Vol. 1, No. 1
December 16, 2003
This is the first edition of what will be a periodic update of activities of the Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children specifically for the employees of the Somerset Home.
Did you know that health insurance costs are increasing by approximately 20% each year? This scary fact has caused the New Jersey Department of Human Services to examine new ideas of helping the 15,000-20,000 employees of nonprofit's who work in human services to purchase health insurance. For the past year I have served on a task force to create and Alliance of Human Service Providers which will be created for the express purpose of helping to improve the types of insurance available to nonprofit's, increase wellness programs and keep costs from spiraling out of control. The development of the Alliance is an exciting project and will be incorporated as a nonprofit early next year and operational by the fall of 2004. We have chosen Wachovia to broker insurance services and look for great things to come out of this new initiative.
As all of you know we currently have a pension plan which is in addition to your salary. The board and executive staff determine an amount which can be contributed to the pension account each year. The amount for 2003 was $50,000. Many staff have expressed an interest in putting additional dollars away into a retirement account or have come to the agency with a retirement account that needs to be "rolled over". Starting in 2004 we will have a 401 (k) which can be used for this purpose. Please contact Barbara Kreutzer for more information.
Momentum is building and we have just signed up twice as many people as last year in our new FSA plan. If you have out-of-pocket dependent care or medical expenses this plan offers you significant savings by pending "pre tax" dollars of these types of expenses.
For those of you who have been here over the holidays before you know that we get to experience the generosity of the public as we prepare to get gifts for all of the kids who will be with us during the holidays. This is the cumulative effect of 30 years of cultivation of community groups, corporations, churches and individuals. We want to make sure everyone is acknowledged for their generous contributions so please be sure to have them fill out the donation log when they drop off things for the kids. We try to get thank you letters out within 24 hours and want to make sure that the people who donate know that they are appreciated.
Last month while attending statewide meeting with other providers of residential services I was approached by a gentleman from Cumberland County who was interested in starting a shelter. He said the following to me, "I called the DYFS Bureau of Licensing and asked them for information about starting a Shelter and they told me to go and see Somerset Home, they are the best in the State of New Jersey".
A week later a woman from Burlington County approached me, this time regarding Transitional Living programs, and said, "I called the DYFS Bureau of Licensing and asked them for information about starting a Transitional Living Program and they told me to go and see Somerset Home's Passages Program, they are the best in the State of New Jersey".
It is obvious that so many others have the same pride in our services that we do. Congratulations to all of you on your contributions to making us the "Best in the State"!
Jeffrey Fetzko
Executive Director