It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.
–Germany Kent
It is very apparent that we have many things to be grateful for here at Garden Center Services. We are honored to serve a group of the most genuine and tender- hearted individuals on the planet!
We have a collection of caring, capable employees that during this challenging time have demonstrated time and again the depth of their commitment and compassion. And we have people like you, those reading this newsletter, family and friends of our agency, that continuously amaze me with the generosity of your donations and unfailing moral support! So even as we deal with the fatigue and restrictions of this virus, it is very beneficial to stop, breathe, and reflect on the blessings in our lives.
A specific blessing I experienced recently was a call from a couple living near Lemont. I didn’t remember ever meeting them but they had frequented our Second Chance thrift shop and had attended one of our galas. They were contacting me to let me know that as they were recently redoing their will, they wanted to make sure that Garden Center Services would receive a portion of their estate! I was just astounded. This gracious couple, with no formal ties to our agency, had decided to help ensure the ongoing presence of Garden Center Services in the lives of adults with developmental disabilities. This was very timely as our fund development team has been working to establish our agency’s planned giving program called Seeds for the Future. You can learn more about this option on the Other Ways You Can Help page on this site.
Please watch for our action emails requesting your support of certain congressional activities. If the Build Back Better Act is passed and becomes law, people with disabilities and the direct care staff who support them will directly benefit from approximately $150 billion dollars of federal investment in increasing access to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). This is so important as we consider all those individuals on waiting lists for services like ours.
Finally, on behalf of myself and my wife Cindy, and our agency’s Board of Directors, I wish you all a joyful and healthy 2022!
Be safe and take care of one another.