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The Florida Grantor, Spring 2000

President's Message

Spring usually brings many things to the Capitol city - flowering blooms, the legislative session, a buzz of activity. Here at The Able Trust we are experiencing the same new growth and excitement. Governor Jeb Bush recently appointed a new Board of Directors to the Foundation. We welcome our new directors and look forward to fresh perspectives and enthusiasm from these individuals. Together they bring a wealth of experience in fundraising, business and management and disability advocacy. Many have already shown their support of The Able Trust through previous volunteer efforts, while several others have served their local disability agencies in a leadership capacity.

At the same time, we want to thank our previous directors for dedicating so much of their time and talents to The Able Trust. Many of them were founding members and have seen the Foundation grow from awarding $128,000 in grants in 1992 to over $1.5 million in 1999. Their reliable leadership and commitment to our mission has enabled us to become on of Florida's leading resources for disability employment funding and awareness.

The year 2000 offers so many opportunities for The Able Trust to reach out to Floridians with disabilities of all ages. Plans for the YLF are underway, and an enthusiastic group of delegates have been selected to represent their communities around Florida. Another successful quarter of grant making will bring new employment programs to several cities. Progress reports from existing grant recipients also show a tremendous success in job placements among those agencies. Proposals are now being accepted for the next grant cycle, and we encourage you to call or email us with questions if you have an idea for a project. Our grant program information booklet is available online, along with sample success stories to help you develop your program ideas.

We look forward to introducing you to our new Board of Directors this fall at our annual Ability Awards event. In the meantime, as always, we want to thank you for your support of The Able Trust. With your help, we can continue achieving our mission and help all Floridians with disabilities realize their independence.