August 17, 2020
To: All WACOSA stakeholders
From: Steve Howard, Executive Director
Re: Thanks for your help!
Last week, Senate File 1 was passed by both the Senate and House in a third special session. A few days later, Governor Walz signed the bill, which provides $30 million dollars for disability service providers in the state of Minnesota. WACOSA, and programs like us, will receive much-needed emergency financial relief intended to help offset expenses incurred during our closure and expenses not covered by the limited services we are currently permitted to provide. While this relief will not address our financial needs entirely, even this small amount will help strengthen our ability to navigate the current challenges we are negotiating.
We wish to extend our sincerest thanks to so many of you who stood up and advocated for WACOSA’s services in a time when we desperately needed the assistance. Your call to action and aggressively contacting your legislative leaders had a significant impact on the positive outcome of this decision. In doing so, you stood in support of people with disabilities all over the state of Minnesota. Thank you on behalf of all programs like WACOSA and those we serve. Also, please take time to thank your legislators for listening and taking action on behalf of individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, many of you will recall WACOSA was competing against 13 other worthy, non-profit organizations in Central Minnesota for grant funds offered by Minnesota Truck Headquarters. I am happy to report WACOSA received 29% of the total vote, or 4,629 votes, making us one of the top four non-profits to which funds will be distributed. We will be notified in the future exactly what WACOSA’s share of these funds will be. To so many of you that diligently voted each day for WACOSA’s services to receive these funds, we all send out to you a collective, thanks!!!! Your efforts showed incredible team spirit and support and meant all of the difference in WACOSA’s success during this competition.
Thank you again for your support and for being our partner now and in the weeks and months to follow. It is incredibly gratifying and heartening to witness so many WACOSA friends and community members stepping up to keep our services strong and moving forward.
Thanks for helping us remain #WACOSAStrong!