The fallout from the Illinois budget crisis has been felt locally. Cuts have been made to mental illness program funding and Southwest Community Services, Inc. (SCS) has had to place limits on the services it has been providing for over 38 years. 

While this year’s economic crisis in Springfield has made the news, the truth is that funding for people with disabilities in Illinois has not kept pace with the demand for services for several years. When Mary Pat Ambrosino became Executive Director a few years ago, she quickly realized there was a growing gap between the reimbursement rates and the cost of providing high quality services. She knew that putting tight controls on costs was a start, but it was also essential to increase fundraising efforts.

As a result, SCS has placed a greater emphasis on creating new, sustainable fundraisers. The goal this past year has been to bring greater community awareness to the agency and the services it provides. According to Sandy Sorrentino-Bookhout, Director of Development, it is vital to acquire support from people in the surrounding communities to achieve their fundraising objectives. SCS is extremely happy with the success of its new Tuesday night Bingo fundraiser. It has become very popular in just a few short months.

In addition to Bingo, SCS has raised funds from numerous events and grants this past year. Below is a partial list of the results from these efforts:

SCS has a couple new events planned in the near future including, a Murder in the Mansion, a Golf Outing, and a Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament. It is their desire that no matter what happens in Springfield, they will always be able to provide the highest quality services to the people they serve.