High Sky Childrens Ranch Inc

“Purchased vans from Sewell Ford through a bid solicitation process in which Sewell Ford was the low bidder. Meghan Sewell is a board member but was not involved in the process from the board or vendor perspective.”

“Form 990 is reviewed by the executive director and bookkeeper and sent electronically to each member of the board of directors for his/her review. It is approved at the next scheduled board of directors meeting.”

“At the beginning of each year, the board of directors completes a conflict of interest statement which is reviewed for any potential conflicts of interest. The board is reminded that high sky will not be doing business with any business that they may be associated with nor will the board members use their position on the board to promote their business interest. The state of texas also monitors our contracts and clarifies the staff positions and the relatives that are considered a conflict of interest. That is one of the areas checked at each monitoring visit from the state.”

“The personnel committee meets each fall to determine personnel needs, new positions, cost of living raises and merit bonuses as appropriate. The executive director's salary is determined by the personnel committee after review of compensation survey information compiled by the local non-profit management center. For the past few years, high sky has only given cost of living raises and some merit bonuses when appropriate.”

“Our governing documents, policies and financial statements are made available on a request by request basis.”

“Other program services 4: life after care program helps youth in foster care with the transition from foster care to living independently. These youth do not have a family to give them support and guidance as they move toward becoming an adult and experience independent living situations, are are at risk for making decisions that will affect their future well-bing. Youth also need the continued emotional support to avoid a feeling of abandonment. During the current year the life after care program and the pal program helped approximately 225 young adults in the service area. Other program services 5: partnering with parents seeks to improve each child's success in sustaining all tht is gained through foster care striving to heal the home environment so that child can be successful after returning home. The program endeavors to create healthier patterns of interacting with one another while enabling families to establish a well-conditioned home environment in order to stop the cycle of abuse. The program served 168 clients during the year. Other program services 6: preparation for adult living (pal). Provides workshops, field trips and hands on experience teaching independent living skills for 15-20 year olds. Area covered include: renting an apartment, buying insurance admission into a hospital, buying groceries for balanced nutrition, comparison shopping, maintaining a checking & savings account, asssessing job skills and applying for a job, college or vocational training. These activities increase the likelihood tha tthe youth will function independently and succeed on their own when foster care is no longer available to them.”

“The organization provides child care for children living in foster homes on ranch premises and in the community, provides emergency shelter for children removed from homes by government agencies and provides social services related to counseling and psychological welfare of the children.the organization also provides crisis intervention services for families where there is a high risk of run away.”