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The Glencoe Anchor 041218
The Glencoe Anchor 041218
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glencoeanchor.com Life & Arts<br />
the glencoe anchor | April 12, 2018 | 29<br />
Our Place builds on vision of founder<br />
Alexa Burnell<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
There is much to celebrate<br />
at Our Place — a<br />
Wilmette-based nonprofit<br />
that creates meaningful<br />
lives for teens and adults<br />
with developmental disabilities<br />
in New Trier<br />
Township, which includes<br />
Glencoe. This year marks<br />
the 10th anniversary of<br />
the organization and Lisa<br />
D’Angelo was recently<br />
named the new executive<br />
director.<br />
Our Place was founded<br />
in 2008 by Jane Gallery, of<br />
Winnetka. Her son, Frank,<br />
was born with a rare genetic<br />
condition, further<br />
complicated by juvenile<br />
diabetes. When he reached<br />
age 22, he was no longer<br />
eligible to receive services<br />
through the school systems,<br />
so Gallery decided<br />
to come up with a solution.<br />
“Once a person ages out<br />
of school system services,<br />
it can be awfully frightening<br />
for a parent,” Gallery<br />
said. “I searched and<br />
searched for some type of<br />
program that would work<br />
for him, but there was<br />
nothing remotely close to<br />
us. It made me think that<br />
maybe I can do something<br />
about that.”<br />
Gallery shared her frustrations<br />
and desire for<br />
change with parents in<br />
similar situations. She<br />
soon found a group of<br />
folks rallying around her.<br />
“By the end of my first<br />
day, I had 30 signatures,<br />
supporting my idea,” Gallery<br />
said. “Our original<br />
concept was to model the<br />
facility like a senior center,<br />
filled with enriching activities,<br />
a supportive staff<br />
and positive environment.<br />
Apparently, my idea was<br />
well-received, because before<br />
I knew it, people were<br />
donating funds, allowing<br />
me to pursue my idea.”<br />
Gallery’s next step was<br />
to present the idea to New<br />
Trier Township. She explained<br />
the importance of<br />
keeping these young adults<br />
in their own communities,<br />
where they could grow and<br />
thrive by immersing themselves<br />
in their neighborhoods.<br />
It didn’t take a hard<br />
sell to convince the township<br />
that the idea was a<br />
good one, and they quickly<br />
granted Gallery $20,000 to<br />
put the wheels in motion.<br />
Gallery then set up shop<br />
at donated space within<br />
The Community Church<br />
of Wilmette and hired one<br />
part-time program manager,<br />
who was quickly<br />
adored by the participants.<br />
In the beginning, Our<br />
Place offered 11 hours of<br />
programming per week,<br />
but that soon turned out to<br />
not be enough for the eager<br />
participants and growing<br />
registration. Today,<br />
Our Place is open 9 a.m.-<br />
6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.<br />
Each weekday morning,<br />
members can start their<br />
day with three hours of<br />
vocational work. Members<br />
Jane Gallery (left), founder of Our Place of New Trier<br />
Township, has some fun with Stacy Dodd while they<br />
work together Thursday, April 5, in Wilmette. Rhonda<br />
Holcomb/22nd Century Media<br />
learn valuable work and<br />
life skills from their experiences<br />
at the New Trier<br />
Township food pantry,<br />
Glencoe Public Library,<br />
Three Crowns Park Senior<br />
Living Center and the Winnetka<br />
Thrift Shop. For the<br />
remainder of the day, they<br />
have a variety of activities<br />
to choose from, like work<br />
out at the Wilmette Park<br />
District, play sports at the<br />
Takiff Center through the<br />
Glencoe Park District, and<br />
so much more. On Saturday<br />
nights, socials are<br />
held, where they dance,<br />
eat, play games and hang<br />
out, just as any young<br />
adult likes to do.<br />
“These opportunities integrate<br />
the members of Our<br />
Place into the surrounding<br />
communities, allowing<br />
them to socialize, develop<br />
job skills and build relationships,”<br />
D’Angelo said.<br />
“Just like anyone else, they<br />
want to feel connected to a<br />
community.”<br />
Along with bringing<br />
members out into the community,<br />
D’Angelo would<br />
like to see more volunteers<br />
coming to Our Place, one<br />
of her immediate priorities.<br />
She also wants to focus<br />
on the changing needs<br />
of the members.<br />
“As Our Place celebrates<br />
its 10th anniversary,<br />
a number of our<br />
participants are now in<br />
their early 30s,” D’Angelo<br />
said. “While we continue<br />
to work closely with area<br />
high schools transitioning<br />
teens to Our Place, we also<br />
want to address the changing<br />
needs of our participants<br />
as they age. My goal<br />
THE SPRING<br />
is to find more opportunities<br />
for them to work and<br />
make friends.”<br />
For more information or<br />
to volunteer at Our Place,<br />
visit ourplaceofnewtrier.<br />
org.<br />
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