SEPTEMBER
2013
T
Garden Center Services
HE LEAFLET
The View From My Chair A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
towards the agency’s staff that work day in and day out to support our consumers in their homes. The staff that work in our residential programs, and those that work in our day programs, should be thanked and recognized for the dedicated service they provide, and this Labor Day week is a perfect opportunity to do that.
Linda and Gerry
INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE VIEW FROM MY CHAIR Page 1 GCS FAMILY SPOTLIGHT Page 2 TWIN HEARTS FOUNDATION Page 3 AROUND GCS Page 4
Yesterday, Labor Day, with our day programs closed, I decided to stop by the houses and see how everybody was doing and how they were celebrating the holiday. It was fun to visit people in their homes and to check in with some of the residential staff that I don’t get to see that often. Some individuals were taking advantage of an extra day off of work by just resting and relaxing, while others got to spend extra time with their families. A number of the houses were getting ready for cookouts, and in some cases a couple of the homes had decided to join forces and celebrate Labor Day together. By the end of my visits, I realized how appreciative I felt
you to contribute to and assist with these efforts. Some ways you can support us right now include: • Garden Center Businesses - Shop our businesses! See page 2 for details. • First Fridays at the Gallery - Join us at Garden Gallery this Friday, and the first Friday of every month to shop for amazing artisan gifts and artwork.
When any of you reading this newsletter speaks to or bumps into any of our employees, please take the time to express your gratitude for the assistance they provide your loved ones.
• 57th Annual Fashion Show November 10th is our annual Fashion Show and Luncheon at the DoubleTree in Alsip. Contact Jennifer at 773-9414151 ext. 218 for information.
“I realized how appreciative I felt towards the agency’s staff that work day in and day out to support our consumers in their homes.”
• 3 Marathons in 3 Months - Read about our amazing staff, Annabelle Winters, who is running 3 marathons in 3 months to raise money for Garden Center! Details of how you can support Annabelle are on page 2.
One of my priority concerns is bringing in the necessary revenue to compensate our staff appropriately, and to fund programs which are truly meeting the needs of each individual and not just meeting minimal standards, and by now you should realize that our state funding is inadequate to meet these goals. There is a new focus and energy to our fund development efforts, and I cannot stress enough how important it now is for each of
• iGive - Support Garden Center with online shopping! www.iGive.com. • Tootsie Roll Days - Volunteer for the drive. See page 3 for details.
Finally, I want to let you know, in an effort to save money we will be incorporating our monthly calendar into the newsletter. We will ensure that it is out at the end of the month so you will have the calendar in a timely manner. Thank you for all you do for Garden Center,