Looking Back…and Forward

It’s somewhat hard to believe that a couple of days ago, on May 2nd, I celebrated my 18th year anniversary as the Executive Director of Garden Center Services. To say that the decision to accept this position changed my life would be such a huge understatement! After a long career working in this field, beginning as a direct care staff over 45 years ago, I came to this agency hoping to support the adults with developmental disabilities in ways that would respect each person’s hopes and dreams and also focus on their strengths as well as their needs.

At the time of my arrival the agency consisted of the one Developmental Training Program on State Road, the Intermediate Care Facility, and two community-based group homes. This in itself was quite an achievement from what started as a classroom organized and overseen by a group of volunteers in a donated space above the garages at Reavis High School in 1956! I was able to implement some very basic changes that were helpful to the agency’s bottom line, but the actual elevating transformation slowly came about as we began supporting our individuals to live community-based lives of their choosing, influenced by the unique gifts, preferences, and needs of each person. Our staff began working in partnership not only with the person, but also with those who loved him or her, to move towards a life of connection, contribution, and meaning.

It was as the culture of the agency changed that more and more individuals and their families were choosing GCS to be their service provider. Over the years we have been approached by our state funders to take responsibility for several programs that were struggling, and this also added to our numbers. The result has been the addition of ten more community living arrangements and another day program/office location, as well as a revitalized volunteerism and community employment initiative. Prior to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, GCS was supporting about 140 individuals, with 75 of those persons living at one of our residential locations. This past year has been an unimaginable, very challenging year. I am so pleased to share that by taking incredible precautions, utilizing very creative staffing schedules, scrupulously gathering all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment, and educating our staff on the latest CDC guidance, we have been able to come this far with only a handful of active cases, two hospitalizations, and no fatalities! I cannot say enough about our employees, up and down the line, that have moved me by the care, kindness, and dedication they have demonstrated.

The joy and meaning that this position has brought into my life has been immeasurable. My life has been so enriched by the individuals we serve, by their families, by our supporters, and by the finest staff I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I am proud of what we have accomplished together so far, and am confident that we will continue to find ways to improve the quality of life for the persons we serve, and one another. I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you and commit that I will strive to exhibit respect, empowerment, and compassion for you all as we continue on this journey together.

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Welcome 2025!

By Gerry Beagles • January 21, 2025

Looking forward to the new year at Garden Center.

Physical Plant Updates & Giving Tuesday

By Gerry Beagles • November 8, 2024

It’s hard to believe that soon it will be mid-November and we’ll all be making plans for our Thanksgiving celebrations. With all the tension and conflict that are present in many parts of our world, it is still very true that we have much to be grateful for. I have been emphasizing to our staff recently that my gratitude for our agency just continues to grow as I experience Garden Center Services as being a haven of safety, support, and kindheartedness for the individuals we serve and for our employees. I have frequently spoken about our services and programs and how proud I am regarding the quality of our supports and the high marks we get from the state surveys. An additional massive area of responsibility that we deal with is the upkeep, maintenance, and repair of the agency’s many properties and vehicles! We currently have 10 group homes, the 15 bed ICF, the State Road community day services program, the thrift shop/administrative offices on Kedzie Avenue, and 25 vehicles at last count! Now, knowing the wear and tear on your homes and cars, can you the imagine the impact over time on our holdings! Overseeing this huge task are the two fine gentlemen you see pictured here; Mr. Bryan Kochanny, Director of Maintenance and Transportation and Alan Maciel, Maintenance Specialist. Yes, you heard me right, TWO!! I am amazed at what these guys are able to take care of. Under the direction of Mr. Ralph Storino, Director of Fiscal Management, Bryan and Alan repair many things on their own and also manage the subcontractors that are brought in to work on more complex concerns or new installations. Just in the last six weeks or so here are some of the projects we’ve tackled; painted multiple bathrooms at the Moody CILA, completely redesigned two bathrooms at the ICF to be totally accessible, painted one of the BMA Manor apartments, laid the extensive in-ground piping needed for the new generator that will power the ICF in case of a natural disaster, and mechanical work on multiple vehicles. Please realize these are the projects dealt with in addition to all the daily crisis that come up. The other fact that I can share with you is that there is very little state funding provided to cover the extraordinary expense of these physical plant needs. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to keep our properties safe and looking nice, and it is our fund development efforts that help make this possible, which is a great opportunity to talk about Giving Tuesday! This year, Giving Tuesday will be on Dec. 3rd. This is a day identified nationally when individuals and businesses are asked to consider making charitable donations to non-profits as a way of kicking off the Christmas Season of caring. Here at Garden Center Services we would certainly appreciate it if you would choose our agency as one of the organizations you donate to. Thank you, and on behalf of myself, Cindy, and the Board of Directors, May you all have safe, healthy, and joy filled holidays. Gerry

Fulfilling Our Mission

By Gerry Beagles • June 21, 2024

Inside this month’s Leaflet you will find an article speaking about the accrediting body, the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL). We decided to seek out this accreditation to ensure that the focus of our programs and supports at Garden Center Services will always be on each individual that we serve, and will be driven by what each person wants as we give the utmost respect to the inherent rights and personal choices that every individual has. We believe that we have a really strong and positive culture at our agency, but we can always do better, and I am very pleased and proud that we have taken this step and are now accredited by CQL. This formal status is recognized widely as an agency’s commitment to offer the best practiced programs and services to this population and will be helpful as we go forward applying for grants and financial assistance from charitable foundations and major gift donors. I also wanted to gratefully announce that the Illinois’ legislature has once again demonstrated their understanding and support of disability services in our state by voting in a $1.00 an hour increase for our Direct Support Professionals in the coming fiscal year budget. Even though Governor Pritzker’s original projected budget contained no increase for services like ours, the intense work and advocacy of our professional associations, our families and supporters, our staff themselves, convinced the House and Senate of the importance of providing a decent living wage for those employees that provide compassionate assistance to persons receiving services. In terms of fulfilling our mission statement here at Garden Center, I am also pleased to share that all the final items have been addressed regarding our Permanent Supportive Housing project that will be located in the town of Worth will begin construction this August! This beautiful apartment building will provide a home for 16 individuals with disabilities that can live independently in the community with minimal support. I am very grateful for the support that we have had from so many for this project, and really appreciate how this enhances Garden Center’s view as an agency fully committed to all persons with disabilities. Finally, I want to express so much gratitude for everyone that found ways to support our recent fundraiser, the Sunny Smash softball tournament. Or, as some of us have been saying, the Soggy Smash tournament, due to the rain that visited us on the day of the event. I’m pleased that even with the drizzle and rain we were able to get some games in, had numerous raffle prize won, enjoyed delicious food provided by Calabria Imports and Cravings Ice Cream Shop, and people were able to stick around and enjoy each other’s company. Even with the inclement weather we overshot our financial goal and raised over $45,000 for the agency programs. I want to specifically give a well deserved shout out to Anne McFerron and Shannon Voves, the two staff that put a lot of time and energy into planning and running the event! Please be safe out there and continue to enjoy what I hope will soon be a cicada free summer. Peace, Gerry