Celebrating a Year of Growth
As 2022 draws to a close, we are thrilled to share all the myriad ways you have made a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.
CLICK HERE to see our 2022 Impact Report
This past month was no exception – from our first live adoption event since 2019 and holiday celebrations to welcoming new faces to Children’s Place.
Check out what took place at CPA in November below and stay tuned for the exciting happenings unfolding before the year’s end.
Check out what’s happening at CPA.
- Friday, December 9 – Place the Hope virtual gathering
- Wednesday, December 14 – ELC Recruitment at Purple Monkey
- Thursday, December 15 – Multi-Team Client Holiday Event
- Wednesday, December 21 – Foster Parent Orientation
CLICK HERE for more event information.
Welcome, Jakina Dortch as our new Child Thrive Director.
Jakina Dortch, a Chicago West side native, has a degree in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago and a degree in Learning and Teaching from Harvard University. As an educator, she wholeheartedly believes that community activism and external educational programs can be used to combat the obstacles that stifle upward mobility for adolescents. From this perspective, coupled with her personal experiences, she developed an appetite for social change. Jakina has worked in the educational nonprofit sector for over 10 years. She has catered her education and experience to out-of-school time programming, curriculum and youth development, and organizational leadership.
Building Pathways Forward Campaign
This month, we launched our $25,000 year-end campaign – Building Pathways Forward – to raise urgently needed funds that will allow us to meet the dramatic rise in our children and families’ need for our care services and programs by December 31.
As we approach the holiday season, our families are experiencing so many hardships with increased heating, food, housing, and living costs.
Thanks to the support of so many generous donors like you, and the wonderful efforts of our Junior Board and Board of Directors, we have already raised nearly $10,000, but we still need your help.
This holiday help make a positive impact on a child’s life and the future we all share. Join us today and become a Child Champion by donating and sharing our work with others.
- $50 – Supports our Emergency Relief Fund for food, medicine, and other vital resources for kids and families in crisis
- $100 – Family Health & Wellness: Help a family facing serious health issues and poverty receive family support services that help them stabilize, improve their health and work towards self-sufficiency, such as programming on financial literacy, nutrition, safety, and job training.
- $250 – Mental Health Support: Provide mental health counseling and support services to a child impacted by abuse, untreated mental health issues, and the trauma of neighborhood violence.
- $500 – A Safe Place for Youth to Learn & Play: Help provide a safe, supportive space after school for at-risk youth in unsafe neighborhoods by covering food, transportation, and supplies for 3 weeks of afterschool activities.
Other ways to help:
- Share our work with friends, family, and colleagues
- Ask 5 people you know to give $25.
Your support goes to their most pressing needs this season so they can survive into adulthood and share their unique gifts with the world. From our hearts to yours, thank you!
CLICK HERE to donate.
The Children and Family Support Services (CFSS) department is undergoing exciting changes as we implement our SMART client goal development format. We are working with families to support them in the areas of workforce development, family healthcare, emotional wellness, educational enrichment, and social-civic ethical skills in addition to supporting clients as they enroll in GED and college courses. We currently have four clients that are enrolled in school. Three clients are taking college courses, and one is taking GED courses. Congrats to our families and their hard work!
Thrive Afterschool
We held our first Fall Festival for 1– 8 graders on November 18, and we had a great time doing arts and crafts and enjoying tasty treats.
CLICK HERE for more Child Thrive program pictures.
Sports Physicals & Pediatric Consultations
Take advantage of getting a free consultation! We offer the community free school-age pediatric consultations and sports physicals with our continued partnership with Rush and Dr. Margi. Every Wednesday (unless otherwise noted by Dr. Margi) from 1–5 pm. To set an appointment, email thrive@childrens-place.org.
Mental Health
Our partner, JPA, continues to offer mental health counseling on-site (at WHP) every Friday from 2:00 to 6:00 pm with Ben. We also have Julie available for individuals who prefer services with a female-oriented/gendered person. These services are available to everyone associated with CPA and the West Humboldt Park community. To set an appointment, email Diana at thrive@childrens-place.org.
Purple Monkey Play Date
Come join our Early Learning Home Visiting program for a fun day at the Purple Monkey Playroom Wednesday, December 14th, from 10 am – 2:15 pm. It’s free for kids 0 to 5. For more information and to RSVP, CLICK HERE.
Holiday Celebrations
We had hot meal giveaways, raffles, a Thanksgiving parade, bingo kits, and more. Activities included I Am Grateful for and Disguise a Turkey art project.
CLICK HERE for more Early Learning program pictures.
Mock Federal Review
As we look for ways to better serve our clients, we completed a Mock Federal Review and Fall Monitoring with our funding grantee, Start Early, to get feedback on improving our quality of services, environmental safety, and more.
In-Person Adoption Event
Our first in-person adoption took place on November 18 at the Daley Center. Chief Judge of Cook County Timothy Evans, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, DCFS Guardianship Administrator Janet Ahern and others were there to celebrate the momentous occasion. The best part of the day was having Joseph (8), and Valerie (12) adopted by their maternal aunt, Rosa.
CLICK HERE to read more about adoption day, and see below for WGN coverage of our adoptees.
Welcome to our newest Board members, long-time supporters, and friends, Hilary Keno and Marc Schmidt!
Hilary is the Vice President of Global Health at GCI Health. She first worked with us in 2014 doing communications and has become a leading international public health communications strategist. She will be helping us broaden our partnerships with healthcare companies.
Marc is a Partner at KPMG. He has volunteered with Children’s Place for many years and has skillfully chaired our Place the Hope campaign for the past four years, resulting in record-breaking support last October. He has also visited our in-country partners in Haiti and remains a strong advocate for the families.
Hilary and Marc bring their deep expertise and heartfelt dedication to our shared mission. We are grateful to them and to all our amazing Board members for partnering with us to ensure the children in our programs never have to go without medicine, food, education, or other necessities.
Place the Hope
We’ve met our Place the Hope campaign goal, which will help bring medical treatment, nutritious food, educational scholarships, and other urgent support to over 500 children and youth across our programs!
This year’s campaign is to support three urgent areas needing support:
- 200 children with cancer in Tanzania
- 180 youth impacted by HIV/AIDS in Haiti
- 150 vulnerable youth in the Dominican Republic
CLICK HERE to support the much-needed work in this campaign.
Major Company & Foundation Supporters
Baird Foundation, The Christopher Family Foundation, CNA, Midwest Sports & Social Club, Walgreens, Willens Family Foundation
Major Individual Supporters
Charles Andrews, Anonymous, BCA of Maine, Dana S. Benigno, Dan Boyer, Edward Campbell, Ibilijah Chambers, Terry Clarbour, Gregory Comrie, Michelle & Bryan Conner, Kristen Daihes, William R. Deist, Patrick Demarco, Daron & Amy Dohler, Steven M. Drago, Doug Dunlap, Tina Eddy, Michie Hisada, Jonathan Horn, Howard Jacob, Dennis Jennings, Michael Kampers, Katherine Kelly, Harold Kessler, Katherine Korey, Ms. Binita Kwankin & Mr. Joseph Hmieleski, Ben Lerman, Joseph Lerman, Shannon Maloney, Brett Mandel, Nancy Meyer, Carol Miller, Aimee Morin, Richard Moser, Tom & Keri Muldoon, Michael McVey, Charles Saul & Judy Nolan, Jeff Olson, Una Ortell, Ted & Nancy Otto, John Phipps, Hannah P. Pick, Chris & Jennifer Reddick, Matt Roma, Dina Sanchez, Marc Schmidt, Ryan Swartz, John Seely, Ashley Shively, Nancy Siepman, Susan Smiley, Donald Starkey, Pavel Tamas, Pauline Taylor, Joseph Villanova, Bridget Whitney, Kelly Whitney, James Whitney, Patricia Whitney, Derek Wiebenson, Karla Zavala, James Yee, Karen Zylberman
Volunteer. Donate. Join Our Team.
Join in and be part of the positive solution in helping Chicago’s most vulnerable kids. We have a variety of volunteering, support, and engagement opportunities.
Current Opportunities
Child Thrive
- Mentors needed for our M.I.A program such as leading a community service project. See above for more details. Email thrive@childrens-place.org to learn more.
Development
- New Donor Engagement Committee: Volunteers are needed to help champion our mission, connect us to new partners/sponsors/donors/volunteers, and build visibility for Children’s Place in the broader community. For more details on role descriptions and/or to learn more, email volunteer@childrens-place.org.
Early Learning
- Home-Based Enrollment: Our home-based program is low on enrollment. Please contact us if you know of a child 6 weeks to 3 years old needing our services.
For more information, email earlylearning@childrens-place.org.
Foster Care
- Gift cards (Visa/MC, Walmart, Target) for families in need or in crisis
- Infant car seats, convertible car seats, and booster seats
- Cribs or toddler beds
General – All Programs
- New or gently used winter clothing
- Toiletries, essential household supplies
- Baby items (formula, diapers, etc.)
Join the CPA Team
- CLICK HERE to read about existing job opportunities
Ongoing Opportunities
There are plenty of volunteer and donation opportunities throughout the year. Check out which might be most suitable for you:
- Mentor a high-school teen through our after-school Mission in Action program
- Host a friend & family house party or fundraiser to benefit Children’s Place
- Join our Junior Board, Donor Engagement Committee, or Gala Committee
- Get involved with Adopt a Family
- Lead an employee group community service day and/or fun activity day with our kids & youth
- and so much more!
Whatever your skillset or time commitment, we have something that fits YOU!
Contact us today to learn more and get started on your volunteer journey.
Come join us socially
An easy way to support CPA’s work is by engaging with us on our social media channels. By liking, commenting, and sharing our work, you help us expand our reach, bringing in new volunteers, donors, and awareness.
CPA Facebook| CPA Instagram | CPA LinkedIn |CPA Twitter | CPA YouTube
CPI Facebook | CPI Instagram
Child Thrive Facebook | Child Thrive Instagram
CONTACT US
