Washtenaw Community Leaders, Neighbors, Staff and Friends of ACA:
It’s with deep gratitude that I embrace the honor of serving Washtenaw ACA as Chair of the Board of Directors for this coming term. My charge in this role is to support all ACA staff and volunteer efforts in our critical mission, “To empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate fully in community life through advocacy, education, and support,” working closely with ACA’s President and CEO Kathy Homan, and with my fellow directors and key community members in this effort.
Having served 7 years on ACA’s board already and some of that time as its Treasurer, with the magnificent example set by outgoing Board Chair Sandee Koski, along with help from our incoming Vice Chair Colin Northrup—I am confident we will have a smooth transition into 2025, and that it will be a year which substantially advances our mission.
In this advancement, we will be building off 76 years of effort dating back to the early half of the 20th Century. ACA was among the first disability rights advocacy organizations in Michigan, and continues to make great impact in our neighbors’ lives still. Through this advocacy work—in special education, Social Security, Community Mental Health, Medicaid, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and other systems advocacy—we’ve even touched enough lives to fill the Big House! Despite these accomplishments, however, those we serve know all-too-well that our mission is far from complete.
Before sharing what’s next for ACA, I’d like to highlight some of the impressive progress made only recently, under the dedicated leadership of Kathy Homan and my predecessor, Sandee Koski:
From being integral in the recent $110MM Waskul court settlement, to working with volunteer UM Ross Fellows to clarify our messaging and strategy and upgrade our website, to hosting member education sessions and directly helping or advocating for over 400 individuals in 2024, ACA has been producing—tirelessly—to improve the lives of local residents.
This is not to say there are no challenges. In addition to our advocacy, we’d like to build more community support with educational and social events like the roaring packed-house Lion’s Watch Party we held in November. Unfortunately though, while we aim to expand our reach, the needs within our community continually grow as well. Limited public funding and waning grants leave us well-short of what is required to help the majority who would qualify. With that, I make this request:
If you believe, as I do, that every person should be able to experience the maximum joy and enrichment available from participating fully in community life—ACA’s mission can use your support.
Let’s open as many inclusive doors as possible to our loved ones with I/DD in Washtenaw County, together, in 2025!
Sincerely,
Matt
Matt Hall
Chair of the Board of Directors
Washtenaw ACA
