From the President and CEO

There's an old American proverb that says, "It doesn't work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps."

Likewise, in achieving its mission, The Horizon Foundation believes that aggressive action is needed to address critical community health issues. Along with multiple community partners, we're dedicated to systemic change and strategic problem-solving. But the Foundation is also acutely aware of the needs of organizations that are vital to community health and wellness. Many of them face unprecedented challenges in the form of client waiting lists, revenue shortfalls and increasing expenses.

So, for us, balance is essential as the Foundation moves through its sixth year of operation. It means balance in funding multi-year strategic initiatives and shorter-term needs. Balance is also required between large and smaller grants. And it's essential to strike a balance between proactive Foundation initiatives and responding to organizations "in the trenches."

Over the past year, the county took major steps towards building a healthier community. As part of our Aging-in-Place initiative, the Foundation and the Federal Administration on Aging jointly funded an Aging and Disability Resource Center under Howard County's highly skilled Office on Aging. The project emanated from a community partners group, which developed a parallel program aimed at improving the health of seniors with chronic health conditions.

The Foundation and the Howard County Health Department created the Public Health Partnership, a multi-year effort to improve health through data analysis, community goal-setting and the engagement of specialized health coalitions.

And in concert with Howard County General Hospital, key nonprofits, the Health Department and a number of grassroots organizations, an Access to Care Coalition was formed with important steps taken to develop a workable plan. In addition to its two responsive grant cycles, the Foundation stepped up when shortfalls in public funding put community service agencies at risk. The Safety Net Support Program arose from close Foundation collaboration with the Association of Community Services. The program was actually designed in concert with the nonprofit organizations it was intended to serve.

As we were taking the next steps to building a healthier community, one of our ongoing efforts was recognized nationwide. The Federal Department of Homeland Security described CERN (Community Emergency Response Network) in its national publications, explaining Howard County's communitywide model to thousands of cities and communities across the country. And the National Association of Counties presented an award to the county for CERN's community mobilization efforts.

Our extraordinary Trustees were integrally involved in these ventures during the year. We're looking forward to the future as we take the next steps to building a healthier community.

Richard M. Krieg, President & CEO

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