Children's Home + Aid Blog & News
Meet Rebecca, Healthy Start home visitor and former Doula client
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. We are proud of our legacy of meeting the changing needs of vulnerable families…
Advice on giving back – words of inspiration from Connie L. Lindsey of Northern Trust
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. On May 24, the Children’s Home & Aid community came together in celebration…
White Sox Welcome Choose to Change Youth to Club 17
Choose to Change youth and mentors attended the White Sox game on June 27 through Club 17— Sox manager Rick Renteria’s initiative aimed at helping young people reach their potential. Named for his jersey number, Club 17 was inspired by…
Chicago Sports Alliance Hosts Choose to Change at Malcolm X College
On Monday, June 25, the Chicago Sports Alliance hosted a Field Day for youth and mentors from Choose to Change at Malcolm X College in Chicago. Chicago Police Department officers from Districts 3, 5 and 7, joined the youth for…
Meet new moms Elizabeth and Tatiana
Elizabeth and Tatiana Reyes recently spoke at our 2018 Champions for Children Luncheon and shared their family’s journey to adoption. Here is their story:
My wife Tatiana and I have been part of the Children’s Home & Aid family…
New tax credit makes adoption process easier for Illinois families
Governor Bruce Rauner visited our Rockford office yesterday to announce a new adoption tax credit to support Illinois families by making adoptions more affordable. The new $5000 tax credit removes one of the barriers for families to adopt and helps fulfill…
Hope with Wings Tour – Live
Today we kick off the Hope with Wings Tour. Flying 500 miles to raise funds and collect 1,350 wishes from kids, in honor of Children’s Home & Aid’s 135 years of caring for kids and families. We will be following…
Memorial Day – a Day of Remembrance
In this our 135th year of helping children and families to thrive, we are celebrating in many ways. I’ve been trying to find ways to really grasp that breadth of time and what it means to have offered the support…
One man, one plane and a passion for helping kids and families
One man. One plane. Flying 500 miles to raise funds and collect 1,350 wishes from kids, in honor of Children’s Home & Aid’s 135 years of caring for kids and families
Paul Wood has had many rewarding roles in his life: co-founder…
Celebrating Adoption, Celebrating Family at the Northern Champions for Children Luncheon
March 16 was always a special day in the home where Kyle York, a member of Children’s Home & Aid’s Northern Regional Advisory Board, grew up.
“We called it my ’Airplane Day,’ Kyle York recalls. “That was the day in 1988…
Celebrate Mother’s Day and Support Children’s Home & Aid
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th! We’ve put together a gift guide to help you show your love and appreciation for your mom, or a woman in your life who is like a mother to you. These charitable gifts that give back…
Supporting the Community Schools Model
A major focus of the Ahlquist Center for Policy, Practice and Innovation is to ensure adequate, sustained funding for community school programs—a proven model that improves learning outcomes for students in under-resourced school districts. The community schools approach brings together public…
Investing to Improve the Well-Being of Youth in Illinois
As part of the Start to Finish Coalition’s effort to create a policy, funding and research agenda that supports young people to be stable, safe, healthy, educated, employable and connected, the Ahlquist Center joined Forefront to engage funders in a…
Support Champions for Children and Get a Signed Bat from Jim Thome!
Jim Thome is best known in Chicago as a Hall of Fame slugger who played for the White Sox from 2006-09. The Peoria, IL native joined the White Sox shortly after they won the World Series in 2005. Thome had…
Home Visiting Programs Reduce Chances of Opioid Addiction
On Wednesday, April 18 Sherri O’Toole, Program Supervisor for our Stronger Beginnings for Families home visiting program, joined members of law enforcement from across Illinois at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield to release a new report by Fight Crime: Invest in…
Donor Spotlight: Young fundraiser pays it forward
“I believe that children are our future,” are song lyrics that describe one of our passionate supporters, 14-year-old Emily Blumburg. An eighth-grade student at Springman Middle School in Glenview, Illinois, Emily is a typical teenager who also has a soft…
Purple Up Day – Celebrating Military Children
Each year, April is designated as the Month of the Military Child – a time to recognize and thank military children and youth for their heroism, character, courage, sacrifice and continued resilience. Today on Purple Up for Military Kids Day,…
Connecting Children with Loving Families – Ingrid’s Story
Ingrid Brown, Child Welfare Program Director in Children’s Home & Aid’s Central Region, has an unusually strong connection to the agency.
“I found my family, my husband and my career at Children’s Home & Aid!’ Ingrid says. “I owe so much to this wonderful…
Taking Steps to End Child Abuse 5K – Why We Run/Walk
April 21 marks the date of the 8th annual Taking Steps to End Child Abuse 5k Color Run/Walk in Normal, Illinois. Last year, nearly 109 runners and walkers came out to celebrate the lives of Duncan and Jack Leichtenberg and…
How the Palatine Child Care Center Helped a Teen Mother Thrive
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. We are proud of our legacy of meeting the changing needs of vulnerable families…