Keep CHOICE CONNECTED! ACT 2!

CHOICE is proud to announce that  we made our match to the Keep CHOICE CONNECTED campaign! Thank you! We are excited to announce that we received another match donation of $2,000 from Mike and Julie Kraines.

" Supporting non profits has always been important to us. Having spent our careers working for CHOICE over the years we have given back in many varied ways. This year seems especially important to go one step further as this campaign Keep CHOICE CONNECTED, is about support for CHOICE employees," offered Mike and Julie. 

With your help we can reach $45,000! 

 CHOICE is setting a goal of raising $100,000 to help maintain financial security through these troubling times. Further, to be financially fit to completely reopen correctly and robustly once we are allowed to safely do so.

Not only is the Keep CHOICE CONNECTED campaign goal of raising $100,000 possible, it is absolutely necessary for CHOICE to continue offering consistently, high quality services from our incredibly talented, capable and caring staff.  Currently CHOICE is operating on a shoestring budget in which registration fees and grant funding alone does not suffice. In order to continue supporting the 210+ participants of CHOICE, we need your help.

So, how exactly will CHOICE raise $100,000 in just a few months?

• Give to The Max Day: $10,000 fundraising goal with a MATCH of up to $10,000 from a CHOICE family and a CHOICE friend
• A Second match challenge of $2,000
• Year-End Appeal: $30,000 fundraising goal
• Apply for grant opportunities

Throughout the Keep CHOICE CONNECTED Campaign, CHOICE will keep you in the loop on how close we are to attaining our fundraising goals. We hope you will consider donating at some point throughout. Thank you for your continued support of CHOICE! 

Read more about how we've adapted to the pandemic challenges below:

On-Site Cohorts: All three CHOICE sites have now welcomed cohorts back to limited in person services! Currently, we are supporting 70 participants with the cohort service model.  

CONNECT by CHOICE is our new interactive virtual service! Early on in our planning to resume services we knew that there was a need to support participants who chose not to return to CHOICE at this time. In July, we launched CONNECT by CHOICE, our new remote service option. Since then, we have been offering an array of 45+ online programming options per week for participants led by our talented CHOICE Instructors. Here are just a few testimonials that our families have shared with us:

"The REMOTE SUPPORT SERVICES from CONNECT BY CHOICE have been literally a life saver for her and us.  To have her sitting at home with nothing to do and no friends with whom she can connect for 6 months already and ongoing for many many months to come would have been devastating for her, there is no doubt.  Instead she attends stimulating programming with friends, led by staff from CHOICE 5 days per week. She is clearly engaged with rapt attention in the conversation transpiring among staff, friends, and herself. She does remote programming online about 5 hours per day."

"We are entirely reliant, and count on, the continuation of the virtual programming that Choice has managed to create. We are so grateful to the organization, realizing what a challenge this situation has thrust upon them. They have done a fantastic job of retaining their wonderful staff and converting their program options to a virtual classroom."

CONNECT CLUBS: Our new virtual programs have been so successful that it has inspired us to offer a new way to deliver online supports. We call it “CONNECT CLUBS”.  These CLUBS consisting of about 10 participants will be able to connect with their friends and engage in a variety of fun and meaningful programs from the safety and comfort of their own home.

CHOICE’S EMPLOYMENT SERVICES: Although most of CHOICE's employment services have been put on pause during the pandemic, we have been able to support many independent workers by providing 1:1 home to work, work to home transportation services. We look forward to resuming our enclave supported employment model as soon as it is safely possible to do so.