In April, the parents of 26-year-old Danny enrolled him in Cortney’s Place,links to external site a day program for adults with special needs.
At the time, he couldn’t sit still. He communicated physically, not verbally. He tried to run away several times each day. But staff at Cortney’s Place wasn’t giving up on Danny.
They embraced the challenge and kept up with his every move – and their persistence and hard work paid off.
Today, Danny talks and is blooming socially. He plays video games and eats meals with others, while also learning how to work and play independently.
Cortney’s Place is one of a dozen agencies that receive funding from Scottsdale Cares, the city’s voluntary utility bill donation program. Without that money, Danny and others who share his challenges might not receive the help they need.
To help Danny and many others by contributing to Scottsdale Cares simply pay the “grand total” on your Scottsdale utility bill, and $1 will be directed to the program. The city annually distributes that money to various agencies that, in turn, assist thousands of people. These agencies provide services like teen suicide prevention, utility payment assistance, job training for those with mental disabilities and youth mentoring.
Scottsdale Cares in July divvied $140,000 to 12 agencies. Unfortunately, demand is far beyond the program’s financial capacity. Twenty-seven agencies asked for a combined $475,000 – that’s more than triple the amount that was available. According to the city’s Community Assistance Manager Michelle Albanese, requests have grown but Scottsdale Cares funding has dropped more than 40 percent in six years.