2017-2018
ANNUAL REPORT

"Making tomorrow better than today!"

A YEAR AT A GLANCE

With more than 62 years of serving the Deaf community we have journeyed through our first year of amalgamation. We have aligned our programs and encouraged the transfer of knowledge and/or ideas through exposure to each of the programs. We are moving forward through our strategic plan to a best practice model in all of our service areas. Our programs have been realigned into residential and community channels allowing us to start developing specialized support teams. Individuals we support have developed skills through supported independent living so as to participate as full citizens of their community. We have spread the word of ASL beyond our classroom to the world of Baseball, Museums, the police force and theatre.

The Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf offers an ever expanding range of specialized services to those within the Deaf Community that require support. These include seniors’, people with developmental, physical, health, or mental health issues, infants and young children, and newcomers to Canada. Our programs and services are quite unique. They offer the access to care, education, and socialization while embracing Deaf culture and language, that improves quality of life for Deaf people.

Year at a glance

BOARD'S MESSAGE

by Jane Hooey, Chair of the Board

"It is an honour and privilege to serve as the Chair of the BRCCED. There are many things I wish to tell you.

As you know there have been many changes over the past few years, specifically this past year. The merge between BRAD and BRCD has been completed. This is the first year that structural changes will be noticed. Many of these structural changes will be discussed at the Town Hall meeting on September 20th at 9:30am.

The Town Hall is the opportunity for Community Members to make comments and give ideas that will be brought to the Board of Directors.

Rev. Rumball with the Ontario Mission of the Deaf is responsible for the creation of the Deaf Centre. Under the new structure, the Ontario Mission of the Deaf and three others from Rev. Rumball's family are the Governing Members of BRCCED. This means that the Governing Members approves the deeds and actions of the Board of Directors and selects the auditors. This system ensures the long term viability of the Deaf Centre.

We have much to celebrate. New staff are being hired to provide additional services to the Deaf Community we serve. As you know the Deaf Centre provides services to families with Deaf children all the way to senior services. We are the go-to organization across Canada for advice to individuals and governments seeking to provide services for the Deaf Community. Amongst staff we have the expertise to provide this service.

In Ontario, our services reach far and wide and that will be continued to be expanded. We continue to work in cooperation with others seeking to provide community support to those Deaf in need.

There are also many changes ahead. As senior staff continue to work towards a new location with a larger building that can provide more services to those in the Deaf Community so that they will not be left behind, we work within the confines of our present building, doing the best we can.

The Deaf Community we serve become our family. It saddens us all to lose leaders in our community. So many have been lost this year and we carry that sorrow with you.

To our staff, we thank them for their hard work and dedication. To our volunteers, we thank them for giving of their time so that we can do more. To the Deaf Community we share with you the goal of providing educational, socialization and comfort to those in need.

Although we as an organization are doing well we can always strive to do better. Our goal is to leave no one behind. Thank you for your time."

Board's message

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Derek Rumball, President of BRCCED

"Hello, my name is Derek Rumball and it has been a privilege and an honor to serve as president of the Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf.

For over 60 years from those very early days on Wellesley Street, to 55 years in Parry Sound on our children's camp, to over 50 years in Milton, Halton, and we celebrate providing over 10 years at the Bob Rumball Home in Barrie, Ontario, for our aging seniors, and 40 years right here on Bayview Avenue. Reverend Rumball's name has been attached to the leading and finest services available for those that are in need in the community that we serve.

Long before the Centre on Bayview was even built, Reverend Rumball would speak to so many people about some good news, good news that was coming, that good news was to 2395 Bayview Avenue. The Centre changed people's lives, it made the world a better place for so many people. The good news is that we're not done, we will continue to make today better than yesterday, and planning for tomorrow to be better than today. I can't thank you enough for the support and for your part in making all the Rumball organizations thrive and be the leader, whether it's 5 o'clock on a Friday afternoon when no one else is answering the phone, or if someone just needs a ride home at midnight, we will be the ones responding to it when no one else is. Thank you for being part of it and there's good news, there is great news coming.

Thank you."

President's message

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S MESSAGE

by Karen Chambers, Chief Executive Officer of BRCCED

"A couple of years ago we embarked on an exciting project of amalgamating the Bob Rumball Associations for the Deaf (Milton/Halton) and the Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf (Toronto). I am happy to announce that effective July 1 2017 we did just that!

The goal of the project was intended to align both entities to create continuity of important back-office support and enhanced access to services to those individuals we serve and will serve.

Outcomes achieved included:

Reallocation of resources to allow for more clinical support provided by clinicians who’s scope of practice includes Deafness
Providing additional choice for the people we support and will support
Established a sustainable platform for future expansion of services
Optimized use of physical locations
A reduction from two Boards of Directors to one, centralized administration, HR, IT and finance departments

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Community and Social Services for their support of this important project.

With our footing now on solid ground and a strategic plan to guide our work, we are well positioned to identify gaps in services to Deaf individuals and meet the challenge of filling those gaps throughout the province and beyond.

2018-19 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf and we are so grateful to our committed team of staff members, volunteers, community partners and funders who all help us every day in continually striving to achieve our mission."

CEO's message

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER'S MESSAGE

by Trevor Lumb, Chief Operations Officer of BRCCED

"As part of our recent amalgamation, we have had an opportunity to re-align our management portfolios to better match programs and services. Aligning our Developmental Services programs in Milton and Toronto have also allowed us to better match supports and improve quality of life.

We continue to provide a wealth of programming opportunities to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the lifespan and our amalgamation enables us to expand those services to serve more people. Our work continues to ‘raise the bar” in the quality and quantity of our services as we strive to enhance and improve services to a centre of excellence standard.

Our work has been, and will continue to be focused on “raising the bar”. Looking forward we will look to improve our services to match and exceed a Centre of Excellence standard. As a Canadian Centre of Excellence, our goal is to expand beyond our Milton and Toronto borders to deliver services and supports wherever needed.

BRCCED regularly receives requests and inquiries from across Ontario and beyond and looks forward to expanding these and other services across the province. We are very proud to have served over 300 people this past year."

COO's message

TESTIMONIAL

by Helder B., SIL individual

"At first when I moved to SIL I was out of my comfort zone, but after a few weeks with staff support, I learned to be more independent, I realized I really like being able to make my own decisions and being responsible for my money, learning how to budget and pay my bills. I also learned how to cook different recipes. I like socializing with my peers and I love how I can go out into the community on my own as everything is close by compared to where I lived before. Today, I have more self-confidence and I am proud of myself."

Testimonial