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| ChildServ
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| Added on 11/07/06 by
Croncast
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ChildServ is a group home for boys in Lisle, IL. It is a long term placement so typically the kids are there for around 2 years, some longer. The kids are usually 14-18- high school age. The staff is really dedicated to the well being of the kids and they love them tremendously even though as a result of the trauma they have been through these kids have a lot of behaviors that make them difficult to love. I have worked at several group homes and through case work visited many more. I have never seen a facility that respected the kids as much as ChildServ does, they really try to give the kids as much of a normal life as you can have living in a structured group home.
The kids that reside there typically have been in the system for years, many have been through a lot of foster homes and they just need a soft place to land with firm structure. Melissa is the group home manager and strict loving mommy type chick. A lot of the staff has been there for years, which is crazy since social work is measured in dog years 1=7.
There are also 2 other homes, one in Naperville and the other in Downers Grove. The Naperville home houses 6 girls, it is supposed to be an emergency group home for kids new to the system or for those have lost their last placement suddenly- however it is not unusual that the girls stay there for quite a while. The Downers Grove is a long term facility for girls as well.
The staff work hard to hustle up a good Christmas for the kids. Years ago local corporations would give, but that just hasn't happened the last few years.
I'm sure living in the group home sucks- even though it is a nice place. I'm sure the group home kids feel excluded from the rest of the high school kids. They don't have cool clothes, cars, nice houses or parents like the rest of the kids do. They also are not adorable little 7 year olds that are fun to buy Christmas toys for, so they get overlooked in the whole charitable gift thing. I just thought that we could give them a really great Christmas- cool gifts any teenager would be thrilled to get.
I was trying to think of a good similar gift for the girls- email me your ideas for just a wow present- Maggie is 18 months so a spatula wows her I'm thinking at 18 years that's not going to do.
We are going to accept cash to either buy the kids gift certificates so they can get some clothes they would like or specific gifts from the list.
Other cool ideas- gift cert. to area pizza restaraunts, pots and pans (the house pots and pans are like 15 years old and flaking that black stuff which just cant be good), bedding- like bed in a bag (twin) that a teenage boy would like- or whatever else you guys can think of.
I chose to give the Lisle kids ipods because it was a totally superfluous status thing- the type of nonnecessary object they never get. We will get their names engraved on the ipods and put some music on each one specific for the kid. The staff can take them home and download more music for them- I know someone had emailed with that concern.
One of the group home workers is sending me the kids Christmas lists and I will put them up.
The kids get about 400 or 500 a year for clothes- if you can imagine clothing a teenager shoes, coat and all for that. So our big drive in getting donations is for the mall or store gift certificates- let them go on a little shopping spree.
We want to give stuff to the girls as well, we will have to see where this all shakes out- hopefully we can hook them all up with some necessities and some fun stuff.
Thanks for listening and all your support.
You guys rock
betsy
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