June 2022
Dear Friends of UCP Heartland,
June 2022
Dear Friends of UCP Heartland,
I have always enjoyed the month of June. I think it is because I feel like summer is in full swing, the weather becomes consistently warm, and I love spending time outdoors whether it is playing golf, doing yard work, or just hanging on the patio cooking on the grill. It’s always a great time of year even though fall is officially my favorite season. Over the past 22 years of my professional career, the month of June has also signified the end and a new beginning of a Fiscal Year. It is a time where you are closing the financial books on one year and at the same time, finalizing and prepping for a new year’s budget. In the not-for-profit sector this can be tricky due to the uncertainty in revenue sources and predicting future expenditures to make a mission become a reality daily. This year has definitely been more fun than other years due to the anticipated significant investment in disability services included in the State of Missouri Fiscal Year 2023 budget beginning July 1, 2022. We are so appreciative of both branches of the Legislator for making this happen and we are confident that Governor Parsons is preparing to sign here in the month of June. I believe I touched on this in my last email and gave readers a little bit of education on the “why,” and the importance of continuing this investment in the future. If you missed it, you can read my May 2022 communication below. One of the things I am most proud of during this budget process is that the projected funding increase UCP Heartland is receiving is being passed on and invested directly to our staff. UCP Heartland’s starting wages for every direct service position will increase. For example, an employee who was hired a year ago in our Residential program making $15/hour, will now make $18.25/hour. One of our main priorities during this process is to also address wage compression and make sure we tackle wages for tenured staff in a fair way.
I say this all the time, UCP Heartland is a people business. The people we choose and who choose to work here do it because their commitment to serve other people. I can only speak for UCP Heartland, but as we have been working through this budget, it shows an increase in program revenue by 45% and in turn looking at our Payroll/Taxes/Benefits expense line item it is showing a 47% increase as well. So as our Board is prepping to vote and finalize the FY 2023 budget, and as the CEO of a people business, I am proud of that metric.
UCP Heartland has some incredible opportunities for growth over the next year here in St. Louis and central Missouri. Even though we have had a small hiccup in the program space in South St. Louis County, this will happen over the next several months. Our new Autism program is gaining traction and we are in the process of seeking therapy space in St. Louis City, similar to what we accomplished in Columbia in October 2021. Additional space is coming available next to the Gibbs Center in Jefferson City that we are considering. This will benefit not only existing clients and families, but also give us an incredible opportunity to provide much needed services to more people in that area. We are excited about our partnership with United Way of Central Missouri and their funding for a pilot summer camp for youth with disabilities in this area. It will be based at the Special Olympics Training for Life Campus in Jefferson City July 11th through August 5th.
Finally, a productive initiative through being a safety net provider of the United Way Greater St. Louis is that over the past year UCP Heartland has participated in Blue Ocean Brain platform. This platform gives participating partners opportunities to engage in quick learning topics around DEI and other leadership subjects. I have had the pleasure to participate, and it has been a great experience because it brings focus, awareness, reminders, and most important great insight on areas that I may not think about as much as I should. This morning the topic was “Appreciating Diversity: Celebrating Juneteenth at Work.” The important takeaway was that if you are unfamiliar with the holiday, taking a moment to recognize and learn about June 19th, 1865, is an important step toward expanding your perspective. As we are approaching the weekend and June 19th, UCP Heartland encourages you to remember and celebrate the events on this day in 1865, which ended slavery in the United States.
We are grateful for your support and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like more information about UCP Heartland.
As always, thank you for your support of UCP Heartland.
With sincere gratitude,
Clint Bolser
President and CEO
UCP Heartland
636.779.2252
Donor Difference
Humanitarian
Meeker Trust
United Way of Greater St. Louis
Hallie & Karen Gibbs
Souers Charitable Trust
Hero
Paula & Rodger Riney
Ambassador
Anonymous
United Way of Central Missouri
PLB – St. Louis County
East Missouri Foundation
Buder, H.L. & Susan Charitable Trust
Boeing
Centene Corporation
Community Enthusiast
Jeff Rayfield
ADP
Chase Ungs
Christine & David Houston Charitable Gift Fund
Larry Neill
Heart of Missouri United Way, Inc.
Guardian
Lesa Johnson
R B Kahn (Trust)
Farmco D LLC
Modern Land Company LLC
Crusader
Russ Adams
Facebook/Network for Good
Bayer
Michael Larsen
Laura Dunsmoor
YourCause
Ankit Kumar
Thomas Hudson
William Deeken
Patron
Community Foundation of Central Missouri
Joel Housewright
Adam Kobler
Daniel Kleffner
William Raeber
Dwight Canning
H & H Health Associates
Kunevich Chiropractic & Acupuncture
Margaret A. Hudson
Nancy A. Ross
Copyright © 2022 · United Cerebral Palsy Heartland. Design by Beanstalk Web Solutions