REBECCA CWTC – PATHWAY AWARDS PAR-A-DICE HOTEL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010
GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT TO SHARE IN OUR ANNUAL PATHWAY AWARDS AND 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. MY NAME IS REBECCA _________ AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT KNOW, I AM ___________________________. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU AT THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION.
TONIGHT WE WILL SALUTE NOT ONLY THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HELPED US THIS YEAR, BUT ALSO, WE WILL REFLECT ON THE FOUNDATION OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND THE LONGEVITY OF ITS SUCCESS. FOR 50 YEARS, CWTC HAS CULTIVATED AND MAINTAINED MANY MEANINGFUL—AND FINACIALLY BENEFICIAL—RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE FULFILLING OUR MISSION FOR ANOTHER HALF CENTURY, AND BEYOND.
FIRST, LET ME BEGIN BY RECOGNIZING MEMBERS OF OUR CORPORATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, RESIDENTIAL BOARD AND THE FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS. IT IS YOUR DEDICATION, LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO OUR MISSION WHICH CONTINUES TO MAKE CWTC AN ORGANIZATION OF WHICH TO BE PROUD. BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS, PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED. (Pause for applause) I’D ALSO LIKE TO SALUTE OUR WONDERFUL STAFF MEMBERS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR CONSUMERS AND FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR MISSION. SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR
MUCH OF THOSE 50 YEARS. STAFF MEMBERS, PLEASE STAND AND ACCEPT OUR DEEPEST APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOU DO AND FOR ALL YOU WILL CONTINUE TO DO IN THE FUTURE. (Pause for applause) FINALLY, LET’S EXTEND A SPECIAL WELCOME TO THE MOST IMPORTANT PORTION OF THE AUDIENCE, THE INDIVIDUALS WHO RECEIVE SERVICES FROM CWTC. WITHOUT YOU, THERE WOULD BE NO CWTC. SO, I ASK ALL OF OUR CONSUMERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS TO STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED. (Pause for applause) I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE TREMENDOUS SUPPORT YOU HAVE GIVEN CWTC THROUGH THE YEARS. IT WOULDN’T BE THE GREAT ORGANIZATION IT IS WITHOUT ALL OF YOU. BEFORE WE MOVE ON, IT IS FITTING THAT WE, ONCE AGAIN, TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON HOW THIS ORGANIZATION CAME TO BE. IN 1960, EXISTING AREA ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDED SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, BUT DID NOT PROVIDE SERVICES TO ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES. IMAGINE. THERE WERE NO JOB SKILLS TRAINING. THERE WERE NO CONTINUING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. THERE WERE NO INDEPENDENT LIVING OPPORTUNITIES. UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR EDUCATION, THESE ADULTS TYPICALLY REMAINED AT HOME. SOMETIMES SHUNNED, SOMETIMES SHUTTERED. FIFTY YEARS AGO, HOWEVER, A VERY SMALL GROUP OF PARENTS DECIDED THAT THEIR CHILDREN DESERVED BETTER. THESE PARENTS DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE THE KNOWN FUTURE OF THEIR ADULT
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, TO GIVE THEM THE SAME LIFE AND OPPORTUNITIES ENJOYED BY EVERYONE ELSE. THE QUESTION THESE PARENTS ASKED THEMSELVES WAS NOT, “WHAT IS AVAILABLE NOW?” BUT RATHER “WHAT COULD AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE?” BUT THIS REQUIRED CHANGE AND CHANGE REQUIRES COURAGE. CHANGE REQUIRES DEDICATION. CHANGE REQUIRES WORK. CHANGE REQUIRES NEVER ACCEPTING THE WORDS “NO,” OR “IT CAN’T BE DONE” OR “THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.” I WONDER SOMETIMES WHAT THESE PARENTS WOULD THINK IF THEY COULD SEE HOW THEIR EFFORTS, THEIR UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE WORD “NO,” CREATED CHANGE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN. BUT NOT JUST FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THEIR OWN CHILDREN, BUT ALSO FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER SPECIAL ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES SERVICED THROUGHOUT THE PAST 50 YEARS. COULD THESE PARENTS HAVE IMAGINED IN 1960, THAT CWTC WOULD MAINTAIN A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH CATERPILLAR FOR 50 YEARS? TODAY, A WORKFORCE OF 400 ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES PACKAGE AND ALLOCATE AN AVERAGE OF HALF A MILLION PIECES OF WORK FOR CAT EACH WEEK. LET ME REPEAT—EACH WEEK. DID THEY THINK BACK THEN ABOUT HOW CRITICAL CWTC WOULD BECOME IN OPTIMIZING A DISABLED INDIVIDUALS’ POTENTIAL FOR INDEPENDENCE? TODAY CWTC SERVES MORE THAN 850 INDIVIDUALS ON A DAILY BASIS AND OPERATES 21 RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, HOUSING 250 RESIDENTS IN THREE COUNTIES.
DO YOU SUPPOSE, 50 YEARS AGO, THEY THOUGHT ABOUT HOW CWTC WOULD BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY? NOW, EACH YEAR, CWTC CONSUMERS CONTRIBUTE THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF PUBLIC SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY—MAKING CWTC TRULY A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS. I DO KNOW THAT THOSE WHO WORK FOR CHANGE CAN NEVER BE ENTIRELY CERTAIN WHAT THEIR EFFORTS WILL BRING. AND THAT’S ONE REASON WHY THESE FOUNDING FATHERS AND MOTHERS WERE VERY, VERY COURAGEOUS PEOPLE. THE ONLY KNOWN THEY MUST HAVE HAD WAS THEIR LOVE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, AND THAT WHAT WAS AVAILABLE WAS NOT ENOUGH, AND THAT WHAT COULD BE, COULD ONLY BE BETTER. UTLITMATELY, WE ARE ALL HERE BECAUSE, FIFTY YEARS AGO, A VERY SMALL GROUP OF PARENTS LOVED THEIR ADULT CHILDREN SO DEARLY, THAT THINGS HAD TO CHANGE. LET US CONTINUE IN THE YEARS AHEAD, TO REMEMBER THAT LOVE. AND TO USE THE POWER OF THAT LOVE TO CONTINUE OUR MISSION. LET’S GIVE THOSE FOUNDING FAMILIES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, SHALL WE? (Pause for applause). NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TONIGHT’S GUEST SPEAKER. WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE HIM SHARE HIS VALUABLE INSIGHTS WITH US. JIM OWENS TOOK OVER AS CHAIRMAN AT CATERPILLAR IN 1993. SINCE THAT TIME, HE HAS LEAD CATERPILLAR FROM $________ BILLION IN OVERALL SALES IN 1983 TO $_________ IN 2009. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, CATERPILLAR HAS RISEN FROM NUMBER ___ ON THE FORTUNE 500 TO NUMBER ____. IN 2009. DURING WHAT IS NOW BEING CALLED THE GREAT RECESSION, HE NOT ONLY MAINTAINED CATERPILLAR’S PROFITABILITY, BUT HAS POSITIONED THE COMPANY FOR POTENTIALLY TREMENDOUS
WORLD-WIDE GROWTH FOR YEARS INTO THE FUTURE. I COULD TELL YOU MORE ABOUT HIM, BUT THAT WOULD LEAVE HIM LITTLE TIME TO SPEAK HIMSELF. SO, LET ME PRESENT TO YOU MR. JIM OWENS, CHAIRMAN OF CATERPILLAR, INC., JIM OWENS.
REMARKS BY JIM OWENS.
(Back to Becky)
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. OWENS, FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND CONTINUED SUPPORT.
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS ARE THE LIFE BLOOD OF CWTC. WITHOUT THEM, THE FACE OF THIS ORGANIZATION WOULD BE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. WE HAVE COME TOGETHER THIS EVENING TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF SERVICE TO ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS. BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, TO HONOR AND THANK THE INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES WHO HAVE PROVIDED THEIR TIME AND TALENTS TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE OUR MISSION. WE REFER TO THIS RECOGNITION AS THE CWTC PATHWAY AWARDS.
CWTC PATHWAY AWARD FOR ADVOCACY….. RALPG B. FAIRCHILD AWARD….. BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP AWARD….. NANCY FINE VOLUNTEER AWARD….. ROBERT CRAIG FRIEND OF CWTC AWARD…..
‘ON MY OWN” AWARD….. “OUT AND ABOUT” AWARD….. “SELF DIRECTION” AWARD…. JAMES GRANDERSON MEMORIAL AWARD….. CATERPILLAR PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMEMNT AWARD…..
WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE STRIVING TO MAKE CWTC THE BEST ORGANIZATION IT CAN BE. OUR PROGRAM SUCCESSES AND OUR PROGRAM DIVERSITY ARE DUE IN GREAT PART TO LEADERS LIKE THESE. (Motion to award recipients).
LEADERSHIP REALLY IS ABOUT GROWING PEOPLE. LEADERS RAISE THE ABILITIES OF THOSE AROUND THEM. AN OLD CHINESE PROVERB GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS: “IF YOU WANT ONE YEAR OF PROSPERITY, GROW GRAIN. “IF YOU WANT 10 YEARS OF PROSPERITY, GROW TREES. “IF YOU WANT 100 YEARS OF PROSPERITY, GROW PEOPLE.” GROWING PEOPLE IS THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP. WE’VE BEEN GROWING OUR OWN AT CWTC FOR 50 YEARS. NOW, LET’S MOVE ON TO THE MORE EXCITING PORTION OF THIS EVEVING. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT WE HAVE ADDED A NEW ELEMENT TO OUR SILENT AUCTION THIS YEAR—A LIVE AUCTION. WE HAVE SELECTED SOME VERY UNIQUE AND ENTERTAINING PACKAGES FOR YOUR BIDDING PLEASURE TONIGHT. WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE RICK STEVENSON,
FROM 97.3 RIVER COUNTRY, JOIN US FOT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SILENT AUCTION WINNERS AND FOR THE LIVE AUCTION.
(RICK STEVENSON REMARKS AND AUCTION) (Back to Becky)
WELL, THAT CONCLUDES OUR AWARDS DINNER AND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS EXTRAORDINARY EVENING WITH ME AND WITH EVERYONE HERE. YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, DEDICATION AND LEADERSHIP ARE MORE THAN APPECCIATED. IT’S WHAT WE HAVE COME TO KNOW.
MAY EACH OF YOU BE RICHLY BLESS. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, EVERY DAY. GOODNIGHT.