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July 2, 2009
Trinity Services Continues to Fight the Good Fight
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
July 2, 2009 Sherry Ladislas
815.717.3750
Trinity Services Continues to Fight the Good Fight
Joliet – As members of the General Assembly leave the Capitol without a budget for 2010, the vulnerable people whose lives are disrupted by the devastating cuts to human services and the people who provide those services continue to make their voices heard.
Trinity Services, a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization providing services to people with developmental disabilities and mental illness for nearly 60 years rallied its constituency base and staff to contact their legislators and attend rallies in protest of the cuts.
Trinity’s Executive Director, Art Dykstra, asked staff to call the families of each person served informing them of the consequences of the cuts – the possibility that residents may be discharged, programs closed, and staff laid off. He also sent a letter to each family asking them to urge their friends and family to contact their legislators as well. “In my twenty-two-year career at Trinity, I have never taken such a measure. While we often find ourselves fighting to avoid cuts, it has never been as serious as this,” said Dykstra.
In an effort ensure that the voices of more people impacted by these cuts were heard, Trinity turned to an additional method of communication – the social networking internet site, Facebook. On June 18th Trinity posted a petition on Facebook to be delivered to Governor Quinn and the legislative leaders demanding that the proposed cuts to the Department of Human Services be restored. A preliminary copy of the petition with 7,347 signatures was sent to Springfield on June 30th. By the end of the next day the petition had garnered 8,668 signatures, which will continue to be collected until there is a budget resolution. One might conclude that the ease of forwarding news across the country and the globe via the internet might influence the number of signatures obtained. However, 93% of the people who signed the petition are Illinois citizens.
Dykstra stated, “Just because the June 30th deadline has passed doesn’t mean people should give up. Make sure your voice as a voter is heard. Continue to tell your story. The people we serve deserve to live full and abundant lives.” To view Trinity Services’ petition go to www.causes.com/fullabundantliving. To learn more about Trinity Services, visit them on the web at www.trinity-services.org or call 815-485.6197.
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