VOA Illinois

#MissionMoment: We're still not over the fun, excitement, and joy that Operation Backpack and our Back-to-School events brought this year! Over 1,900 FILLED backpacks were distributed to the kids we serve and kids in the communities we serve. We're so thankful for the support of so many partners! As we wrap up this program, we're sending the best of luck and hope for a successful school year to all students and teachers heading back to the classroom! #TheVOAWay #OperationBackpack2024

Today we recognize housing champion Matt Richards, LCSW, Deputy Commissioner of Behavioral Health at Chicago Department of Public Health. Matt leads the City of Chicago's five mental health centers, 911 mental health and substance use response teams, healthcare for the homeless and more. In the past year, Matt and VOA Illinois have teamed up to create additional housing for those who need it most. Matt has been instrumental in this project and we're so grateful our paths crossed. We look forward to continuing to work with Matt and his team to provide high quality housing to the people of Chicago. #TheVOAWay

There are many people that make Operation Backpack a success every year and this year we wouldn't have been able to do it without our volunteers! During the week of August 5th, volunteer groups visited our main office and spent time organizing, stuffing, and packing our backpacks. Thank you Ledcor, Boyd Watterson Asset Management, Basis Technologies, and COMPLY for taking the time to volunteer with us! During last week's back to school event at Hope Manor II volunteers from American Medical Association volunteered their time to help set up the event, hand out backpacks, and participate in our back-to-school event. We are so grateful for the many hands that help make our Operation Backpack and Back to School events a success every year! #TheVOAWay #OperationBackpack24 @ThankYOU

#MissionMoment: it’s back to school season and this week we celebrated the end of summer with a back to school bash at our Hope Manor Joliet and Hope Manor II/Hope Manor Village properties! We celebrated with ice cream, face paint, bounce houses, music, and more! Most importantly we were able to provide every school aged child with a brand new backpack filled with school supplies! We know how difficult it can be to start a new school year and our goal is to provide the confidence and tools each child needs to be successful in the classroom. Thank you to everyone that helped make this week memorable! #TheVOAWay #OperationBackpack24

#VOAppreciates Carl Ploense, our Peer Support Specialist. Carl has worked at VOA Illinois for 1 year and describes it as “compassionate, professional, and reliable.” He connects with our value of Faith and has found an even deeper appreciation for our organization because of this value. One of his favorite experiences during his time at VOA Illinois has been facilitating veteran peer groups. He says that talking to fellow veterans, listening to them mentor each other, and seeing them move to a better place in life has been extremely rewarding. A fun fact about Carl is that he can dance! He dances the waltz, tango, fox–trot, cha-cha, and best of all… the hustle. His life motto is “honor, courage, commitment” and his happy place is anywhere that his family is. We are so grateful for Carl and everything he does to support our veterans! #TheVOAWay

SAVE THE DATE! VOA Illinois' annual Golf Outing is being held on October 7, 2024 at River Forest Country Club! Join us for a day of golf, networking, and raising awareness and support for the individuals and families VOA Illinois supports. All details about the day of can be found on our website. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. We look forward to golfing with you on October 7th! #TheVOAWay https://lnkd.in/gV-AMrBG

A very special thank you to the team at James Hardie for hosting a lunch and learn event for Operation Backpack! The team at James Hardie packed 50 middle school backpacks for the kids we serve. They invited the VOA Illinois team to be part of the event to share more about our work and partnership. We've been blessed to work with the team at James Hardie for the past ten years! This was a great event to celebrate this exciting milestone. We couldn't have done this without the leadership and organization of Liz Englehart and Lindsey Novak! Thank you for always thinking of the people VOA Illinois serves, we're so grateful to have your support! #TheVOAWay #OperationBackpack2024

Chicago Navy Week kicked off yesterday! We had the pleasure of hosting a group of sailors at Hope Manor I. They volunteered and helped organize our donation closet. They made it easier for our Veterans to be able to shop the closet and find the necessary items they need. Thank you for spending the day with us! We look forward to the other events we have this week with @navyoutreach! #TheVOAWay #NavyWeek

#MissionMoment: The children in our Summer Camp program got to go on a tour of McDonald's Headquarters! This is a favorite field trip every year. They had a wonderful time learning about McDonalds from behind the scenes, seeing how things are created, and enjoying their favorite tasty treats. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially our Board member Steven L. Hunter. #TheVOAWay

Backpacks are starting to arrive at our main office! Thank you to One Design Company for dropping off backpacks and school supplies for our littles! These backpacks will go a long way in getting the kids we serve ready for their first day of school. #TheVOAWay #ThankYOU #OperationBackpack2024