Tailor Institute dealing with challenge of losing state funds

The leaders and employees of the Tailor Institute were shocked.

Out of nowhere, with no warning or discussion, Missouri state government pulled their state funding.

And everyone involved in the process, at least local lawmakers, a lobbyist and those in former such roles, say it never should have happened. In a flurry of activity toward the end of last session, the funding for the Tailor Institute was moved, cut, slashed and buried, even though some involved had believed funding was going to be reinstated before it was crossed out all together.

Regardless, the organization for autistic adults will remain open for now. The Tailor Institute, for those who don't know, provides training and assistance for people with autism so they can learn to function in the workplace. The institute helps individuals focus on their strengths, improve upon them and learn social skills necessary to make adjustments needed to be productive employees. The Tailor Institute's clients are people who want to work. The institute does good work, and we know this from experience, having interacted with the institute with a client for a number of years.

Thanks to smart budgeting, the institute is able to sustain itself for a while. Money it has earned from donations will help keep the doors open, but leaders are facing a shift, at least in the short term, in how it will fund operations.

Private funding will now become more critical than ever for the organization. We would encourage you to consider donating, if you're looking for a good cause to direct your charity.

The state budget typically funded the institute with $200,000 a year for operations. The organization was growing, even expanding services into St. Louis. Several clients were finding the Tailor Institute meeting needs here in Cape Girardeau that could not otherwise be met in a metro area of more than a million people.

So the Tailor Institute will keep its doors open with contingency funds, and we hope that the state government will correct its mistake and provide funding next year.

For those interested in making a donation, the Tailor Institute can be reached at www.thetailorinstitute.org/donate or at (573) 339-9552.