This holiday season, we at The Arc of Illinois are celebrating you - the incredible community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who speak up, speak out, and stand together. On behalf of Board President Kimberly L. Johnson, our Board of Directors, our dedicated staff, and myself, thank you for everything you poured into this year.

Your advocacy helped launch one of the strongest Medicaid protection efforts Illinois has ever seen. You organized. You shared your stories. You showed that when our community stands united, we can move systems. Even though the final outcome wasn’t exactly what we fought for, your voices shifted the narrative and made it clear: our community is powerful, resilient, and impossible to overlook.

This year also marked one of the largest collaborative movements in Illinois’ intellectual and developmental disability history - the launch of the Illinois I/DD System Redesign Coalition, alongside our partners at IARF, UIC, The Institute, and The Center. We brought Wings for All back to O’Hare with United Airlines and expanded opportunities for inclusion across the state. We hosted over 700 self-advocates with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) and traveled to communities across Illinois, including the southern regions, meeting new providers, families, and self-advocates who hadn’t yet experienced our work firsthand. We reminded this state who we are: leaders in IDD advocacy and education - and now we are heading into year 76!

We expanded initiatives, welcomed nearly 20 new affiliate chapters, increased resources for families, and improved access to assistive technology. Our growth is intentional, because Illinois’ disability community deserves an advocacy movement that matches its strength. We are building bridges where there were silos, partnering with all who are impacted, and ensuring every voice is represented, respected, and heard as we work toward a more inclusive, person- and family-centered state.

But here’s the truth:

We can’t continue doing this work at this level without your support. Our reach is growing, our coalition is expanding, and the demand for training, advocacy, and direct support is higher than ever. Every bit of progress we’ve made is because of people like you who believe in this mission.

As we prepare for 2026, we are committed to elevating self-advocate leadership and  making sure “nothing about us without us” is not just a value, but a practice. Your donation directly supports this work. It ensures we can bring more voices to the table, build stronger advocacy statewide, keep fighting for equity, inclusion, and meaningful  access to services, and pay individuals fair and equitable wages. You can change the face of advocacy.

If you believe in what we’ve built together, your donation truly matters.

Thank you for standing with us, for believing in this work, and for helping us build a stronger, more inclusive Illinois.

With respect, gratitude, and warm holiday wishes,

Samantha Alloway

Executive Director, The Arc of Illinois