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Board Meeting
August 27, 2026 Agenda
Board Members — Attendance
| Name | Role | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| David Pumpelly | Chair | |
| Jamie Brabston | Secretary / HR Chair | |
| Amber Stout | FC Chair / Treasurer | |
| Stan Stinson | Finance | |
| John Mark McClelland | Finance | |
| JoAnn Perez | Fundraising | |
| Kevin Long | Fundraising | |
| Roy Ferrante | Fundraising | |
| Chris Patty | Director | |
| Yvonne Tafoya | Director |
Agenda
- Lunch & ConvocationRoy Ferrante.
- Housing Update401 & 306 8th Street; ALPHA grant ($250,000) for 306 — see report below.
- Whiskey & Wine UpdateEvent is sold out.
- September Strategic MeetingLocation to be confirmed — Warren Averett?
- ED Performance Bonus ReviewSusan McGrady excused for this item.
- Meeting Adjourned
Financial Reports (Pre-Read)
Executive Director’s Report — August 2026
Executive Director’s Report
Prepared by Susan McGrady — August 24, 2026
Mission — Properties
- Previous: The owners of 306 and 401 8th Street accepted Eighth Street Community’s purchase offers; Realtor Beth Medley and Southern Oak Title are donating a large portion of their fees as in-kind. Contractor Billy Smith provided estimates to demolish the 401 home and the garage behind 306, and to rebuild at 401.
- Update: Susan met with Meagan Owens, ALPHA Foundation ED, and explained the Bridge to 100 growth plan. On Meagan’s advice, Susan will write the ALPHA grant for $250,000 to purchase 306 8th Street (the potential semi-independent house for women); David will revamp the “grand plan” presentation to accompany the proposal.
- No new developments on a lease/purchase for either property. The owner of 306 would require a $3,000 deposit that would not apply to the purchase price and was not comfortable with a right of first refusal — the Finance Committee agreed this is not a good move for us. The hope is that purchase funding comes through.
Website & CRM Development
- Volunteers: Merged multiple spreadsheets into one volunteer list and added it to NEON. (Note: after NEON processed it, several names that aren’t ours and some California addresses appeared on our volunteers; help has been requested, as edits are difficult.) The volunteer sign-up form is complete and ready for the website, with a submission workflow for Lynn and Jordan and an auto-generated thank-you email. Building a de-duplicated volunteer email list is in progress and awaits NEON’s data correction.
- Texting: Texting services set up; awaiting approval of the accompanying toll-free number.
- Emails: Auto-generated emails to volunteers and donors set up, with header and footer.
- Payments: NEON Pay, merchant accounts, and PayPal for NEON are all set up, verified, and active.
Day Program
- The program is not yet profitable; the Finance Committee agreed to move it to the Leadership Lounge at 305 8th Street to reduce off-site rent and insurance costs. Social-media outreach has increased with some calls but no new participants yet.
- New Day Program Director Jessica Morgan (previously with the Botanical Gardens; MS degree, experience in therapies and inclusive programs) has joined.
Office Assistant & Board
- Susan sent a job description to David for review; funding is pending. Susan followed up with Kevin Long on the funding proposal — he is awaiting an answer from his leadership.
- Laura Brown, a friend of Jamie Brabston, is interested in joining the board and toured Eighth Street on Tuesday, August 24, 2026.
Financial Overview
- In-kind donations remain strong — approximately $45,000 to date. The 2026 Grant List is in Google Drive.
- Expenses continue to rise, mostly maintenance. Since March, two central HVAC units were replaced at 305; AirServ allowed pay-as-able on the first, and discounted the second to $14,000 (Asbury Thrift Store contributed $10,000), with AirServ allowing pay-as-able on the balance. The volunteer lawn-maintenance helper can no longer assist, so a paid provider was hired at a discounted rate.
Outreach
- Increased social-media outreach. Susan spoke at a Chamber of Commerce meeting (~100 attendees) and at Vegas Night at the Stovehouse (~300 attendees, ~$1,200 awarded). Susan and Jordan worked two Trash Pandas games with new volunteers from Iron Mountain Solutions and Trinity UMC.
- Susan met with Meagan Owens (ALPHA Foundation), spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Madison (supply drive to come), met with Stephanie of Gone for Good (a shredding company interested in employing residents), and attended the Lead-On Summit. Lynn and Susan are scheduling talks with local faith-based groups, and an on-air segment with Channel 19 is being set.
Operations & HR
- “Christmas in July” was a success. Residents remain active in on- and off-site events, and new volunteers are welcomed weekly. Special Olympics bike rides have started (some cycles being refreshed), and three residents will attend games in Georgia in October. The Miracle League fall season starts soon — thank you, Coach Roy.
- Social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn followings continue to grow and drive donations and volunteers; recent posts cover resident life, Fall 2026 interns, the Day Program, and the website blog.
Residents
- A waiting list for female residents — a first. One new male resident started at 305 on August 21 and has already secured a job at West End Grill; another begins August 31. Residents continue working and attending day programs, and one is working with The Arc toward a driver’s license.
Fundraising
- Whiskey & Wine is SOLD OUT. The Supportive September Drive begins next week, with groups and organizations gathering items to stock our shelves.
Volunteers & Interns
- Food donations and volunteer-led meals are increasing, as are volunteers for rides to doctors, resident outings, games, wellness, and small projects. Susan has meetings scheduled with potential interns from UAH, A&M, and Drake.
Motions & Roll-Call Votes
Motion 1 — Approval of Minutes
Move to approve the minutes of the July 23, 2026 board meeting.
Roll-Call Vote — tap your vote
Motion 2 — As Needed
Roll-Call Vote — tap your vote
Motion 3 — Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting.
Roll-Call Vote — tap your vote
Meeting Notes
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