Each year, we have to raise funds to meet the needs of our budget. Our fiscal year starts on April 1 and runs through March 31. When working on the budget each year, we analyze the needs of our programming, and in that, we budget according to what money we can raise throughout the year. When budgeting for the 2014-15 program year, we found some of our other funding sources were cut due to unforeseen circumstances. Because of these cuts, our budget for this fiscal year is short about $16,000.

What to do? Our fundraising committee is working really hard to figure out some new initiatives to make up for that loss. But we can’t fundraise all of the time or we would lose out on providing the needed services we provide in the community. The board of directors will be looking at Strategic Planning for the future of Arc of Mower County during the next few months.

We do not want to cut our current programming, and we can’t cut any staffing at this point, we are short a part-time staff already and the rest of the staff are courageously trying to fill in the gaps.

Do you have any suggestions for fundraising ideas? Can you support us financially? Can you volunteer for activities, fundraising, committees? We need your support in any way you can; to maintain our current programming, and to carry on our mission that our founding families started more than 60 years ago, of supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members across Mower County.

Thank you for your consideration, and contact me if you have any thoughts or want to help us reach our current goal for 2014-15.