Memorandum 
Date: March 12, 1993 
To: Dan Stanley 
From: Alec Vachon 
Re: Rainbows United, Inc.
(End of Letterhead)
 
I spoke with Judy Brown in Topeka regarding the invitation for the Senator to speak on March 19 in Wichita in a video for Rainbows United, Inc. She referred me to Cathy Yager in Wichita, who indicated that this program was well known to the Senator,and that he would recognize its name. 

Briefly, Rainbows United is a pre-school for children with severe disabilities from impoverished backgrounds. It was founded in 1973 by Linda Wier-Enegren (resume attached). The purpose of the program is to give these children a "head start," including training in basic self-care skills. In principle, this type of program is extremely important for children with disabilities; for example, too often they fall behind very early in their academic careers and are never able to catch up. This is especially true for children with disabilities who also have a second "dose" of disadvantage, such as poverty.
 
Cathy indicated that this program is highly regarded local­ly, and that last Fall the Senator's Wichita Office prepared and presented this organization with a "Gold Seal" letter recognizingits efforts on its 20th anniversary. 

The purpose of the video is apparently promotional; a copy of the draft script for the video is also attached which includes suggested remarks for the Senator. The video script appears noncontroversial, but if the Senator decides to accept this invitation, I recommend that his remarks be rewritten (and of course am prepared to do that). 

In the future, if we have a serious concern about a nonprofit organization, we can request from the IRS a copy of that nonprofit's annual IRS Form 990 "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax," which would provide detailed information about its finances, accomplishments, and officers (including their compensation). This form is publicly available, and a member request to the IRS usually takes about 8 weeks to fill (but can be expedited). 

If I can be helpful in rewriting the Senator's script or otherwise, please let me know.