Join with Catherine’s Parents and Support Critical Services Today

Meet Catherine

Community Vision has been supporting Catherine for 25 years. Her father, Paul, describes Catherine as “funny, creative, and a good troublemaker.”

Catherine was born with a developmental disability that dramatically impacted her ability to talk, walk, and learn. Today, Paul and his wife, Lynne, are happy to share how Catherine has exceeded doctors’ expectations for her ability to communicate and connect with others. As all parents do, they wanted to give Catherine the best life possible.

“Catherine’s place to call home is secured past us because of Community Vision,” Paul says.

Watch Paul talk about Catherine and Community Vision:

In 2000, when Catherine turned 18, she needed to transition to adult services and required around-the-clock support. That’s when her parents, Paul and Lynne, connected with Community Vision founder Joe Wykowski.

Joe saw what was possible and told them that Community Vision could provide the necessary support for Catherine. Together they would create a home where Catherine would thrive.

To this day, our Supported Living team ensures that Catherine lives a vibrant, self-directed life, interacting with family, friends, and the world around her. She regularly attends Community Vision events, where her smile and enthusiasm light up a room.

How You Can Make a Difference

Community Vision has two sources of income. Our first source of income is Medicaid. Federal funds are distributed by the state of Oregon to service providers like Community Vision. This funding pays for services received by people like Catherine.

In July, the federal government made large cuts to Medicaid.  These cuts could result in less support for people with disabilities and  decrease our ability to provide services. 

Our second source of income comes from individual donors and grant funding. Paul and Lynne, along with many of their friends and family, are long-time individual donors to Community Vision. Their donations fill critical gaps that government services do not cover.

Because of looming Medicaid cuts, now more than ever, individual donations to Community Vision matter. We want to ensure that the people who need it most can access the basic aspects of life, such as a safe place to live and connection to their community. 

Paul and Lynne ask you to join them and make a donation today. Your donation goes towards ensuring the services we provide to people like Catherine. 

In addition to making a donation, Paul and Lynne want you to keep an eye on Medicaid funding cuts and “make sure that people know Medicaid is critical for the health of our community.” In other words, learn more about Medicaid programs and funding, get in touch with legislators, and let people know about the real-world consequences of these cuts.

Paul and Lynne are grateful to Community Vision for giving Catherine a life where she has a home that is stable, safe, and set up to meet her needs. 

Your gift to Community Vision will help us continue to ensure that families like Paul, Lynne, and Catherine get the critical support they need, no matter what, in the years to come.