JUL/AUG
2018
Garden Center Services
The View From My Chair A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
wage increase for our direct care staff, it still has been many years since agencies like ours received a Cost of Doing Business rate adjustment. This means all the inadequately covered expenses involved in the administration and operation of the program have to be sustained by fund Billy & Gerry
INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE VIEW FROM MY CHAIR Page 1 NEW BOARD MEMBERS Page 2 ELLEN TO SEATTLE! Page 3 SUPER SUNNY WALK Page 4
I am so pleased the Illinois legislature passed a budget for this fiscal year that includes a $.50 cents an hour increase for our Direct Support Professionals! Our agency was a formal, contributing member of the “They Deserve More Coalition” that fought tirelessly in Springfield during the spring legislative session to convince the House, Senate, and Governor that the direct care staff have a right to a decent, living wage. This year’s increase is combined with the $.75 cents per hour increase we secured last year. We are acutely aware of the important role our Direct Support Professionals play in the quality and compassionate services we offer, and it is our commitment to do whatever we can to support them. Though we heartened by
are this
“ None of us can save himself; we are the instruments of one another’s salvation, and only by the hope that we give to others do we lift ourselves out of the darkness into light.” -J. R. R. Tolkien
development activities. That is why I want to sincerely thank all the staff and volunteers that worked so hard to make this year’s Super Sunny Walk-A-Thon a success. I specifically want to give a shout out to Sandi Coleman for her leadership, organizational skills, and tenacity in once again putting together a fantastic fundraiser! There was a committee of board members, parents, and other committed individuals I’ll be reaching out to personally to thank. Many families do a fantastic job of raising pledges for the
walk-a-thon, but this month I want to distinguish a family that has gone above and beyond for many years in their outreach. I so appreciate the work of Mr. Ed Crowe and the family & friends of Billy Owens that have garnered significant support for our agency year after year. I’m aware of the many letters Ed sends far and wide, and am so grateful for the generous response that his appeal generates. I really appreciate and believe the quote included in my article this month. More than ever I sense the incredible need and importance of being kind to and accepting of one another! We all fall somewhere on the spectrum of wholeness and brokenness which can change on a dayto-day basis, and life becomes more wonder full and doable if we are open to seeing and celebrating the good in one another. This Independence Day let’s strive to offer kindness and compassion to each person we meet as a way of recognizing the interconnectedness that truly exists between us. Thank you all for being part of the Garden Center Services family. We need and appreciate you.