Bonnie Brae

“Lauren a. Fedechena and harry t. Osborne - family relationship”

“The members of this organization's governing body, its board of trustees, have the right to elect new members to the governing body.”

“The organization's federal form 990 was provided to all voting members of its full governing body, its board of trustees, prior to filing with the internal revenue service. The board of trustees voted to approve the form 990 at its february 9, 2015 board meeting. As part of the tax return preparation process the organization hired a professional cpa firm with experience and expertise in not-for-profit tax return preparation to prepare the federal form 990. The cpa firm's tax professionals worked closely with the organization's finance personnel, including its chief financial officer and various other individuals of the organization, to obtain the information needed in order to prepare a complete and accurate tax return. The cpa firm prepared a draft federal form 990 and furnished it to the organization's finance personnel and to the audit and finance committee of the board of trustees for their review. The organization's finance personnel and its audit and finance committee reviewed the draft federal form 990 and discussed questions and comments with the cpa firm. Revisions were made to the draft federal form 990 where necessary and a final draft was furnished by the cpa firm to the organization's finance personnel and to its audit and finance committee for final review and approval prior to providing it to the members of the board of trustees. The organization's audit and finance committee has assumed the responsibility to oversee and coordinate the federal form 990 preparation, review and filing process.”

“The organization regularly monitors and enforces compliance with its conflict of interest policy. Annually all members of the board of trustees are required to review the existing conflict of interest policy and complete a questionnaire. The completed questionnaires are returned to the organization's board president. All responses to conflict of interest disclosure statements are reviewed for full compliance with agency policies.”

“Bonnie brae's board of trustees reviews and approves of the compensation and benefits of the organization's senior management, including the chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. The actions taken by the board of trustees enable the organization to receive the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness for purposes of internal revenue code section 4958 with respect to the total compensation of certain individuals disclosed on this form 990, including the chief executive officer. The three factors which must be satisfied in order to receive the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness are the following: 1. The compensation arrangement is approved in advance by an "authorized body" of the applicable tax-exempt organization which is composed entirely of individuals who do not have a "conflict of interest" with respect to the compensation arrangement; 2. The authorized body obtained and relied upon "appropriate data as to comparability" prior to making its determination; and 3. The authorized body "adequately documented the basis for its determination" concurrently with making that determination. Members of the board of trustees are independent and free from any conflicts of interest. The board of trustees adequately documented its basis for its determination through the timely preparation of written minutes during which the executive compensation and benefits were reviewed and subsequently approved. The actions outlined above with respect to the board of trustees and the establishment of the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness applies to certain individuals disclosed in this form 990, including, but not limited to, the chief executive officer. The compensation and benefits of the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief operating officer are reviewed and approved on an annual basis by the bonnie brae board of trustees in conjunction with the individuals' job performance. The compensation and benefits of all other individuals disclosed in this form 990 are reviewed on an annual basis by the chief executive officer with assistance from the bonnie brae human resources department in conjunction with each individual's job performance during the year and is based upon other objective factors designed to ensure that reasonable and fair market value compensation is paid by the organization. Other objective factors include market survey data for comparable positions, individual goals and objectives, personnel reviews, evaluations, self-evaluations and performance feedback meetings. The chief executive officer, in conjunction with the board of trustees, establishes the annual budget for all salary increases and has the responsibility to distribute individual increases based upon objective criteria established in the annual evaluation process within the approved budget.”

“The organization's filed certificate of incorporation and any amendments can be obtained and reviewed through the state of new jersey department of the treasury.”

“Bonnie Brae is a fully accredited and nationally recognized Residential Treatment Center, a safe haven for boys ages 8-18 to heal, to learn and to grow. Since 1916, when Bonnie Brae was founded by Judge Harry Osborne, we've helped over 9,500 boys at risk. Today we serve approximately 100 boys at our main campus situated on 100 beautiful acres in Bernards Township and 15 young men at our transitional living homes in New Brunswick and Bound Brook. For nearly 100 years, when all other resources have failed, we have been a safe haven for boys-in-crisis. History ======= Founded by Judge Harry Osborne in 1916, Bonnie Brae has helped over 9,000 boys and young men overcome personal and family challenges, build new futures and become good citizens. The dream of such a haven took flight almost 100 years ago when the Judge questioned the effectiveness of locking up teen boys. He purchased a small working farm, named Bonnie Brae or "Beautiful Hillside" by its former Scots owner, and soon had 14 young boys as new residents. With more boys being referred for help, Judge Osborne in 1921 purchased a much larger farm, in Bernards Township, New Jersey. This working farm provided young boys with employable skills as well as a safe and therapeutic environment for personal and social development. For many years the Bonnie Brae Farm for Boys was a working farm, where students milked cows and collected eggs. As the years passed by, the farm animals and crops disappeared, but the mission remained. Bonnie Brae today is one of the pre-eminent residential treatment centers for boys in the United States. The campus holds the charm of past years, but also offers state-of-art facilities where students can learn and work towards becoming more productive members of society. While working towards returning to their home communities, our boys and young men work closely with their counselors and therapists to address the many challenges in their lives. A visitor to campus can expect to see young men busy in the high-tech TV/computer center, students learning culinary skills in the commercial style kitchen, as well as studying sustainability in the classroom. Bonnie Brae students are also encouraged to play instruments, join a sports team, play chess and try-out for the spring play or talent showcase. Bonnie Brae residents also give back to the surrounding community by performing in a nationally recognized drum corps, working with Habitat for Humanity to construct homes and helping Bridges Outreach to feed the homeless in New York City. The Bonnie Brae of today holds fast to its mission: "A haven where young men reclaim their potential through education and therapy." Residential Living ================== Growing boys need plenty of food, a safe place to live, compassion and compassionate guidance, a structured routine, and a lot of exercise. These are all provided by our dedicated Residential Staff, whose leaders average a decade of experience at 'the Brae.' Bonnie Brae's main campus is situated on a beautiful 100 acres, which includes a lake stocked with fish, an outdoor swimming pool (where boys learn to swim), high and low ropes courses, two gyms, a weight room, a theater, half a dozen outdoor basketball courts, football and baseball fields, and plenty of open green space. Especially for our residents-most of whom have lived in cycles of abuse, neglect and violence and arrive after an average eight out of home placements-Bonnie Brae is an ideal place to grow through residential living. New residents live in one of four state of the art LEED Gold certified cottages (renovated in 2012), where they are guided by mentor cottage supervisors and assigned a roommate, attend daily peer groups that facilitate personal growth, share chores, and have a consistent routine that encompasses every aspect of their lives. As the boys stabilize their presenting issues and make tangible progress, they move into one of the 'remote' cottages, where they cook some of their own mea”

“Transitional Living =================== As one of New Jersey's oldest, largest, and most respected residential treatment centers for at-risk youth, the staff at Bonnie Brae is acutely aware of the problem of locating suitable residences for young people who have successfully completed treatment programs in the State. In response to the very real needs of our residents, who often decompensate when no favorable discharge option can be identified, Bonnie Brae has established two community-based transitional living residences, one in New Brunswick which opened in 2005 and one in Bound Brook which opened in April of 2013. Both are achieving great success. The Bound Brook and New Brunswick residences are home to 15 young men at a time, ages 16-19. Residents stay for approximately one year, based on personal progress and circumstances, at which time individuals will move out on their own to appropriate independent living options such as an apartment, group home or college. The primary goals for the transitional living program are to provide our young men with exposure to and practice with the life and job skills they will need to live as independent adults. At New Brunswick and Bound Brook, residents actually put into practice what they have been taught, but in a less restrictive environment where more is expected of them. They learn how to independently manage their time, attending school and juggling jobs and activities. They also learn other essential life skills, including home maintenance, meal preparation, laundry, personal finance, and how to use public transportation. Perhaps most importantly, they work on healthy behavior and relationship building: communicating, managing conflict, and developing friendships with housemates, in school and in the community. This vital transition period will build and reinforce both competence and confidence in these vulnerable young men, dramatically improving the chances of a successful move to independent life. Since opening in 2005, 35 young men have transitioned successfully through the New Brunswick program, progressing toward independence. Of the eight young men currently living at the New Brunswick residence, one is enrolled in college and working full-time; and seven are attending high school, of whom three are on sports teams, one is a member of the Civil Air Patrol, and one is on the Youth Advisory Board through Rutgers University. This positive trend is now continuing in our Bound Brook House, where our first group of seven are all working and moving forward in positive ways. The New Brunswick and Bound Brook Transitional Living Residences represent a positive next step in helping these young men progress successfully from adolescent dependency to independent adulthood, immersed in real life activities, but still supervised by caring, trained Bonnie Brae staff-mentors. The program strengthens the fragile progress achieved on-campus; completes the cycle of treatment; promotes the prevention of regression; and provides a greater chance for ultimate success in the transition to independent life. With this valuable addition to our continuum of services, Bonnie Brae is better able to fulfill its mission to provide the highest quality of care possible to New Jersey's youth in need. Aftercare ========= Bonnie Brae recognizes that our service cannot end when young men walk out of our doors. The Aftercare Program is a natural extension of our Continuum of Care and an integral part of our mission to help young men reclaim their futures and become productive, responsible citizens in their communities. Aftercare assists our graduates at their most statistically vulnerable point: beginning life as an independent adult after aging out of child welfare services. Prior to its creation, many promising young men who had successfully graduated from our intensive education and therapeutic program on campus found themselves thrust into the real world without the guidance and support an intact family wo”

“AN INDEPENDENT CPA FIRM AUDITED THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TAXPAYER FOR THE YEARS ENDED JUNE 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. AN UNQUALIFIED OPINION WAS ISSUED BY THE INDEPENDENT CPA FIRM. THE ORGANIZATION'S AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE HAS ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE OVERSIGHT OF THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THE SELECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR.”

“This organization engaged an independent cpa firm to prepare and issue an a-133 audit. The cpa firm prepared the a-133 audit for the years ended june 30, 2014 and 2013; respectively.”