Good Counsel Inc

“Board members joanne venezia and deacon peter venezia have a family relationship.”

“The corporation has one class of members. This class shall be individuals and shall number no less than 3 and not more than 30. Members must have demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, support and commitment to good counsel's prolife values.”

“The members have the power to elect the members of the board of directors.”

“The members may, by an affirmative majority vote of those present at any regularly meeting may: - approve or remove any or all members of the board of directors; - amend the bylaws; - approve the appointment of the chairman of the board of directors; - approve the appointment of the president and/or ceo of good counsel, inc. Members must approve any transaction which could be the equivalent of 50% of assets of good counsel, inc. The members by majority of the vote shall be solely authorized to dissolve 50% and/or all of the corporate assets and/or dissolve the corporation.”

“The finance committee of the board of directors of good counsel along with the president and controller first review the entire 990 including the management questions. It is then discussed and returned to our outside auditors for further clarification and completion. A final draft is prepared, reviewed again by the above good counsel board and staff and sent electronically to the finance committee of the good counsel board of directors for further review and approval. Then the document is sent to the entire board of directors. The board reviews and approves the final version of form 990 prior to filing with the irs.”

“Good counsel's conflict of interest policy is included in their personnel manual and brought to the attention of all staff, mentioned repeatedly to managers and discussed when outside contracts or outsourced work is done. The policy includes guidelines to assist board members and employees in avoiding conflicts of interest. In the event of a conflict of interest, the interested party must disclose to the board the financial relationship that he/she has, with respect to the issue. There shall be no contract or other transaction between good counsel inc. And a board member in which there exists a conflict of interest. The board will vote on such matter without counting the vote(s) of the interested board member(s).”

“During the process of approving the budget each year, the board includes a review of the president's compensation. This last took place during 2016. In the past, the finance committee requested outside, independent auditors to review the compensation of the president. A review of other similar agencies in the region were ascertained by our auditors in terms of executive salary. A range of similar agencies salaries was presented to the good counsel finance committee and passed along to the full good counsel board of directors for review, discussion and finally approval. Minutes of the board meetings document the review, discussion, and approval of the president's compensation.”

“The organization makes its form 990 available for public inspection as required under section 6104 of the internal revenue code. The financial statements and 990 are available every year on the organization's website as well as on the charity navigator and guidestar websites. Governing documents and the conflict of interest policy are only available upon request at 22 linden avenue, spring valley, ny 10977.”

“What good counsel means good counsel means the love of christ urges us on to do more. Fr. Benedict groeschel, cfr, co-founder of good counsel homes, wrote, "it is worth noting that the most powerful reform movements in the history of the church have been linked directly to agape in its many forms. . . . The care of the poor and the destitute. . . . You find a person seeking to love god and neighbor without regard to personal fulfillment or need. You find those who have put their ego needs, even legitimate ones, behind them, and who strive, perhaps with only moderate success, to follow the powerful psychological insight of saint paul: caritas christi urget nos (the love of christ impels us on) 2 corinthians 5:14." rare among maternity homes throughout the usa, good counsel takes in any pregnant mom in need, whether she has other living children or she is suffering from mental health issues or a drug problem. There simply are not enough maternity homes, few secular and not enough faith-based homes, to meet the varied and complicated needs of women who are in a crisis pregnancy. Good counsel statistics tell a wider story good counsel means concrete help and real hope for mothers in need and babies before and after birth. Since 1985 more than 7,800 women and children have spent some 758,000 nights of safety in a good counsel home. Good counsel means a voice of consolation, guidance and support. During the calendar year of 2018 more than 4,000 calls and emails were heard or read asking for help during a crisis pregnancy. Good counsel's national helpline 1.800.723.8331 and website www.goodcounselhomes.org picked up more than 40,000 calls and e-mails since beginning operations during april 1996. During 2018 there were 4,358 requests with some callers simply asking for more information about our services, other callers were women in crisis pregnancies and some simple, heartbreaking emails reading, "i'm 19 pregnant need help." good counsel is a word of thanks. One very special call of thanks came during 2018 from shanika dawson who was at good counsel 17 years before. "i was trouble," she reminded good counsel's president and co-founder, christopher bell. "but your staff stood by me." today she's working for a charity in the bronx and when a homeless mother comes to her she confidently refers her to the good counsel home where she lived. "i tell the girls to listen to you because you will help them. But i know that if they don't listen, your staff will still be there for them." shanika shared her story in a national newspaper at www.osvnews.com/2018/11/13/maternity-homes-seek-to-empower-women/. Good counsel means, "if you're pregnant and need a place to stay, you're welcomed with arms wide open." even if all the good counsel homes have every bed occupied, and during 2018 the occupancy rate was 100%, if a pregnant mom is in need and calls, good counsel staff will find room for her on a couch in the living room, a cot in the office, or even in the chapel. Good counsel is helping others help more mothers and babies. During the previous two years, 2017 and 2018, good counsel assisted two other maternity homes. Mary's shelter in alabama was one and malta house in connecticut was the other. Those homes were helped with programmatic and fund raising assistance. They are both stronger now and operating independently again. Good counsel has grown to help many people beyond itself since 1985, good counsel has helped open 9 homes in 8 states to serve women and children and assisted, on a consulting basis, with many other maternity homes in different states. Good counsel's mission to serve homeless single pregnant women and their children began when fr. Benedict groeschel, cfr, and christopher bell, saw the need and opened a residence in a former convent in hoboken, new jersey. More than 1,166 babies have been born to good counsel mothers since that first home opened. During 2018, there were 51 babies born to mothers living inside a good counsel h”

“Good counsel recognizes the dignity of god-given life from the moment of conception, fostering a nurturing, safe family environment, encouraging self-respect and independence for pregnant mothers and their children in a diverse community of all faiths and beliefs. Every woman who enters a good counsel home is seen as a uniquely created individual, with her own set of unique circumstances, and is treated special and not as if she belongs to a monolithic culture. Danielle-a 24-year old pregnant woman from brooklyn, new york-arrived at good counsel with her two other children, aged two and four years old. She never finished high school and had difficulty finding employment. Clearly danielle's plan and stay is different than a pregnant woman who would arrive with no children and who had completed her educational goals. Good counsel staff and volunteers never assume that all women entering the program are alike and that the circumstances may be handled exactly the same. In truth, since everyone entering is unique, good counsel must be extra cognizant of each person's individual gifts, talents and struggles so that more accurate goals and assessments can be developed in order to help the mothers and children residing in each home.”

“Good counsel, inc. Has a committee that assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant. This process did not change from the prior year.”

“The organization is filing an amended return to report the following changes: 1. Part i, line 1 - narrative updated and expanded to report the organization's most significant activities undertaken and accomplished for the tax year ending december 31, 2018. 2. Part vi, section b, lines 10a and 10b - to correct the responses to these questions inadvertently checked as yes on origianlly filed return. 3. Part vi, section c, line 19 - to provide the current address to contact the organization.”