held to the standards of all businesses,” Kawa said, adding the organization must remain competitive through its prices and production levels. “(Businesses) don’t view us as a charity. They view us as a business partner.” New Horizons provides more than $2 million in goods and services to companies such as Best Buy, Target, Costco and McDonald’s. In 2009, the organization expanded its day activities program, purchased a thirteenth residential property specializing in early on-set dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and created a new Web site to expand visibility and fundraising efforts. New Horizons also received the highest rating level in its rehabilitation facility accreditation, and several of its homes received reviews with no deficiencies, Kawa said. The organization, which employs 161 people, provides a vital service to disabled adults and the community, Kawa said. “We have people that are grateful to be employed, that are hard-working and that have a positive influence on the other employees,” Kawa said. “We serve people on all parts of the continuum, from very low functioning to very high functioning.”
As It Has Grown, Group Strengthens Ties to Business
