Prospects Opportunity and Enrichment

“The corporation shall have one class of members (the "members"). If at any time the corporation does not have at least one member, and no successor member has effectively been elected or appointed, the corporation shall cease to be a corporation that has members. The current sole member is valerie k jensen.”

“Each member shall be entitled the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors, fill vacancies on the board, and from time to time, by resolution, to increase or decrease the number of directors.”

“For so long as the corporation shall have at least one member, the rights of the members shall include: the exclusive power to amend or repeal the corporation's bylaws; the right to remove directors, with or without cause; the right to vote on (i) amendments to the certificate of incorporation, (ii) proposals to dissolve the corporation and plans to liquidate its assets, (iii) any plan of merger not described in section 33-1156(8) of the act, and (iv) any disposition of the corporation's assets described in section 33-1166 of the act.”

“There are no committees with authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“Prospects, opportunity and enrichment, inc. Has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm and has established the following review process to ensure that the information reported is complete and accurate. When the form 990 has been prepared, reviewed by the president and treasurer, and is ready to be filed with the internal revenue service, it is electronically sent to the board for approval. Once the board has approved the return, it is filed with the internal revenue service.”

“Annual disclosure statements: each director and each officer shall annually sign a statement, confirming that he or she has received a copy of the conflict of interest policy; has read, understands, and agrees to comply with the policy; and understands that the corporation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization which, to maintain its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, must be organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes and must comply with the laws governing charitable organizations; and disclosing the conflict or potential conflicts of interest of which he or she is aware. Disclosure required: an officer or director shall disclose to the board of directors of the corporation (the "board") when any proposed transaction or arrangement, including any grant, pending or to be brought before the board or any committee of the board (a "committee") involves or may involved a personal profit, gain or other financial benefit that officer or director, or any other officer or director, or involves or may involve a personal profit, gain or other financial benefit to an individual or entity with which that director or officer, or any other officer or director, has a family, financial, professional or employment relationship (a "conflict of interest matter"). Review required of proposed transactions and arrangements: the board shall determine whether the proposed transaction or arrangement is, or should be treated as, a conflict of interest matter, and identify any director who has a personal profit, gain or other financial interest therein or who has a family, financial, professional or employment relationship with an individual or entity having a personal profit, gain or other financial interest therein, which relationship would, in the circumstances, reasonably be expected to exert an influence on the director's judgment when voting thereon (an "interested director"). Prohibited conflict of interest matters: no director may vote to approve a conflict of interest matter that he or she knows is an excess benefit transaction for which the management of the corporation may be liable for an excise tax under section 4958 of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended. Establish and document fairness: the board or its authorized committee or the officer of the corporation to whom such task is delegated shall make a reasonable effort to establish and document the fairness of the transactions or arrangement and that the amount of any compensation, reimbursement or payment is not excessive (the scope of such effort being determined the by the size and circumstances of the transaction or arrangement). Document manner of determination: the board or its authorized committee shall indicate in the minutes of the meeting: (a) the names of any directors and officers who might have a personal financial interest directly or indirectly in the conflict of interest matter and the nature of their interest, (b) whether any interested director participated in the discussion of the merits of, or the vote on, the conflict of interest matter, (c) a summary of the terms and merits of the transaction or arrangement, and (d) a record of the vote thereon.”

“Poe used a multi-step process in determining the compensation for the executive director. The board spearheaded a comparability study using information found on form 990s from comparable organizations, as well as job review sites such as glassdoor for average salary data. Positions researched included executive directors, chief executive officers, and other similar positions for top management officials. The board agreed on the compensation for the executive director and written communication of such action and amount was made to the executive director.”

“The organization makes its form 990 available for public inspection as required under section 6104 of the internal revenue code. The return is also posted on guidestar.org (now known as candid.org) and other similar types of websites. In addition, the governing documents and conflict of interest policy are a part of the organization's exemption application, copies of which are available upon request. The organization will make its financial statements available to the public by providing copies, upon request, of its most recent three years of annual returns.”

“Prospects, opportunity and enrichment, inc. (poe), the 501(c)(3) non-profit operating the prospector, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through meaningful employment. In addition to welcoming nearly 1,000,000 moviegoers in ridgefield, ct, we bake and produce delicious gourmet popcorn, write and film videos that have garnered more than 20,000,000 views, and through our service learning program we've educated thousands of students and professionals every year about the benefits of our mission. The scope of our work shows employers that people with disabilities can excel in jobs that require in-demand skill sets; disproving the stereotype that opportunities can only be menial. Sharing our model is essential in addressing the unfortunate statistic that nearly 80% of americans with disabilities still do not have a job.”

“Do good business conference since opening, the prospector has received hundreds of replication inquiries. Employment opportunities are still hard to find for many people with disabilities. We need to make a larger impact at a quicker rate, and the do good business conference is a way to grow a coalition of like-minded businesses who can work together to address everyday obstacles and create systemic change. With the success of our inaugural do good business conference in 2023, we expanded the conference in 2024 both in size and scope. Our entire building was used for the event, starting with a keynote presentation from john & mark x cronin from john's crazy socks. The agenda also included presentations from rick sebastian from the kennedy collective, marc senia & julie oakley from walgreens, laura defrancesco ross from procure impact, and kelli fisher from spectrum designs. The lobby of the prospector was utilized to allow participating organizations to set up booths that displayed their mission and products. Three of our theaters were used for breakout sessions, giving participants the flexibility to attend specific presentations that best suited their business needs. With over 120 participants, the conference was an invaluable opportunity to learn, ask questions, and network with entrepreneurs and changemakers. Expanding service learning programs in 2024, the prospector hosted over 50 schools, organizations, & businesses which directly impacted over 3,500 participants. Our service learning program is offered in three formats: at the prospector, virtually, or offsite. People who partake in service learning acquire valuable skills that they can readily apply throughout their own personal and professional journeys. Our expansive program offerings allow our mission to be shared with participants from pre-k all the way to phd. Some of these programs include: job sampling - participants have the opportunity to sample a multitude of tasks in each of the prospector's departments: box office, head's up cafe, concessions, clean team, facilities, engagement guide, events, gourmet popcorn, production, & ushering. Ad (audio description) experience - participants in this program use assistive moviegoing technology that allows both blind and visually impaired prospects and patrons to experience a movie. Led by carolyn "cece" harrington, prospect, and graduate, of the perkins school for the blind. Access for all - bringing awareness to the importance of accessibility and inclusion. This program shows how assistive technology such as augmentative alternative communication and audio description provides prospects with access to an amazing learning environment where we can thrive and pursue our sparkle. Participants go through a series of stations and have one on one conversations with prospects. Hip-hop workshop - prospects take participants through a journey of rhythm and rhyme, demonstrating how we use hip-hop to build empathy, break down barriers, and create meaningful employment. Meaningful employment increases quality of life, financial independence, and well-being. With more people entering the disability community, these programs are more important than ever. Prospector popcorn prospector popcorn continues to exponentially grow, with total gross revenue in 2024 exceeding 2023 by 45%. Our partnership with procure impact has also accelerated, with our gourmet popcorn now being sold in over 350 hotels across 34 states. This product is a literal taste of our mission in action. From popping to packaging, graphic design to marketing, every single aspect of our gourmet popcorn is a job that prospects do. We've always wanted a way for people across the country to experience the benefits of our mission without needing to come to ridgefield, ct - and prospector popcorn is that answer. In december, singer/songwriter kelly clarkson learned about our mission and invited prospects down to new york city as guests on her talk show! With three prospect”