I think we can see things moving in the right direction…
Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go. -Mandy Hale The Illinois legislature concluded their budget session early this year and I am personally heartened by […]
Supporting Individuals with Disabilities in Ukraine
At the same time that we are busy reaching out to our state legislators, advocating for an increase in funding for the services we provide for persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, we are in contact with groups located in Belgium and Moldova to discuss strategies for supporting individuals with disabilities that live within or […]
Disability Awareness Month 2022
There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more. Robert M. Hensel It has been 35 years since President Ronald Reagan made a formal proclamation that the month of March would be recognized as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Three years after that, in 1990, the Americans With […]
Walking in Joy
If you walk in joy, happiness is close behind. Todd Stocker I’ve had several people over the years who have approached me with somewhat disgruntled expressions and asked, “Why are you always coming up with different ways to try and get money from us? You’ve got the Walk ‘n Roll, the Gala, Giving Tuesday, heck, […]
Updates and a Request for Your Legislative Advocacy
As executive director of Garden Center Services, I can say that this challenging past year of the pandemic has been especially stressful for community-based agencies like ours that provide residential support to adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. GCS currently serves 140 individuals who are either living in one of our 12 community living arrangements […]