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Hello Friends of Vocational Visions,
Our 50th Anniversary Gala celebration was a huge success! It was so much fun to get together with our families, supporters, community partners, vendors, and people we support to commemorate this special occasion. Having former executive directors Joan McKinney and Katherine Hebel with us made the evening even more memorable. Everyone who attended enjoyed an evening of good food, fun drinks, meaningful recognitions, a fun performance, and dancing.
I would like to thank everyone who attended. Many of you bought tables, purchased raffle tickets, bid on silent and live auction items, and contributed through Fund-a-Need. Many who could not attend sent donations and purchased raffle tickets. We all appreciate everyone who helped make the evening a success!
I want to recognize our sponsors for the evening: Enterprise Fleet Management and Heffernan Insurance Brokers were our Gold Sponsors. Electron Beam Engineering, Cotti Foods, and Banc of California were our Platinum Sponsors. And our Presenting Sponsor was Kia America. Thanks to our amazing sponsors for their support, for helping make the evening a success and for making our programs and services stronger. We value our relationships with you!
Although we are proud of our successes of the first fifty years, we must be diligent in creating new opportunities to expand our fundraising. As we honor our past and current funding partners, we are also focusing on creating new relationships with funding organizations and businesses. We are committed in educating our prospective new partners on our mission and contributions to our local communities.
However, our state funding is currently under threat. A rate study commissioned by Governor Brown in 2016 determined by 2019 that our system in California is billions of dollars underfunded. The legislature set up a schedule to make essential rate adjustments to narrow the gap, even agreeing that the underfunding is such an urgent problem that the state agreed to move up the next installment in rate increases, to July 1st of this year. Governor Newsom, however, has proposed delaying these essential rate increases until 2025. People with disabilities across California would be affected if providers like Vocational Visions have to put a hold on expanding programs or accepting new people to serve.
One of our advocacy partners, The Lanterman Coalition, has created an easy way for everyone to have their voice heard. If you click the link below, you can send a template message or create your own letter to send to key legislators to express your support for the legislature to oppose the Governor’s proposal to delay essential funding.
https://p2a.co/U4MiflR
We know you support Vocational Visions. If you have a moment to voice your support for the funding promised by the state to our system, you will be supporting services for all Californians with disabilities and their families.
Thank you for your support, your advocacy, and your faith in us, not just over the past 50 years, but for the future, as we continue to strive to provide the quality services that people with disabilities and their families deserve.
Sincerely,
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