Dear Family and Friends:

I am pleased to share with you New Horizons’ Annual Report for fiscal year 2016.

Since 1954 New Horizons has provided programs and services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And while having been in existence for all these years, we learned early on that our outstanding achievements are directly correlated to the partnerships we have established with families and friends like you. Together we have empowered those we assist with the opportunity to live independent and fulfilled lives guided by their own unique desires.

On Wednesday, May 24, at CSUN’s Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC), participants in New Horizons Technology and Media Arts program joined others in the community to celebrate Mitchell Englander’s Making Movies that Matter and Short Film Festival.

In April of this year, our CEO, Cynthia Sewell, announced her retirement as of December 31, 2016, after a long and illustrious career. In July, The Board of Directors began a robust strategic assessment process to review all of the strategic options facing us, so we can continue to provide quality programs and services for our consumers now and in the future.

Five Thousand Thirty-Five. That is the number of donors who made gifts to us over the past ten years. Today, we ask each and every one of you reading this letter to either renew with a generous gift or join us with a first gift and consider yourself a valued New Horizons Champion.

Just a reminder that our cookies can be purchased at VONS Tarzana. Stop by 18439 Ventura Blvd in Tarzana and pick up a package or two.

The online auction will opened on Saturday, June 18th at 12:00 PM and bidding will continue throughout the Gala on June 25th, 2016 till 9:30PM!

Dear New Horizons Friends and Family:

After 28 years of service at New Horizons, Cynthia Sewell (Kawa), our President/CEO, will be retiring, as of December 31, 2016. Please join me in congratulating her!

Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday handed what health care advocates and supporters of people with special needs called a status quo budget proposal for the next fiscal year, with no new investments or restoration of funding to programs that help California’s most vulnerable.

On December 10th all across California people with developmental disabilities will be in the streets and in public meeting spaces along with their families, friends and those who serve them. This date was circled long ago for rallies to bring greater public attention to the plight of nearly 300,000 of California’s most vulnerable citizens.

New Horizons honored Gay Wane with the planting of a tree on the agency’s North Hills Campus.
The small ceremony, which benefited from a beautiful Southern California day, was

For nearly seven years, CEO Cynthia Sewell has been a co-convener of the Coalition of Service Providers. Involved are the following organizations: Villa Esperanza Services, ECF, Ability First, Tierra del Sol, UCP, Lincoln Training Center, Valley Village, Easter Seals, Jay Nolan, Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind, CLIMB, Pathpoint, Hope House, The Arc – Los Angeles & Orange Counties, The Arc – Ventura County, and TASC (THE Adult Skills Center). These are among the provider leaders in Southern California. The purpose of the Coalition is to advocate for the programs and services for persons with intellectual and other disabilities.

I would like to thank all of you who advocated on behalf of a 10% increase in rates for service providers who work with individuals with special needs. This follow years of reduced and frozen government funding and the threat of looming costs that will be incurred from successive increases in the State and City of Los Angeles minimum wage.