The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

“Delegation of Authority The Executive Committee shall consist of the following seven (7) Directors: The Chairman of the Board, the Vice Chairman of the Board (the First Vice Chairman if more than one Vice Chairman is serving at any time) (herein the "Chairman" and "Vice Chairman"), the Treasurer, The Secretary, two Members-at-Large and the Immediate Past Chairman. Members-at-Large shall be Directors who are not Officers of the Corporation who have been selected by the Board of Directors to serve at the Board's pleasure. No director shall serve as a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee for more than two (2) consecutive years. The Immediate Past Chairman shall be the Director who most recently has served for two years or more as the chairman of the board immediately preceding the current Chairman. Any other Director who has previously served for two years or more as Chairman of the Board shall be designated "Chairman Emeritus," while such person continues to serve as a Director, but such person shall not be an Officer of the Corporation nor a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of such designation. A Chairman Emeritus may serve as an Officer of the Corporation if elected. The Executive Committee may transact routine business between regular meetings of the Board and shall act in emergencies. During the month in which the Annual Meeting is held, the Executive Committee shall review the performance of the Executive Director and shall set his/her compensation. The Executive Committee shall not have the authority of the Board in reference to: (1) adopting a plan for the distribution of the assets of the Corporation, or for dissolution; (2) filling vacancies on the Board or on any of its committees; (3) electing, appointing, or removing any officer or director or member of any committee or fixing the compensation of any member of a committee; (4) adopting, amending, or repealing the By-laws or the Articles of Incorporation; (5) adopting a plan of merger or adopting a plan of consolidation with another corporation or authorizing the sale, lease, exchange or mortgage of all or substantially all of the property or assets of the Corporation; or (6) amending, altering, repealing, or taking any action inconsistent with, any resolution or action of the Board of Directors when the resolution or action of the Board of Directors provides by its terms that it shall not be amended, altered or repealed by action of a committee. The designation and appointment of any such committee and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate to relieve the Board, or any individual Director, of any responsibility imposed upon it, him or her by law.”

“Form 990 Review Process Form 990 was distributed among all members of the Board of Directors, either via email or hard copy, depending on the preferred method of communication. Finance Committee, who has responsibility for reviewing all financial transactions of the Agency reviewed the mission statement, the program activities, report of compensation and the presentation of financial information for the year, all in light of the tax exempt status of the organization. Upon completion of their review the 990 was filed.”

“Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts Annually, Directors and Officers sign a Conflict of Interest form and disclose areas of potential conflict. These forms are reviewed by the Board Chair and the President/CEO, with assistance from the Board Liaison. If further action needs to be taken, the issue is brought before the Executive Committee and if necessary, the full Board. There is a requirement to review potential conflicts as situations may arise during the year. As The Lighthouse embarks upon various business transactions, if there appears to be a potential conflict with a specific potential transaction, The Lighthouse goes through the same process as is done with the board members' annual declarations - review, followed by discussion with the Executive Committee and if necessary, the issue is brought to a board meeting.”

“COMPENSATION REVIEW & APPROVAL PROCESS FOR OFFICERS & KEY EMPLOYEES For the Executive Director position, salary survey was done utilizing data from 990 IRS forms from similar organizations that provide the same services and Chicago-land area organizations. Guidestar.org was utilized in order to obtain the information based on IRS data. The following information was gathered from the organizations --- salary, benefits/deferred compensation, revenue, expenses, net assets, number of employees and clients served. The salary survey was reviewed by the Board Search Committee which consisted of the President, Director of Human Resources and Board members. A recommendation was made to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors approved the recommendation. Annual increases, for this position, are brought before the Executive Committee, as part of the performance review process. For other key positions within the Agency, salaries are approved as part of the annual budget approval process. Every few years, or as need arises, surveys are done so that salary benchmarks can be determined. When major changes are going to be made, this information may be brought to the Administrative Services and/or the Finance Committees of the Board.”

“FORM 990 AND 990-T PUBLICLY AVAILABLE The Organization posts its form 990 and form 990T on its website. The Organization was formed prior to the form 1023, and, therefore, does not have this form available on its website.”

“OTHER ORGANIZATION DOCUMENTS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE The Article of Incorporation, By-Laws, Board Minutes, IRS Determination Letter, and Financial Statements are available upon request. Audited Financial Statements are filed with the IL-AG Office and are available on-line through multiple sources. Summary financial statements are published within the Annual Report.”

“Other Program Services Description Service Contracts provide jobs for qualified people who are blind or visually impaired, with The Lighthouse maintaining responsibility for recruiting, training and hiring for these positions and managing such contracts, both offsite and at The Chicago Lighthouse. Those employed are paid by The Lighthouse. Also included in this area of programming is a contract with the State of Illinois to provide Recipient Identification Numbers for various social service agencies within the state. This contract provides employment for people with visual and hearing impairments as well as an avenue for internships in the customer service field. During FY14, 54 people with visual impairments maintained employment via these contracts. Expenses were $1,900,971, and revenues generated were $2,235,660. Programs for Children and Youth include The Early Intervention Program, The Children's Development Center, and The Pre-School for All Program, which provide services to children from birth through age 21, who are blind, visually impaired and/or multi-disabled. The Chicago Lighthouse Birth to Three Family Intervention Program provides home-based and center-based services to families with children, from birth to three years of age, who have been identified or diagnosed with visual impairments. The Lighthouse staff and family members work together during a child's early stages of life to encourage and guide through the natural stages of physical, social, cognitive and emotional development. Services include developmental therapy, vision assessments, evaluations, optometric examinations through our Low Vision Clinic, occupational therapy, transportation, social work and psychological services. Children from age 3 to 21 who are enrolled in The Chicago Lighthouse Children's Development Center receive services which include daily living skills, educational and recreational activities and Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy. The Pre-School for All Program, is a blended program, where students who are visually disabled are taught side by side with sighted students, in an effort to foster inclusion and tolerance for disabilities. This program has created a setting where these groups can work and learn side by side, realizing the strengths of each group. 141 children and families were served during FY14, with expenses of $1,260,678 and revenues of $749,595. The Chicago Lighthouse Industries Program provides rehabilitation, training and employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. Workers are employed at various packaging and assembly jobs, in the manufacture of both planners and clocks for the federal government and other commercial markets. The Lighthouse also supplies the Veterans Administration with low vision devices and adaptive technology items, which in turn, dispenses these items to veterans who are blind or visually impaired. In FY14, the VA purchased 1,790 items from us, to dispense to such veterans. Employment is provided, as a worker takes, fills and ships orders. During FY14, 27 people were provided employment in Lighthouse Industries, with expenses of $1,078,844 and revenues of $581,038. Lighthouse Employment Services/Vocational Rehabilitation programs provide assistance to people who are visually impaired or blind as they prepare for and secure employment. A full-service program provides resume and cover letter writing, interviewing techniques, and job leads. The placement counselors work closely with employers, educating them about the awareness of visual impairments and performing task analysis in order to assist the coordination of job modification efforts. Assistance is provided to help maximize vision through optical devices, maximizing productivity through job assessment and accommodations, and providing specialized equipment and training when needed. Supported Employment and Job Coaching assistance are also provided when needed. Vocational Training programs provide rehabilitation and”

“OTHER CHANGES IN NET ASSETS OR FUND BALANCES Change in Value in Split Interest Agreements 41,062. ------------ Total 41,062.”

“Description:call center transition team total fees:473244”

“Description:optometrist/ophthalmologists total fees:470261”

“Description:miscellaneous contractors total fees:781273”

“Description:subcon-it & labor for call ctr total fees:1233552”

“Description:temp labor - call centers total fees:2394189”