Dear Family & Friends of Pioneer from Lorraine Kopczynski

September 5, 2008

Dear Family & Friends of Pioneer,

Thanks to all of you that responded to my request in May and sent letters to our state legislators. I would like to give you an update on state of Illinois funding for Pioneer and once again ask for your help. As the President/CEO of Pioneer, I have unfortunately become accustomed to trying to make ends meet in a state that puts a low priority on serving the needs of its citizens with disabilities. However, with the likely reality of cuts in state funding that total $230,276 for Pioneer, my worst nightmare is coming true. $188,963 will be cut from our programs and services for development disabilities and $41,313 will be cut from mental health programs and services. 12% has been cut from our grants and 2.5 % from fees and services. This is close to 2% of Pioneer’s total budget, but the impact is greater due to soaring inflation rates and the lack of regular increases in rates and reimbursements for community developmental disability and mental health services from the State of Illinois over recent years. Bottom line is, with these cuts from the state of Illinois, I will be forced to make staffing cuts and reduce services to current clients. It goes without saying that I will not be able to take on any new clients from the long waiting list of clients waiting for services (we processed 80 requests for service just in the last month alone). With the current dismal state of affairs, many clients will likely die on the waiting list before getting the opportunity to receive services, which is disgraceful.

Once again, I would like to request your help in contacting our state of Illinois legislators to ask for their help to not only restore funding to 2008 levels, but provide the increased monies necessary to move toward quality services for all those in need. Please use your own words to describe the impact of a loss of programs or services to your loved one and your family. What if (insert name) couldn’t live in a Pioneer group home? What if (insert name) couldn’t receive vocational services (or other programs/services)? As the legislature is convening next week, time is of the essence. Please email or fax your letters immediately. I have attached a list of the state legislators that we are targeting in this campaign and their contact information.

In the 20 plus years that I have been at Pioneer, these are the worst cuts by far. This is a major crisis for Pioneer and other human services agencies and we need to rally together to “make some noise” to let our legislators know the personal impact of these budget cuts and try to get them restored. Thanks for your help with this very important matter. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Lorraine Kopczynski
President and CEO

4001 Dayton Street ● McHenry, IL 60050 ● www.pioneercenter.org ● 815-344-1230