Spring 2016 Newsletter: Leaving a Legacy

The Larrabee Center, Inc. Newsletter

Spring 2016

Dedicated to assisting persons with disabilities and the elderly to become or remain valued members of the community since 1989.

Leaving a Legacy

Linda Hughes Retires

Linda Hughes, Vocational Program Director, officially retired at the end of March with over 20 years of dedicated service to The Larrabee Center’s mission. Throughout her years of service, Linda played a vital role in the success of Trinkets & Togs and all vocational services. Within the vocational services, she established a positive, supportive environment for clients to succeed while growing the program from serving 6 clients to nearly 60 annually. At the same time, she pushed Trinkets & Togs to blossom from a small store front to the community fixture it is today. Her passion and vision also led to the new Trinkets & Togs location in Grundy Center that opened in 2012 and is flourishing. On April 6, Linda was honored by her peers with the Cedar Valley Nonprofit Association Legacy Award for her 20 years of dedication and impactful service to The Larrabee Center and the community. We wish her all the best retirement has to offer!

TLC's 3rd Annual WIN-WIN Raffle

Thank you to everyone who helped make our 3rd Annual WIN-WIN Raffle a great event! Our top prize of $1,000 CASH went to Jeff Axline. Funds raised directly support The Larrabee Center in providing quality services for the elderly right in our own communities. This year we raised $4,750 with all of our supporters; just shy of our goal of $5,500! Help us make a bigger impact—consider making a donation today to help us reach our goal! Donations can even be made via PayPal through our website: www.larrabeecenter.org. Thank you!

Thank you to our Generous Sponsors: Jeffrey Wilharm, MD, SKW, Municipal Pipe Tool Co, First National Bank, The Accel Group, Jerry Roling Motors, Rada Manufacturing, Roling Ford Shell Rock, Tenenbaum's Jewelry, Casey’s General Store, Prairie Links Golf & Event Center, The W, CrawDaddy Outdoors, East Bremer Diner, The Other Place II, Waverly Palace Theater, Waterstreet Grill, Jimmy John’s. Special thanks to KWAY 99.3 for helping us out with the drawing!

The Larrabee Center Receives CARF Accreditation

The Larrabee Center recently received a 3-year Accreditation from CARF International for our Organizational Employment Services. The survey indicated no recommendations for the agency. This accomplishment is achieved on only 3% of CARF surveys. This achievement is an indication of our organization’s dedication and commitment to improving

the quality of the lives of the persons we serve.

Pictured L to R: Beth Eilderts, Jessica Gulick, CARF Surveyor Carolyn Mancuso-Seagraff, Linda Hughes, Clark Wilharm, Bonnie Gesell

Welcome our New Coordinator!

Join us in welcoming Christina Flammang as our new Development & Community Relations Coordinator. She is excited to be part of the mission of The Larrabee Center and is looking forward to meeting donors and community members who support TLC! You can contact her via email at Christina@larrabeecenter.org.

Invest in the future of The Larrabee Center

A gift to our endowment ensures the mission continues for years to come. Each gift will continue to grow as it is invested on behalf of the agency. Not only does your gift benefit us but it also benefits YOU! By donating to our fund you become eligible for a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

If you’re passionate about our mission and want more information about contributing to our endowment fund, please contact the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa at (319) 287-9106 or online at www.cfneia.org/giving/contribute/696-q

Quick Links

TLC's Website

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Client Spotlight: April

April will tell you, she loves working at Trinkets & Togs! She has experienced a variety of opportunities through TLC’s vocational services; working in the store, greeting customers, and helping with special store events. April especially enjoys processing baby clothing and accessories and placing them in the store. She has also branched out, gaining experience at businesses in the community. Most recently, April worked on a crew at Terex Corporation in Waverly completing a large mailing for their offices. She showed determination and pride in a job well done. We are honored to assist April in her employment journey!

Community Partners

Thank you to the Butler County Community Foundation for supporting our Employment Services, giving individuals with disabilities the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and obtain jobs in our communities. We’d also like to thank the Grundy County Community Foundation for providing funds to support the purchase of a new trailer.

Finally, we’d like to thank Bartel’s Lutheran Retirement Community for their recent donation from an employee fundraiser. We are truly grateful for your support.