The Latest at Lifeworks – December 2024

Lifeworks Community,

As we approach the end of 2024, I feel pride and gratitude for what we have accomplished together at Lifeworks. It has been a year of growth, innovation, and community impact. Our success is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment, the trust of the people we partner with, and the strong support from our community members. Here are some of the highlights from this year:

Expanding Our Reach

Lifeworks supported more than 5,400 people in 2024! We welcomed more than 500 new clients, 48% of whom are from rural communities or are Black, Indigenous, people of color. We also expanded our reach by adding five new counties to our service area, ensuring even more communities have access to the resources they need.

Supporting Inclusive Workforces

We are proud to have partnered with 35 new employers who are hiring people with disabilities. This year, the average starting wage for our clients was $14.16 per hour – an increase of $1.55 per hour over last year, a significant step toward economic equity for workers with disabilities.

Our team of over 4,500 direct support professionals provided more than 3.1 million hours of care. Their dedication and compassion are the backbone of our mission, and we are deeply grateful for their essential contributions.

Advancing Disability Inclusion

This year, we expanded our Disability Inclusion Trainings to offer ten unique sessions tailored to meet the needs of businesses and organizations looking to advance disability inclusion. We delivered 28 trainings this year, reaching over 1,600 people.

Fueling Innovation with Fundraising

The innovative work and services we offer are funded by generous donors and grantors. Our dedication to advancing disability inclusion was recognized this year through grant funding from the Department of Human Services, as well as generous donations from our community, totaling more than $1,350,000. These funds are not just financial support but a vote of confidence in Lifeworks’ vision for the future, allowing us to pilot new projects to help us create a disability-friendly Minnesota.

Our achievements this year were made possible because of you. You believed in our vision, supported our programs, and joined us in advocating for a more inclusive Minnesota. For that, I am deeply grateful.

You can look back on some of our best moments of 2024 in this photo gallery.

Together, we have made a meaningful impact in 2024, and I am so excited to see where we will go in the year ahead. Here’s to a future filled with possibility, progress, and partnership.

Warmly,

Gertrude