Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
August 28, 2007
I blogged last week about the City’s fun activities to promote the annual United Way campaign. We all know the United Way is a serious organization that provides funding for important social services and City employees had an opportunity today to see their United Way donations at work.
Our Department Coordinators made a site visit to the Illinois Center for Autism to see how the agency works with individuals with autism. The center is for children up to age 21 and it is remarkable how hard the employees at the center work to care for their clients. Anyone who has known someone with autism will know how labor intensive it is. They must be supervised continuously and accomplishing even the most normal activities can be difficult.
We were all impressed by the talent and dedication of the workers at the Illinois Center for Autism. I, for one, am pleased my donations are going to benefit this organization. The Illinois Center for Autism serves clients from throughout the Metro East and is located in Fairview Heights next to Longacre Park.
In addition, we had lunch at Pasta Fare which is a business affiliated with the Illinois Center for Autism and is staffed by adults with autism. Pasta Fare provide vocational training and employment opportunities for adults with autism. While it is a business, it is not self-sustaining and they also rely on United Way donations to cover expenses.
We toured the kitchen where clients are involved in every aspect of the restaurant, including making the pasta from scratch. They serve lunch Monday-Friday. Our meal was excellent, the service was great, and I would highly recommend the restaurant to everyone. Pasta Fare is located on Hwy. 159 in Fairview Heights behind the Hardee’s restaurant.
It is one thing to donate money to the United Way and feel good about helping our neighbors in need. It is quite another thing to visit a United Way agency and see the good work happening as a result of your donation. I now have a greater appreciation for the value of my contribution and I hope we have another great United Way campaign.
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