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Overview of NEON
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NEON is, often, the only hope for the homeless or those about to be
evicted, for the single mother who can’t find a job because she lacks
adequate skills, for the elderly who can’t afford to heat their homes, for
the dad who can hardly afford to feed his family or for the recent
immigrant who wants to start their child off with the education to
succeed in this world.
Today NEON consists of a vast collection of individuals from the public
and private sectors who come together to serve those in need. By
mandate , the NEON Board of Directors is made up of one third from
the private sector; one third from the public sector and another third
from the communities served by the NEON Programs.
NEON serves the total community, but more important ----- it serves the
whole person. A person in need is not simply a "needy person." It’s a
child who wants to learn, a young adult who wants the training and
education necessary to fight their own way out of poverty.
NEON believes any social service program should not be a hand out
but rather a hand up to a better life. NEON has adopted the motto of,
"Give a Man a Fish and He’ll Eat for a Day, Teach a man How to Fish
and He’ll Eat for a lifetime."
Thus , it’s no surprise that NEON dedicates over 25 percent of its
budget to education and job training programs that turn out individuals
who are capable of making their own, productive way in the world
for themselves and their families.
NEON receives 26 percent of its funding from the federal government;
54 percent from the state; 13 percent from local government, and 7
percent from private sources, individual and corporate, contributions,
loans and client fees.
Since the early 1980’s NEON has suffered continuing erosion of
funding from the federal level and has to rely more and more on the
private sector.
The private sector continues to support NEON because they
understand that it is the same bottom line, quality orientation to which
the private sector can easily relate. Like a well-run , quality-oriented
company, NEON believes in empowerment. NEON empowers people.
Each year a company measures its bottom line profits and losses.
At NEON, the bottom line is PEOPLE
How many people did NEON help get off of welfare;
How many people got jobs;
How many underprivileged youth went on to college;
In essence, each year NEON measures how many tax-receiving
citizens were turned into tax-paying citizens.
That’s NEON’s bottom line.
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| Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now, Inc. Making The Case For Change... Engaging The Community To End Poverty |