A Message from PLAN's Executive Director
PLAN means many things to many people. To Ellen and Lawrence, it was peace of mind. Their son, Harold, would lose his government benefits if they left him an inheritance directly. They couldn't leave enough to provide for Harold's living and medical expenses over his lifetime. Plus, Ellen and Lawrence worried, "Who will care when we're not there?"

Five years after they joined PLAN's Special Needs Trust, Lawrence passed away; three months later, Ellen followed. PLAN immediately became Harold's "proxy parent". A PLAN contracted Personal Support Specialist (PSS) took him to the family home to get mementos. Together, they attended Ellen's funeral. The PSS monitored Harold's treatment while helping him deal with the deaths of his parents. Today, PLAN's Personal Support Specialist is one of Harold's most trusted friends. Weekly, they see a movie, shop or, sometimes, just chat. PLAN also obtains annual season tickets to the opera for Harold. His sister has invited him to her house in Maine for the Holidays. PLAN will make the travel arrangements. These are "extras" his parents wanted Harold to enjoy. Harold is being cared for on a very personal level and his government benefits are protected.

Donna needed PLAN, too. Her parents had left her brother David's "share" of the family home to Donna, trusting her to use it for his benefit. David, a once bright handsome athlete, had become a sullen, chronic client of an inadequate mental health system. Relapses put him in the hospital at least annually. Donna felt forced to neglect many of her own family's needs to help him during his constant crises. Today, Donna uses one of PLAN's professional "Pay-As-You-Go-Providers." David looks forward to his weekly visits and talks with him frequently by phone. He pages his "friend" when he feels anxious and hasn't been hospitalized for three years. "Moreover," Donna says, "I can be his sister. If my parents had known about PLAN's Special Needs Trust, David and I would have been spared so many years of anguish."

Please contact me and together we can take the steps necessary towards making your relative's future a better one.

Sincerely ,

Gary Chang
(714) 997-3310
planofcalif@aol.com