Outreach Gives Back

It’s easy to see why Friendship Village residents have been volunteering in the classrooms at Schaumburg Children’s Home + Aid Center for several hours… several days a week… for several years. The resident elders bring a gentle touch, a helping hand and a smile to each infant, toddler and three-year old who is assigned to them. In return, the children reward them with the affection reserved for grandparents. ” And that,” according to resident volunteer, Shirley Odegaard, “is so much more than we give.”
Children’s Home + Aid Center has been in the Schaumburg community for 17 years and is the area’s leading provider of early childhood care and education services for low-income families. Dominating the enrollment are families who earn an average of under $17,000 per year. Many mothers are trying to support themselves and their children on just over $5,000 a year for each family member. Typically, the center serves 100 families at any given time. Each year, the state agency of Children’s Home + Aid helps about 40,000 children and families overcome overwhelming obstacles such as poverty, abuse and neglect.
The Schaumburg Children’s Home + Aid Center focuses on the needs of children and consulting services for their parents. Their mission is: “To give children help, hope and opportunity.” They can achieve this mission when the families are able to move forward. The staff at Friendship Village have stepped up with significant adult programs to bring “help, hope and opportunity” to their parents.
This April began the first breadth of adult assistant programs offered by Friendship Village. From Friendship Village’s Human Resource Department, Beth Hovious will teach people how to create a resume, interview for jobs, even coach them about what to wear. Director of Lifestyles, Mike McCann recently initiated a Male Involvement Group for fathers to teach them how to create positive, nurturing relationships with their children and spouses. Future programs will include representatives from the Finance Department helping with household budgeting, as well as Chaplains from Friendship Village helping with spiritual wellness.
“We are so grateful to have the Friendship Village volunteers at the Center,” said Parent Involvement Specialists and Volunteer Coordinator, Gloria Gonzales. “It gives these children one on one attention in the classroom and they love it! These new initiatives with Friendship Village are going to be great for the entire family.”
The intergenerational bridge built between Schaumburg Children’s Home + Aid Center and Friendship Village continues to grow. Recently, a mother whose children are cared for by Children’s Home + Aid, taught Spanish classes at Friendship Village to residents. This spring the Resident Men’s Club will teach the older children how to fish, right at the Friendship Village Lake. Pool parties to cool the summer heat, picnics and a Spring Fun Fair are all in the offing. The energizing, expanding and rewarding relationship between the two organizations is indeed, a reason to be grateful.