Christmas in June (Cont.)

It felt like Christmas on June 17th when 188 twin size “Beds-in-a-Bag” and 40 twin-size sheet sets were delivered to CLO’s Douglas and Johnson County sites. Each person served residentially by CLO was able to pick out at least one new comforter set for their room. Many different options were available from which persons could choose. CLO purchased this bedding at a drastically discounted price from Linens & Things outlet store located in the Great Mall of the Great Plains in Olathe, KS. Compared to typical retail pricing, CLO saved nearly $14,000! Mike Rosell, Manager of Linens & Things said, “It’s great to be able to provide this much-needed bedding to persons with disabilities at CLO. This has also helped our store to clear its shelves and make room for additional new merchandise.” CLO’s Individual Needs Fund covered the expense of this purchase because most persons served at CLO have very little money available for purchases of this nature. Because the cost of living in Johnson and Douglas Counties is so high, the Medicaid funds received by each person served (which is the same across the entire state of Kansas), is rarely enough to cover even the most basic expenses of rent, utilities and food, much less other necessary expenses such as uncovered medical & dental expenses, adaptive equipment expenses, home furnishings & supplies, etc.

In addition to the bedding purchase, which benefited all persons served residentially by CLO, the Individual Needs Fund has also recently covered dental expenses for several individuals, purchased a new bed mattress and box springs for two persons and helped with the repair costs of one person’s wheelchair.

These are just a few examples of the expenses that require the help of CLO’s Individual Needs Fund. And unfortunately, this fund has been depleted and now has a balance of only a few thousand dollars. This is why CLO needs the help of your and others’ generous donations in order to replenish and maintain this important Individual Needs Fund.