from the
ANNUAL REPORT / FISCAL YEAR 2022
SUCCESS STORY: CONNECT Tiffany Dean
COMMUNITY
CHOICES
When I started this job, our founding director shared what she’d learned from her time working with Lester Pritchard, her friend and staunch self-advocate. They were lessons she’d taken away from her first seven years building and shaping this organization. The last one on her list was celebrate every victory. What I have learned is that victory is not one thing, one place, or one outcome. It is the slow progression toward a greater goal. Like the rings of a tree growing outward gathering strength and height, it is something that forms through action and movement, building on the layers beneath as it expands. I am so proud of each of our individual successes - the dream job found after months of searching, the first apartment, the budding friendship, and community partnerships. But I am even more proud of the less visible achievements – homelessness narrowly avoided, the return to the job search after a layoff, or the repairing of a relationship gone sour. When I look at all these successes in sum, I see how much we have grown and how much our community has grown, little by little. So many milestones that seemed exceptional at one time, are now commonplace. And yet, our victory is also in the things that we’ve held onto, shared. It is the community of people who continue to come together and strive for connection, inclusion, and dignity. It is each of you, each of your achievements, and your commitment to each other that we celebrate every day. Rebecca Obuchowski Executive Director
LETTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
If you ask Tiffany how long she has been involved with Community Choices, she will likely respond with "since forever!" In the Fall of 2021, Tiffany led one of our first Member-Led Social Opportunities: a crafting seminar on cross-stitching. She was joined by four other members who all enjoyed crafting and connecting with others. Their initial connection was so instant and fulfilling, that the group decided to form a club only days later! Tiffany's club has now met regularly for over a year! Crafting Club showed Tiffany that the connections she values and wants to pursue are with other crafters and makers. Her confidence in building relationships around crafts and art has grown greatly since forming her club. The Connect Department strives to help our members find their people and the communities that share their interests. This means we often share community stitching and crafting groups with Tiffany whenever they pop up. Luckily, CU offers numerous opportunities for Tiffany, who is unafraid to try a new place, meet a new person, or begin a new craft! Tiffany is currently teaching herself to knit and crochet. Her plan is to get hands-on instruction for her new hobby and to connect to the knitting-community. As Tiffany says, "Trying new things is always challenging because I don't like change! But, do the difficult thing and it will get easier. Learn, improve, grow!"
CHOOSING Celebrating DIGNITY INCLUSION COMMUNITY
Our Impact By Program:
Meet the Levitts - Darla and her twin boys Derek and Darrin. In the last year the Levitts were awarded Home Based Support and reconnected with Community Choices to help them find and manage the new resources now available to them. Derek used our employment services in the past to find a job that he’s kept successfully for many years. When we re-started with the Levitts, it was apparent that they needed more supports in their lives. With the introduction of our newly expanded Inclusive Community Supports department we were able to meet with the family to look into their current and future needs. Darla had a lot of reservations about what the future would look like for her boys. With the help of our staff, the family made a plan to make small steps toward independence not only for Derek and Darrin, but for Darla as well. She has said "I feel Community Choices has helped our lives a lot, they are such a blessing to me." After stating in our Inclusive Community Supports Department, Derek expressed that he would like to pursue a different career path. He was linked with an Employment Specialist who worked with Derek to better define his employment goals. After a short personalized search he found a new job working at a government building, with a great schedule and benefits! Derek is a man of few words, but when asked about his new role he states he not only like his job, but he also likes joking with some of his new coworkers. Building a life takes time and partnerships. It has been an honor to work with this family over the years and to be part of the journey to ensure they have the support and lives they want into the future.
CONNECT - Offers opportunities for people with I/DD to build social connections, valued social roles, and advocacy skills // Supports families to understand the service system and to connect to each other
FINANCIAL STATEMENT July 2021- June 2022
Day to Day Impact: We reached 202 adults with I/DD and their families and provided over 1,750 hours of direct personalized support to build connections, friendships, and leadership skills. We supported 8 Co-Op Clubs with members who shared interests such as crafting, sports, gaming, trivia, and hiking. 95% of members who were actively involved in Community Choices opportunities reported making a friend as a result. 45% of people who made friends reported being close or very close with that person. 91% of members surveyed reported that being part of the Community Choices Co-Op provides them with a supportive community. Community Action: The Human Rights and Advocacy group presented on the experiences of people with I/DD to university groups, local nonprofit leaders, and state-wide conferences, where the voices of people with disabilities are rarely heard. We partnered with Visit Champaign County to start a workgroup to design a broad-scope accessibility survey for local businesses ensuring that people with all disabilities have the information they need to be active and welcome members of our community. We began collaborations with CU MTD to offer bus training and free passes to participants in order to make learning the bus system more accessible and affordable.
Day to Day Impact: We increased the capacity of this program by 100%, hiring 2 new staff and doubling the number of people we are serving. We provided over 2,800 hours of direct support to people with I/DD and their families to find, sustain, and support their community-based lives. 92% of our participants made progress on their community living goals. 19 people with I/DD participated in 6 classes that covered topics such as Transportation, Cooking, Building Friendships, and Stress Management. Community Action: We began offering additional services such as health and wellness, financial management support, and a-la-carte skill building opportunities - making lasting impacts on our participants' lives. We strengthened our partnership with the Urbana Park District to increase community engagement and skill development in our hands-on cooking classes hosted in their beautiful classroom kitchen. We continued partnerships with CU Public Health, RACES, & CU MTD because community issues are disability issues.
CELEBRATING 2022
COMMUNITY Support - Supports people with I/DD to plan, build skills, and manage their lives in the community through 1:1 support, case management, and personal development classes.
CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT - Supports people with I/DD to find employment that highlights their interests and talents in ways that benefit both employer and employee
* CCDDB - Champaign County Developmental Disabilities Board ** Funded through the CCDDB in collaboration with DSC
SUCCESS STORY: INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY SUPPORT The Levitts
Day to Day Impact: 50 people with I/DD received 1:1 support to find, keep and expand their community-based jobs and volunteer positions. 19 people with I/DD found work in the community based on their interests this year. 73% of the people we’ve supported to find jobs since 2018 are still at those jobs or have worked with us to find new positions. We held our first two sessions of our Workforce Empowerment Program (WEP) to support first time job seekers to build the skills and experience they need for success. Community Action: We debuted the Champaign County Registry of Inclusive Employers as part of our collaboration with DSC, giving the community easy access to information on inclusive employers. We added 24 new businesses to our list of LEAP Certified Employers and 35 to our online registry. We partnered with the Urbana Park District, the iHotel, and the Red Herring as job shadow sites for WEP. A record 14 employers worked with Community Choices to hire employees with I/DD for the first time.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
CONNECT
CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT
INCOME
Fundraising
Individual Contributions
-
38,630
Fundraising Events
3,054
Grants
CCDDB*
164,069
160,251
201,000
525,320
Employment 1st Initiative**
21,860
Fee for Service
Illinois - Home-Based Services
61,707
Illinois - Employment Services
46,028
Private Pay
300
TOTAL INCOME
226,076
267,889
695,900
EXPENSES
Personnel
Employee Salaries/Wages
161,167
129,819
198,489
489,475
Employee Taxes/Benefits
26,963
23,070
28,110
78,143
Professional Fees
5,058
6,244
16,360
Supplies and Resources
Staff Development
195
261
305
761
Supplies/Consumables
5,355
5,817
6,530
17,702
Fundraising Expenses
1,360
Operating Expenses
Occupancy
9,463
9,210
12,617
31,290
General Operating
4,099
3,601
4,945
12,645
Transportation
3,321
420
2,028
5,769
TOTAL EXPENSES
215,621
178,442
258,082
653,505
NET INCOME
42,395
TOTAL
SUCCESS STORY: CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT Kelsey Murrah
COMMUNITY CHOICES, 44 E MAIN ST. SUITE 210, CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820
CHAMPIONS ($1500 +)
you make this possible
Thank You!
When we started working with Kelsey over four years ago, she was the first to say that she found it hard to find friends, would never move out, and could never have a job. This couldn’t be further from the truth! In the past two years, Kelsey has made amazing strides towards all of these major life milestones. Through our daily zoom groups throughout the pandemic, she got to know other members and found connections based on her outgoing personality and shared interests. With her friends, Kelsey spent more time out and about getting comfortable in the community. She also had the example of her peers working jobs and managing their own apartments. Our friends and peers can be some of the most influential people in our lives - helping us envision new futures for ourselves, building our confidence, and seeing how others face challenges and setbacks. For Kelsey this meant that she wanted to start looking for her own job. At first, she had confidence to build and was unsure of what she wanted to do. She started with our Workforce Empowerment Program where she had the chance to build skills and shadow a series of jobs. Then, with the support of her Employment Specialist, Kelsey determined that she needed a workplace where she could use her warm personality and social skills. This ended up being Red Robin where she started working as a hostess in the spring of 2022! Kelsey is doing great and loving her growing independence, self-sufficiency, and connection to the community. And her successes keep building! Her next step is community based living, where she is getting ready to move into her very first apartment!
BENEFACTORS ($1000-$1499)
communitychoicesinc.org
Join Us Today!
Busey Bank American Endowment Foundation Philip & Sheila Krein Orange Krush Foundation Barbara Pritchard Linda & Dan Tortorelli*
ADVOCATES ($300-$999) Kevin Burke Holly Clemons Daphne Cline John & Tina Colombo Marcia Crisp Rich & Karen Eisenmenger Susan Fowler Susan Haney Laurie Howard John & Gail Kennedy Jim & Jessica Lopez Barbara Mies* Jeanne & Tim Murray* Mark Obuchowski Ruth Rhodes Mildred & Richard Riggs Tim & Tami Smith Thomas & Linda Steele Tom & Linda Steele Lee Whitacre SUSTAINING DONORS Barbara Buoy Charlie & Mary Butzow David & Jamie Cox John & Melinda Dabrowski Rich & Karen Eisenmenger Mary Pat Elmlinger Susan Fowler Laurie Howard Jen Knapp & Kyle Raymond Jim & Jessica Lopez Emily McKown Barbara Mies* Jeanne & Tim Murray* Ken & Beth Niebuhr* Mark Obuchowski Cora Obuchowski & Ben Burns Nick & Kathryn Quealy-Gainer Ruth Rhodes Linda & Dan Tortorelli* Lee Whitacre Tim & Debbie Wood* FRIENDS: Timothy & Jessica Abrahamson Jeff Amfahr Roger & Diana Armstrong Linda & Lawrence Atherton Johnell Bentz Michael Bergonzi Paul Blobaum* Jill Brink-Rutter* Donald & Margaret Briskin Douglas & Katherine Bull Meghan Burke Jennifer Kent Cederberg Hannah Christiansen Danielle Chynoweth Leanna Cossman Robert & Celeste Coverdill Dan Crede & Gay King-Crede Laura Cuppernell Aynalem Demissie Cindy Denzer Paul & Martha Diehl Mary & Christine Dowd Barbara Doyle Cyndi Emmons Donna Falconnier Alia Fierro Laura Herrel Gaber Diane Genthner Janice Gill William & Phyllis Gingold Keith & Dana Good Neil & Joan Gorsuch* Kim Graber Charlotte Green Jasmine Hague Guy & Anne Hall Michael & Liz Haney Joel Hassel Jessica Henrichs Dorrie Hook Susan Houseworth Marietta Hubler Mike Ingram Isaac Inskeep Artice James Eva Jehle Kendall Rafter & John Abelson Deanne Johnson Lawrence Kessler & Therese Schneider Ronald & Susan Kiddoo Mary King Jaya Kolisetty Bill & Larissa Kramer Jeanne Kramer Shefundus S Lambert Abby Langer Allison Lee Benjamin Leff Stuart Levy Jamie Lourash Marjie Lovejoy Daniel & Elizabeth Maloney Joyce Mast Jane McClintock Margaret McNamara Lisa MG Timothy Mininger Becky Moore Andrew Moseley Jennifer Mozina Marjie Mullaney Kelsey Murrah Tim & Sally Mustered John & Barbara Naese Network for Good Robert O'Daniell Ann Osterling Bryan Paris Donald & Barbara Perrero Josh Peter Wendy Petruzello Wendy Pierce Lauren Quinn Rene Redfern Vanessa Robinson Adani Sanchez Christine Schurvinske Georgiana Schuster Dan & Kimberly Sheets Mark Shelden Brian Sielatycki Amazon Smile Taryn Smith John Stanley Margaret Stanton Jeffery & Wendy Starwalt Randall & Chiyuki Stearns Travis Stearns Dennis & Carolyn Steger Anita Stein & Harvey Welch* Alexandria Stetson Bill Strutz Barbara Terry Patrick Tessene Jennifer Tomaso James & Julie Tortorelli Sharon Trockman Matt Turino Lisa Tweedy Claire Vail Lisa Verhelst Katie Wachala Karen Wilund Jeffery & Amelia Woods Amy Woods Daniel Zolfo Marcia Zumbahlen * - Community Choices Board Member Community Choices makes every effort to ensure that this list is accurate. We deeply regret any errors, omissions, misspellings, or other mistakes and welcome your feedback.
David & Jamie Cox John & Melinda Dabrowski Eric & Tamara Helfer Jen Knapp & Kyle Raymond Marc Knowles Mike & Alicia Mangham Joyce Wakeland Tim & Debbie Wood*
DONORS
Your gifts help build full lives
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ANNUAL FUND Supports all our departments and activities. A critical part of our budget. BECOME A SUSTAINING DONOR Your monthly gift provides us stability throughout the year. BUILD THE LESTER PRITCHARD INVESTING IN INDEPENDENCE FUND This fund is in of honor of Lester and his vision for this organization. It is used for the one-time needs of our members. GIVE ONLINE Contributions can be made online at: https://communitychoicesinc.org/givingtuesday
Ways to give-
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SEND CHECKS TO: 44 E Main St. Suite 210 Champaign IL 61820