Wingspan Life Resources

As a member of the Board of Directors for the past six years and Chair Emeritus, I have been a supporter of Wingspan Life Resources for several reasons. The most important is that WLR provides homes -- not just houses with rooms to reside -- real homes with social, medical, developmental and daily activities to help the people we serve to live complete lives. Many of the people we serve have complex development, emotional and physical needs. WLR employees serve all of these needs until they are unable to tend to them... most often it is serving them through their final days. Another aspect that attracted me to WLR is their values and principles within which they work to provide such care with the dignity and compassion of the people they serve. WLR, like most non-profits, are bound by the decisions of our State/Federal governing bodies. These funding streams attempt to cover the very basics (food, shelter, water). For other aspects, such as providing handicap access and facilities, transportation or attracting volunteers/employees, we rely on seek out opportunities, like yours. Your scholarship program will support WLR's ability to attract the right partnerships, secure the right talent, and secure additional financial support to achieve goals beyond the basics and sustain the highest levels of service. Please consider WLR in your decision process.

I don't know if I am eligible to give a testimonial, but I have worked for Wingspan for 30+ years, and since the beginning, this has been an organization that lives by some unusual and compelling values. From day one on the job I heard "Go the extra mile" for the people we serve. We have served a couple of hundred people over the years, and that does not sound like many for 30 years in business, but that is because from the beginning, Wingspan saw things differently. In providing housing, new skills and protection to people with developmental disabilities, Wingspan believed that the house they lived in was their home, not ours, and that Wingspan should change and adapt what we offer to meet changing needs, not move people out to a different "facility" when they need something more. So, most people have been here for years and years. Wingspan has done inhome hospice for dozens of people, has moved to different houses, added ramps and accessible vehicles when needed, and trained staff in whatever new diagnosis or health development people experienced. Strong relationships have been formed. Turnover among staff is low, some people we serve have known their staff for 15, 20, 25 or 30 years! Just recently, a member of our staff applied for a second job in the field, and was told that if she works for Wingspan, that is all the references she needs!

I currently serve on the Board of Directors of Wingspan Life Resources, and have been impressed with Wingspan since 1992. The exceptional devotion and commitment of the Wingspan staff/management to the people they serve, is unparalled. Wingspan is proactive in exploring the needs of the community...developing innovative programs in collaboratiion within the community. Thank you for offering such a unique opportunity to non-profits, and for your consideration of Wingspan Life Resources. Georgann McClure

It is my honor and pleasure to write this email message to support Wingspan applied to win a website redesign from Sierra Bravo. I have known Wingspan for more than three years now. I love Wingspan because they have done a great job of serving our community. It is not all, they also has the compassion for help our elderly citizen to release they stresses. Wingspan not only serving the community, but they loving and caring for our elderly people. I believe if they could redesign their website, it would be very helpful for the community because it is easy for the community access to their programs and daily activities. Please grant the website redesign for wingspan without any question.

Sales Representative, ActivStyle, Inc. Medical Products Company This Company has the most experienced caregivers, who have the health and welfare at heart for each one of their residents.They run a first class operation and have been around for a long time.They are respected by the people in our industry as a Class Operation.Wingspan goes out of their way to make sure all the needs of their residents are continuing to be met. Guy F. White

Wingspan is dedicated to a standard of care that far exceeds minimum rules and regulations. They provide adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to experience life to its fullest. Wingspan provides not just a place to live, but a home. A home they can call their own. They have always put the needs of the consumers first and foremost. Thank you for your consideration of Wingspan Life Resources.

I am a member of a volunteer group known as Single Volunteers of the Twin Cities. We are a group of single people who get to know others while helping out non-profits with a variety of tasks. I have been involved with Wingspan for over four years, going to various homes throughout the metropolitan area, and assisting the consumers/residents by refreshing their homes with a new coat of paint (bedrooms, common living areas, etc.). The residents are absolutely wonderful and it is clear that they love their homes, love their housemates, who they consider their families, and love the opportunities Wingspan gives them to be happy, productive, responsible members of society. They are enthusiastic, and absolutely thrive in their home environment. Wingspan does so much to help these individuals recognize ... and reach ... their potential. I am very proud to be a volunteer for Wingspan, and I know many, many others who feel as I do. The nature of our volunteer group exposes us to many non-profits throughout the Twin Cities and by far, Wingspan is my favorite.

This is an organization with passion to create a truly happy "home" for those it serves. The dedication, commitment, loyalty and love that pours from the leadership and filters throughout the organization to those working day to day in the homes rivals none. The world needs to know what a truly caring, supportive place WIngspan is and Wingspan deserves a forum on the web to spread the word and help it thrive financially and otherwise. Everyone deserves a home that feels like their own, and daily activities to look forward to that provide stimulation, socialization and challenge. Wingspan strives to and does offer this in spades to the people it serves.

I've worked for Wingspan Life Resources for 22 years; which speaks to the family atmosphere we have at Wingspan. From the very start, I knew that Wingspan was extraordinary. Instead of professional detachment; I experienced that my mentors, long-time staff for Wingspan, practiced a healthy attachment and that this produces wonderful results in the self esteem and motivation of the people we serve. I've had the opportunity here to give of myself, but that isn't just one way. I have learned and experienced my own growth for having the connections that I have with the consumers we serve. It is our mission to provide care for the people along the whole continuum of life. Many other agencies transfer old or infirm or highly challenging residents to long term care facilities. It is the Wingspan way to go that extra mile to provide elder care, hospice, adaptations for changing needs and also esteem building experiences; we've even got a couple of our consumers who married. I love Wingspan for giving me an opportunity to grow and change as much here as any of the consumer we serve.

I have only been with Wingspan a couple of years. I have been impressed at the care and compassion the company provides for the consumers, and the compassion and love that the consumers in turn give back to the staff. I have known many that are developmentally disabled most of whom have lived with their families for years, where the family's tend to do for them, instead of letting them achieve on their own. Wingspan provides a gateway for people who are disabled into independent living, and gives them the opportunity to achieve their goals. Wingspan also does so much more. It gives each individual a place to call home, that is a home, meals are family style meals, prepared by staff and the consumers that are able to assist. Some consumers attend day programs, some work regular jobs, and others have goals to work on, one on one with staff, each based on their individual needs. Since most of the consumers are receiving state and county aid, without Wingspan they would not have the opportunity to grow, and achieve without Wingspan, for some Wingspan is their only family. Wingspan is able to provide the services and meet the needs of the consumers, through Donations. By improving the Wingspan website, it will improve Wingspans exposure, and hopefully help provide additional funding through new donors and sponsors

I am the new Board Chair for Wingspan Life Resources, and my sister, Liz lives in a Wingspan home. I became aware of Wingpan about 6 years ago as I searched for a home for my sister in the Twin Cities area. She was living in a home in St. Louis, but I had recently moved my parents to Minneapolis to better manage their care as their Alzhimer's disease progressed. This left my sister in St. Louis without family close by. I am her guardian, and I began my search for a home for her here. I can't tell you how many homes I looked at, finding nothing I was comfortable with. Finally, after about a year, my social worker told me about a spot opening in a Wingspan home... and we went to visit...l loved the home, and the staff was so warm and welcoming...my sister came to visit and she loved it! She has been in her home for 5 years now... it has been wonderful. Her life is happy and fulfilled, and I am so glad she is living near me. I see her every week. She is always so glad to see me, but the best part is how happy she is to return to her home. Wingspan provides such wonderful care to the people they serve. As a family member I see it everyday. As a Board member, I see how well the organization is run, and how dedicated all of the staff is to being the best provider to the people they serve, from the Executive Director to the direct caregivers. I am so pleased to be part of this organization. When my sister found a home at Wingspan, so did I! I thank Wingspan everyday for the wonderful care they give to my sister!

Wingspan is a very dedicated organization that provides much needed services to the physically and mentally challenged people of all ages in our area. I am so impressed with the methodology they have by providing individualized services and care to improve the health, well being and independent living for their people. The staff, Board of Directors and volunteers are in place to ensure a healthy home life for their residents. They make wonderful things happen and believe in doing the right thing. Wingspan partners with other social services and the business community to support their efforts. Being a non-profit organization, they would greatly benefit from the generous donation of a new web site. The dollars saved will go into resident care which is will not be taken away from the services and programs Wingspan provides. They are a worthy non profit organiation and are deserving of your consideraiton

Wingspan is a very dedicated organization that provides much needed services to the physically and mentally challenged people of all ages in our area. I am so impressed with the methodology they have by providing individualized services and care to improve the health, well being and independent living for their people. The staff, Board of Directors and volunteers are in place to ensure a healthy home life for their residents. They make wonderful things happen and believe in doing the right thing. Wingspan partners with other social services and the business community to support their efforts. Being a non-profit organization, they would greatly benefit from the generous donation of a new web site. The dollars saved will go into resident care which is will not be taken away from the services and programs Wingspan provides. They are a worthy non profit organiation and are deserving of your consideraiton

Wingspan dedicates more of its financial resources to directly benefit its clients and program than any other organization I know personally. Winning this kind of support from Sierra Bravo would allow them the luxury of developing greater functionality on their site and improve productivity that would free up volunteer and staff time. They may benefit from Sierra Bravo's expertise by being able to enhance or develop website functions that: Assist with HR, staffing, hiring and attracting volunteers Allow another communications link between Board members, donors, etc. Include video, audio, and a photo gallery to spotlight their clients/good work Offer on line silent auctions and other fundraising activities Serve as a clearing house for donations of much needed services and housekeeping/food/clothing items Please consider Wingspan for this generous award! They'll use it well.

I only recently became aware of Wingspan and the service they provide. I believe you will be hard pressed to find an organization that has the impact on a 'forgotten group of people' as does Wingspan. Seldom does our community or government look at the disadvantages the mentally handicap face. I have witnessed abandonment at birth, lack of educational opportunities during working years, and most importantly the challenge of finding a real home. We all want and deserve to have a home. A home where you feel safe, where you know people care about you and you will never have to leave. It is so difficult for this group of people to find a home. Even when they do they will usually end their final years in the sterile environment of a nursing home. Wingspan provides these special people with a real home. A home they can stay a lifetime, literally. No one does what they do, like they do. I sincerly hope you offer them your services. They deserve it and you will be better for it.

I have been on the Board of Wingspan for almost 10 years and have been on the Boards of several other similar organizations in the past. I can say unequivicoly that wingspan stands out from all of them for many reasons, the most important being that they truly care about the people they care for. Caring for people with developmental disabilities from young adulthood to the elderly, and through their passing, is not an easy task. The caregivers within the Wingspan homes, and even all the staff who do not come in contact with consumers on a daily basis, do everything in their power to help live as full and rich a life as possible. Not a week goes by without some extraordinary example of that. Wingspan is also an exceptionally well run company. It is constantly monitored and audited by the counties it serves and the state, and sails through all with glowing comments. In fact, Wingspan staff have been asked by both state and county organizations to help design and plan programs for those governments because of the quality of the Wingspan staff and organization. The one area Wingspan does need help is in the area of on-line marketing - simply because there is never enough money. Everything goes toward our consumers, both in terms of money and huge amounts of time. Our web site is old and it does need to be upgraded. We need to tell our story more effectively. We need to tell the stories of the people we care for. And, we need to help educate the public about the need to care for the growing number of elderly who suffer from altzheimer desease and those with developmental disabilites. The need is great, but in an era of government budget restrictions, it is far too easy to recognize a population that is growing older and living longer. Your help, with a redesigned website, could help bring major attention to one organization that is doing things right.

I would like the judges to know that Wingspan Life Resources is totaly dedicated to the people we serve. I have had the priviledge in working with 4 wonderful women for bout 8 years at Wingspan, started as a Direct Care Professional, got promoted to a House Coordinator of the home I'd worked in full time for 5 years. Over the course of my experiences here, I have witnessed Wingspan provide more staffing to a consumer who needs the one on one, so that the other residents in the home didn't miss out on outings, and normal routines that they were accostumed to, with out recieving funding for the overtime being paid out. Wingspan is the only Non-profit organization that I have had the pleasure of working for that does just discharge a resident because they are to old, severly disabled, or may be dying. Our mission is to serve these people, make sure that person recieves the best quality of life, and is able to live a life as you or I would. We are dedicated in making sure that they are happy, healthy, well groomed, and making choices for the their own futures until their life is no more here on earth, and to not turn our backs on people we have served over 20 years. I have learned that Wingspan is not an organization that when a comsumer becomes ill, or has medical changes that may call for extra attention, or more staffing. We will not just put them away in Nursing homes because we don't want the grief. Wingspan will do what we have to, to assure the care our consumers need is provided. We want them to go in peace at home if that was there wish. We are willing to go that extra mile we may have to go, we are not afraid to do what ever it cost to make our residents feel that they are loved, cared for, and not alone. It's that sence of what family is made of, it's 'Wingspan Life Resources" .

Wingspan Life Resources took excellent care of my cousin who had developmental disabilities and mental illness. He had been in large state institutions for decades before he came to WLR about 16 years ago. WLR created a home for him where he was happy and well-cared-for. He was transformed from an angry, unhappy person who communicated mostly by shouting and hitting into a funny, happy guy who sang, read books, and made friends. When his health deteriorated, WLR cheerfully provided the intensified care he needed; so that when he died last month, he was at home surrounded by people who loved him.