Connections, February 2023

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In this issue: Black History Month, Youth Voices Rising Webinar, Staffing Update, Volunteer Spotlight, Upcoming Events, Community of Caring, Thank You's, and Jobs at Shelter

This month, Shelter is joining the nation in recognizing Black History Month and the diversity that has made us the agency we are. Adding to the celebration is having one of our own staff being recognized for his outstanding achievements in mentoring young people.

Shelter’s Clinical Director, Gilbert Allen, will be an honoree for Black History Month, sponsored by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Since taking office in 2016, Mendoza has been honoring exceptional youth mentors of color. She said, “It’s nice to have an opportunity to recognize all their major accomplishments which aren’t accomplishments for themselves, they’ve made a major, dramatic impact in bettering the lives of others, especially youth.”

Throughout his career, Gilbert has demonstrated how hard work and dedication can overcome challenges to achieve one’s dreams. However, he credits much of his success to his mentors, including his brother, Dr. Michael Allen, and Dominican University’s Sister Peggy Ryan, for their guidance and support.

When asked why Black History Month is important to Shelter’s youth, Director Allen replied, “More than 75% of the clients we see in the Clinical Program are African American. It’s important for them to understand their culture and where they come from, and it’s a blessing to live in a time when we have a month dedicated to shining a light on our history.”

FREE WEBINAR: February 23 at 10:00am
Thank you to our partner, Let It Be Us for sharing this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the harsh realities in child welfare across the nation. Over 50% of Black children in the United States will experience a child welfare investigation before their 18th birthday and 10% will be removed from their parents and placed into foster care, nearly double the rate of white children. Join Youth Voices Rising for a discussion exploring disproportionality and the disparity of resources black foster youth receive.

STAFFING UPDATE

Diana Morris has served as Shelter’s Human Resource Specialist for seven years. In her human resource role, she has contributed many ways to make Shelter a safe, inclusive, and exceptional workplace. She has also helped assemble the dedicated and talented individuals who make such a positive impact on our young people every day.

Diana is now returning to her role as the Group Home Coordinator and looking forward to working once again directly with youths. While she says she will miss HR, she is excited to be working with the teams at the Jennings and Buckholz emergency homes.

Volunteers play a vital role at Shelter, Inc., and we are so grateful to those who share their time and talents with us. One generous volunteer is Paul Goldenberg, the owner of Mr. Fix It. Paul has been performing maintenance work at the Buckholz Group Home and the Transitional Living Program Home over the past several months, all at no cost! He has gone above and beyond, fixing furniture and appliances, mounting and hanging shelves and pictures on the walls, replacing doors and door knobs and providing general maintenance.

Recently retired, Paul felt that "it was time to give back" and found Shelter through our posting on the website Volunteer Match. He sees his volunteer work as a valuable way to spend his time. He previously worked in telecommunication sales and has always enjoyed "solving puzzles," which he likens to figuring out how to fix things. For Shelter's maintenance needs, Paul has been a perfect solution!

We rely on the generosity of individuals, organizations, and corporations to keep our doors open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In the last month, Shelter received grants and contributions from the following partners who share our vision that all kids should grow up in safe and loving homes.

Northwest Community Healthcare
Temple Jeremiah for providing 60 Comfort Cases and large duffel bags for children entering our foster care program
Subaru Cares for donating 240 pairs of socks
Barre Code for hosting a donation drive
Mary Sikorski for donating a laptop to one of our foster family's college students
Abt Electronics for providing a new washer/dryer for our Buckholz Group Home at a substantial discount
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for choosing Shelter as a beneficiary of their Mitten Tree and donating cold weather items for children in our programs
Village Treasure House for providing funds to purchase a beautiful dress and shoes for one of our Jennings Home residents to wear to her high school Winter Formal

Volunteer

Giving monthly is a great way to support Shelter, Inc. all year long! Your recurring donation ensures Shelter will have the funding it needs each month for an entire year to provide emergency housing, free mental health care, clothing, household essentials, and more to children and families in crisis. Monthly donations are automatically charged to your credit card and may be changed or suspended at any time.

Join!