Our Mission

Gerry Beagles • March 1, 2023

Advancing lives of connection, contribution, and meaning for persons with developmental disabilities and the individuals that support them.

– Garden Center Services Mission Statement

It’s been thirty-six years since President  Reagan recognized March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month to increase “public awareness of the needs and the potential of Americans with developmental disabilities” and to provide the “encouragement and opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.” Though there have been strides made over the last three and a half decades, individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities continue their struggle to live their lives with the same access to those experiences and prospects that we all expect. 

I am very pleased with our agency’s mission statement because I believe it identifies those desires that we all share in hoping that our time on this planet will make a difference; we all want to have connections, we want to believe that we have made contributions, and we need our lives to have meaning! This is the life we want for each of our participants and for every one of our employees as well. I guess the dream would be that at some point in the future we won’t need a special month dedicated to disability awareness.

To make this happen however, takes a certain amount of resources, and until just the last few years the state of Illinois lagged far behind in authorizing the revenue necessary to implement creative, flexible, quality supports for the persons we serve. Even with the increases of the past few years we are still playing catch up. In today’s economy with its workforce crisis that many health service providers are experiencing, it’s imperative that we are able to offer our staff a decent living wage! Why is it that our state still has too many developmental centers that they operate where the annual cost of serving an individual approaches $400,000! To serve that same individual in one of our settings we would be paid approximately 80 to 90,000 dollars. So when you receive notice from us asking that you contact your legislators, please do so. It’s really true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I would like to share some incredibly good news with you. Just this last Friday the Illinois Housing Development Authority awarded Garden Center Services the funding necessary to move forward with our plans to develop a much needed 16 unit Permanent Supportive Housing apartment building that will provide adults with disabilities the opportunity to lease their own home. “Garden Apartments” will not be like our other group living alternatives as it is targeted for those individuals that can live independently with just minimal assistance. I am very proud that our agency’s application was approved for funding as this is a statement about Garden Center’s financial stability and the constancy of our adherence to all the state’s rules and regulations. I am very grateful to our Board of Directors for their support of this initiative and to all the staff that assisted with the application process. Doing everything we can to assist all persons with disabilities is the true spirit of Garden Center Services!

In closing, I want to wish each of you a joyful Easter and sun-kissed Spring!

Other Articles

2025 in Review & a Look Toward 2026

By Gerry Beagles • January 9, 2026
Dear supporters and family members of Garden Center Services! Cindy and I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe New Year. We thought it would be helpful for this first Leaflet newsletter of 2026 to reflect back on some accomplishments our agency made over the past year. I want to share with you that while generating this list I truly experienced strong emotions such as pride, gratitude, joy, and weariness. The fact that we made these positive strides in a time that is so affected by needless disharmony, misinformation, and blatant self-interest is a true testimony to the commitment made by our wonderful employees to the core values of respect, empowerment, and compassion. 2025 Accomplishments We filled open leadership positions with top notch individuals: Ray Benaitis accepted the Director position for oversite of Supportive Housing, Quality Assurance, Thrift Shoppe, and Maintenance & Transportation. Elle Liberty accepted the Clinical Director position to support our Qs. Zach Apt accepted a position as our newest CILA Q. Kelly Drudi accepted the position to be our new onsite Nurse Practitioner. We also had some established staff move into new positions: Sheryl Kincinas accepted the Director position to support our clinical services including Nursing and the Behavioral Health Program. April Watkins accepted the position of ICF Administrator. In addition to these staff changes, here are other strides that were made: Acquired license for our own Behavior Health Clinic. Moved forward with construction of our first Supportive Housing Apartments and purchased the land for our second. Started our first Host Home and added a new CILA home. Continued moving toward our goal of all residents having a private bedroom - with five more added! Had our first Sunny Days initiative resulting in three days of celebration of the people we support! Updated two ICF bathrooms and flooring. Updated flooring, painting and windows at several CILAs. Completed significant renovations at our Moody, 50th, Otto and Lombard homes. Added an additional accessible bathroom at our Community Day Services building. Completed our first partnership with Moraine Valley for Leadership Development. Twenty-five people participated in this 5-month online program. There are many, many more! Now it is 2026, and there is much that we hope to accomplish this year. We are committed to making real changes in the lives of the people we serve, but we really need your help to make this happen. Many of you that receive this newsletter are already generous financial donors to our cause! As I’m wanting and needing to share our story with a larger audience, that’s where I could use your help. If you want to be part of the resistance to the growing lack of concern and support for all the people being marginalized and minimalized, please help me connect with those persons in your circle that you believe would be touched by our stories. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at gbeagles@gardencenterservices.org. Thank you for everything!  Gerry

Cuts to SNAP and Other GCS Updates

By Gerry Beagles • November 3, 2025
Dear friends and supporters,  We are reaching out today to share both the challenges and the bright spots that are shaping life at Garden Center Services this season. Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits have been temporarily put on hold. Judges have ordered the administration to resume the payments, even if partially, but they have not figured out how to at this point. For many people with disabilities, SNAP benefits are not just supplemental - they are essential. Without this vital support, many individuals and families in our community are struggling to keep food on the table. This crisis is being compounded by the rising costs of food and supplies, driven in part by the recent tariffs enacted under President Trump’s administration. Prices for basic groceries and essential goods have climbed sharply, making it more expensive for the individuals receiving our services to shop and more costly for our agency to provide the same level of assistance and care we always strive for. Despite these serious challenges, we continue to find reasons for joy and gratitude - because the people we serve, and those who support them, show us every day that perseverance and hope are stronger than hardship. In October, we celebrated the opening of two new group living homes, where residents are thriving in supportive, inclusive environments. The individuals living there have shared their excitement about their new homes, new friendships, and the positive changes these opportunities have brought to their lives. We’re also thrilled to report that construction of our Permanent Supportive Housing project, the Garden Apartments, is right on schedule. The building is progressing beautifully and is expected to welcome tenants by May or June of next year - a major milestone in our ongoing mission to expand accessible, affordable housing options for people with disabilities. Our Second Chance Thrift Shop has also been a wonderful source of community connection and vital support. The shop has provided much-needed revenue that helps sustain our programs and services - and it’s also a joyful place where volunteers, shoppers, and staff come together for a great cause. As the holidays approach, we invite you to shop for your Christmas décor at Second Chance or donate a few hours of your time as a volunteer. Every purchase and every helping hand makes a real difference. And in September, our community came together for our annual Walk n’ Roll event - a day filled with laughter, friendship, and purpose. Thanks to your generosity, the event raised over $50,000 in much-needed revenue to support our programs and services. As we approach the holiday season, we are also looking ahead to Giving Tuesday on December 2nd, a national day of generosity when individuals are encouraged to support the charities that matter most to them. Especially this year, we would be deeply grateful if you could find the time to make a contribution to Garden Center Services. Even more, we invite you to consider becoming a monthly donor, helping us sustain our mission year-round and continue providing life-changing support to people with disabilities. These successes remind us that the best way to respond to difficult times is through action, compassion, and joy. Each achievement - each person given a home, each volunteer who steps up, each dollar donated - helps us build a stronger, more inclusive community. We are deeply grateful for your continued partnership and support. Together, we can meet these challenges head-on and ensure that the people we serve not only survive, but thrive, with dignity and happiness. With heartfelt thanks, Gerry

DSP Week 2025 and Medicaid Cut Concerns

By Gerry Beagles • August 28, 2025
In a couple of weeks, service providers like ours will be celebrating Direct Support Professional Recognition Week (September 7th – 13th), during which we put extraordinary time and effort toward recognizing Direct Support Professionals (DSP) for the incredible work they perform. I am so uplifted by the respect and compassion I observe every day as the staff work with the individuals we serve. I think the fact that many of us in leadership positions at Garden Center started out as DSPs provides us with the insight into how strenuous their jobs can be at times. DSP Recognition Week is a great opportunity to focus on the incredibly committed, attentive direct support workforce that is the heart and backbone of services for the individuals with disabilities that Garden Center cares for. The majority of the agency’s employees are DSPs, and many of them have been with us 5, 10, 15 years, or longer! Though this week is established nationally to recognize DSPs, we try to express throughout the year how vital and valued our employees are. We are asking for your help to make this the best Direct Support Professional week ever, and invite you, the parents/guardians/families/& friends to join us in the effort to really show our gratitude and respect to these individuals. Inside the Leaflet you’ll find an article sharing ideas on how you can help. We’re also looking for any gift cards that you would like to donate which will help with the many raffle drawings that we hold during the week. Taking care of our staff so they can care for the people that attend our programs is weighing on me heavier than ever. As I shared with you in my last articles, changes that are being made in Washington is making it more difficult and riskier to commit ongoing funding to certain positions/programs at the agency. As we prepare to deal with the impact of projected cuts to our budget I am focusing intensely on targeting and amassing additional discretionary resources to sustain our quality programs. This is where YOU come in. I greatly enjoy speaking passionately about Garden Center Services and the awesome individuals we support, but I need new people to tell our story to. I will deeply appreciate any contacts that you would share with me to help this effort. Contact me directly at 708-560-4400, or at gbeagles@gardencenterservices.org. Thank you so much.  Gerry
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