Contact: Vince Kruse 
Tel: 602-224-5052, ext. 8087
E-Mail: vincek@tungland.com
or
Luisa E. Valdez 
Tel: 602-606-8180
E-mail: valdezl@tungland.com

RALLY AT ARIZONA CAPITOL ON FEB. 26, 2009 WILL AIM TO RESTORE DES FUNDING TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND AZ COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY RECENT BUDGET CUTS.

(Phoenix) – Determined to reverse the sweeping budget cuts of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (AZDES) that would eradicate the livelihoods of thousands of disabled, senior-citizen, single-parent families and other vulnerable Arizonans and jeopardize the ability of provider agencies to serve them, a citizens’ rally organized by The Tungland Corporation will bring together many Arizonans directly affected by the severe cuts at the Arizona State Capitol on Thursday, February 26, 2009. The rally will aim to persuade Governor Janice Brewer and the State Legislature to provide adequate funds for the state’s most vulnerable populations. Starting at 10:30 A.M. groups will converge on the Senate lawn in front of the Capitol Building at 17th Avenue north of Jefferson Street. 

The theme for the rally will be “Stop bleeding Arizona! Budget Cuts Run Deep!”

Scheduled as the principal speaker at the rally will be State Representative Kyrsten Sinema, District 15, a member of the House Appropriations Committee who has vigorously opposed these, and other, cuts to Arizonans in need. Members of the affected communities, legislators, and community leaders will also speak at the rally.

The Tungland Corporation is organizing the rally because the DES funding cuts will severely impact services that agencies such as Tungland provide to people across Arizona with autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. However, the cuts in DES funding will also adversely affect senior citizens, working families, single-parent homes, children at risk, and most communities in Arizona.

The AZDES cuts are so severe that many provider agencies will no longer be able to pay their direct support workers wages that are much above the minimum. Agencies provide services such as housing, nutritional guidance, health maintenance, daytime training programs, personal care, and vocational training that Arizonans with disabilities depend on for daily routine living. It is feared that many provider agencies will shut their doors and that as a result many people they serve will be put at risk. Most families and people with disabilities cannot afford to go to other sources for these services nor pay out-of-pocket for their services. Private sources such as charities and churches cannot substitute fully for providers because their contributions are falling.