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VIP Services Building a Bridge to the Future Capital Campaign
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is contributing to VIP Services different from contributing to Lakeland School?
Lakeland School is part of the federally mandated, tax supported public school systems of Walworth County. It is administered by the Walworth County Handicapped Children’s Education Board, and provides educational services to youngsters from birth through age 21.
VIP Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing a broad continuum of occupational and life skills training to adults with disabilities in Walworth County. These clients range in age from 18 to over 100 years of age. Operating funds for VIP Services include a combination of public fee for service funds, private sector grants and contributions and dollars generated by the agency’s center-based production and employment training program.
Gifts given to the Building a Bridge to the Future Capital Campaign will be held in a restricted account that may only be used for renovation of the newly acquired VIP Services building. Donors will be recognized in accordance with the guidelines established in the Capital Campaign Donor Investment Opportunities plan.
- What are the advantages of buying this particular building?
The Board of Directors considered a number of options in their initial discussions, including new construction, and concluded that the most cost effective solution would be to locate an existing adequately sized clear span structure with enough additional land to allow for future growth.
After reviewing many sites, the organization settled on the Clintsman property (formerly Value Village site) in Elkhorn.
Reasons for selecting site:
- Lot consists of 11-acres of land with ample parking lots and room for future development
- Building contains over 12,000 square feet of clear span space more than the Centralia Street site with an additional 2,600 of rentable store-front space
- Property allows us to retain a central location in Walworth County from which to stage Countywide transportation operations
- Location provides significant visibility within the community of Elkhorn and from Highway 43 by-pass
- Renovation will be less expensive than new construction and still allow us to achieve our program objectives
- The entire building, including the production center, will be air-conditioned
- Renovation will create a pleasant façade enhancing the image of VIP Services and removing an existing community eyesore
- How will the new building impact existing services?
The additional 14,600 square feet of space available in the Geneva Street building will greatly enhance the services that VIP Services is able to provide clients. The overcrowding we have been experiencing with the increase in client referrals to our day services program has become a significant problem. The new site will alleviate the overcrowding and allow for badly needed day service program enhancements.
In addition, the structure of the flexible space clear-span building will allow VIP Services to redesign and expand our production center area, creating opportunities for us to take on new jobs and provide a broader range of differentiated work experiences and generate more revenue to assist with operating expenses. Expanded training opportunities in simulated real work environments will greatly assist our clients seeking to move into community work placements.
The new building will also allow us to create both resource library and classroom space for training in the use of adaptive equipment and other productive downtime activities and increase the recreational offerings to help people lead more fulfilling lives outside of work
- Is there room for future growth in the new building?
In keeping with VIP Services’ legacy of innovation, the new 11-acre site will allow us suitable space both inside and out to develop new mission-driven services to respond to emerging client needs.
- How can we afford to be buying a building in this era of shrinking government funds?
Since 2001, the VIP Services, Inc. Board of Directors has participated in a vigorous strategic planning effort reflecting the changes brought about by additional growth and continuing program development. The identification of a cost-effective site meeting the established criteria has been a long and challenging process and was viewed as a vital component to sustaining the important services we provide and securing a viable future.
Careful review of numerous options led to our selection of the Clintsman property in Elkhorn (formerly known as the Value Village property). In addition to allowing us to maintain our central location in the County seat, the building is designed so as to allow a phased growth plan that will meet our current and long-term needs. While uncertainties about government funding abound, the Board feels by not acting now, the long run cost would be substantially higher.
Over the past several years, the Board has initiated a building fund that has grown to over $500,000. These funds, coupled with a short-term loan using the current site as collateral, have allowed us to purchase the property. Mindful of government funding and other external economic conditions over which we have no control, the VIP Services Board has resolved not to begin renovations on the building until it has raised $1 million toward the estimated $2.3 million renovation costs.
- With trends in the field moving toward community mainstreaming, why do we need a new building?
The goal of our work with all clients is to provide the greatest level of independence in the least restrictive setting. Because each one of the 390 clients we serve has different needs and abilities, we provide a continuum of services geared toward allowing individualized growth and pacing. Ideally we would be able to locate a suitable position in the community for all of our clients, but the reality is that some individuals need to be in a more structured setting due to personal care considerations and other aspects of functionality. Other people require structure as a transitional phase to community living and work. As such, VIP Services wants to be able to provide the most comfortable and flexible space possible to most effectively meet the needs of all the people we serve.
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