MAY
2015
Garden Center Services
The View From My Chair A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
to convince a majority of our elected officials not to further the downward spiral of our most vulnerable citizens by seizing this opportunity to share facts & faces. I wanted to share one positive point in my day when I had the chance to spend time with Representative Barbara Currie, the House Majority Leader. House Majority Leader, Rep. Barbara Currie & Gerry
INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE VIEW FROM MY CHAIR Page 1 GCS FAMILY Page 2 LEADERSHIP RETREAT Page 3 AROUND GCS Page 4
I wanted to share some thoughts with you about my travels last week to Springfield where I took part in “Advocacy Day” coordinated by staff from the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF). Essentially, this is a day where a large number of staff, families, and persons receiving services converge on the state capitol and the offices of our elected state legislators to convince them that cutting revenues from an already heinously underfunded human services support system is not a good idea, and to help them understand the real costs in misery and unsaved cashola that such cuts would bring about. Certainly, there are already some state senators and representatives that get this; it is our goal
“...it is our goal to convince a majority of our elected officials not to further the downward spiral of our most vulnerable citizens...” Representative Currie has sponsored many bills over the years to help those Illinois individuals and families that are impoverished and marginalized. I felt she really took to heart the information I shared with her regarding the actual impact to support, services, and stability if the proposed cuts coming out of the governor’s office were actually
implemented. In the coming weeks as negotiations over the FY 16 budget continue, I am hopeful that the facts and figures shared with Rep. Currie and other supportive legislators will embolden them to successfully fight for our cause, for all persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities & their families. In the coming weeks, we will be reaching out to you and asking that you contact your legislators. Your recent involvement made an enormous impact and I ask you to please put forth that same effort again to help us ensure the funding that is desperately needed to provide quality services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities at Garden Center and similar programs throughout the state of Illinois.
IARF Advocacy Day