Support youth like Alissa
Story of “Alissa”
Alissa came to our Chicago Village in 2016 as the eldest sibling of three sisters. Her family had experienced major financial instability and brief homelessness before she entered into the foster care system. Upon joining our Village, Alissa displayed notable signs of PTSD and often had difficulty managing anger with peers and adults.
Through working with one of our Clinical Therapists and her Foster Parent, Alissa learned healthy ways of coping with her anger and tools to use when addressing her PTSD.
Today, Alissa writes music when she isn’t in school and hopes to share her music with the world some day.
Support youth like Sophia
Story of “Sophia”
Baby Sophia’s story is all too familiar and echoes similar stories of the over 450,000 children in foster care in the U.S. When she was brought to SOS Illinois alongside her siblings, Sophia was developmentally delayed due to neglect.
After the first six months with us, Sophia had not only grown physically but showed major progress towards necessary early childhood milestones. Now, Sophia is keeping up with her brothers and sisters at our Lockport Village, and is known Village-wide for her giggles.
Support youth like Marco
Story of “Marco”
Marco and his four siblings came to Roosevelt Square Village after losing their mother and primary giver to addiction in 2017.
Understandably, Marco was struggling emotionally and academically when he came to SOS Illinois. But with the support and nurturing he needed to heal, and not having to worry about the wellbeing of his siblings, Marco began to thrive. Today, he is applying to top universities and hopes to use his personal experience towards his goal of becoming an attorney in family law.
When asked what he appreciates most about his time at SOS Illinois, Marco said it is knowing that his siblings are on the right path towards reaching all of their dreams.
Support families like the Jimenez Family
Story of “the Jimenez Family”
In 2018, Loria Jimenez began receiving calls from her children’s school about their frequent tardiness and missed school days. Loria shared that she often had difficulty managing her family’s day-to-day needs as a result of working two full-time, minimum wage jobs as a single mom while managing her eldest son’s behavioral issues.
Loria heard about the family strengthening services offered through Casa Tepeyac and began meeting with members of the Casa team regularly to address the best ways to navigate her family’s struggles. The Casa team also recommended resources for Loria on finding a higher paying career.
By 2019, Loria was able to put her family back on track academically and behaviorally, and recently began a higher paying job as an administrative professional, allowing her more time with her children at home.
Have Fun While Doing Good
Host your own fundraising event to benefit SOS Illinois and give hope and healing to at-risk children and families in Illinois. Just about any gathering can be transformed into a fundraising opportunity. Reach out to our team to get started today!
