Empowering Futures, One grant at a time

Janis was great to work with and had a vast amount of options for us to work with. The best part was not having to search on our own for services. Her recommendation for a special needs trust lawyer was spot on!

I can’t say enough good things about this incredible organization! Janis was truly a gift—she helped me navigate something I had always thought about but never believed was possible for me: creating a special needs trust. As a single mom without a lot of assets, I never thought I had the “means” to put something like this in place. But after talking with Janis, I felt inspired and empowered. Because of her guidance, I now have life insurance, an estate plan, a Will, and a special needs trust. For the first time, I feel confident knowing that my son will be cared for when I’m no longer here. I’m so grateful.

“It is with a grateful heart that I thank Morgan’s Caring Connection for awarding my family a peace of mind with solid estate planning. As a single Mother of grown children, one with an ABI/Epilepsy I feel a sense of comfort knowing that when I am no longer on this earth my family will have direction for my estate and any assets they could be awarded. This is crucial to me because without estate planning any assets that would be awarded would have jeopardized my Son’s small monthly SSI income. Having a plan in place will protect my Son from having this happen and my family from the burden of any legal issues. I am so very grateful for the wonderful, compassionate, knowledgeable Morgan’s Caring Connection family and legal counsel. What a beautiful legacy and tribute to Morgan. Also, thank you to those donors out there who help fund this foundation. I personally had the good fortune of working with Janis Strut, Liam Gilhooly and Christina King – I realize these 3 are a portion of the team but I feel like I was blessed with an outpouring of solid direction and great vibes! Thank you so much!!!!”

Morgan’s Caring Connection has been so helpful to my cognitively disabled, adult daughter (and to us!). Within days of my first conversation, we were connected to excellent resources for 1) cleaning and organizing, 2) financial management, 3) estate planning, and 4) a mortgage banker who helps people with disabilities with permanent housing solutions and ownership options. I can’t thank Janis enough for the work being done through Morgan’s Caring Connection.”

“We are SO grateful to Morgan’s Caring Connection for all their help and support in getting connected with a lawyer that specializes in setting up Special Needs Trusts and for awarding us with a grant to offset some of the cost of the trust. Janis and Kelly have been Extremely helpful and informational with this process and continue to provide resources that are relevant to our family’s needs. Thank you for all you do and continue to do not just for our family but for others. We cannot recommend this organization enough! Thank you, thank you, thank you!❤️

“We feel so fortunate to have learned about Morgan’s Caring Connection. Janis has been so responsive whenever we have had questions and the website shows a wealth of resources. It is great to have all of this information in one place – rather than randomly searching independently and coming up with dead ends, there are reputable organizations and contacts providing expertise on some of the unique areas that parents and their children can benefit from. This information is greatly needed in the Dane County area! We were able to finalize our trust plans with Jake earlier this month and we feel much better about the future. This trust will provide our son with adequate yet prudent financial support that he will need in his adulthood. Jake was very professional, understanding, and sensitive to our needs, which was very reassuring.”

“When our young adult son who has a disability recently became employed and for the first time had wages and benefits to consider, we were at a loss as to how to manage those things while maintaining his eligibility for support programs. We were desperately trying to learn how to allow him to thrive in a work setting while maintaining the supports he needed and wanted to make sure we set him up for long-term stability. We attempted to navigate regulations using public information but quickly became overwhelmed. When we reached out to our own personal financial advisor, their knowledge was limited regarding these systems, and they were unable to confidently advise us how to best protect our son’s assets. At that time, we reached out to Morgan’s Caring Connections, hoping they could direct us to someone who might have experience in this unique area of expertise. Immediately after contacting the organization via email, I received a call from Janis, the co-founder and director. She was incredibly supportive and took the time to thoroughly understand our needs before connecting us with the resources we were searching for. This experience was unlike any other non-profit organization I have worked with, in that Janis did not simply offer names and contact information for those resources; instead, she reached out on our behalf to assure we would find the best fit from the start. She ultimately put us in contact with a financial advisor that has an in-depth and personal knowledge of the financial considerations we were facing. We were able to meet for a complimentary consultation, which answered all our questions and set us on a path for success. Had we not reached out to MCC, I am certain we would still be spinning our wheels trying to find the answers we needed. Anyone who lives with or has a loved one with a disability likely knows the daily challenges that go unseen by the outside world and understands the helpless feeling of not being able to confidently find help when it is needed. We are so grateful for the time and energy that Janis put in to finding a reliable lifeline for our family.  This testimony would not be complete without mentioning Janis and Kelly’s daughter Morgan, whose life and memory are the source of inspiration for this organization. As it turns out, our son went to the same high school as Morgan, and I had met her a few times in years past. I knew her to be such a lovely, caring spirit. who was so genuine in her connections with others that I had no doubt an organization with her namesake would uphold those same values. I am certain Morgan’s Caring Connections will continue to support those with disabilities in big and small ways and continue to help bring peace of mind to families during these turbulent times. From one parent to another, I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to Janis and this organization. “