News

In December, Orchard Village was saddened by the death of one of its beloved volunteers, Ellen Sontag. Ellen volunteered as an art instructor at both our day programs and Orchard Academy, helping clients express themselves through beautiful artwork. Nancy Otter, Principal of Orchard Academy, remembers Ellen fondly, "Ellen was one of those few people who touches many lives and leaves a lasting memory for each person. For many of our students, it is challenging to get to school and be engaged during the day. They always looked forward to Ellen and were more than willing to participate in any ...

As we begin 2022, Orchard Village plans to take more steps to be green! In December, Henley House, one of Orchard Village’s 24-hour homes had solar panels installed on the roof. Generously donated by Ailey Solar, the panels will work year-round to provide energy to the house. The installation of the new solar panels will save the house roughly $150 in utility bills each month! Another way Orchard Village is striving to be more environmentally friendly continues to be our farm. During the warmer months, Orchard Village grows fresh herbs and vegetables using organic methods that provide our ...

Like many people, Orchard Village clients are looking to make healthier eating habits in the new year. Each person living in one of Orchard Village's nine 24-hour CILA residences enrolled in a new healthy eating program -- My25. This healthy-eating program provides dietary support through a streamlined and simple meal and grocery shopping system tailored to individuals' nutritional needs. During the earlier shelter-in-place phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, many residential clients could not go to work or visit their families. As a result of this isolation, inactivity, and boredom, ...

This holiday season at Orchard Village was overwhelmingly special, thanks to the generosity of our families, donors, and volunteers. Ahead of Thanksgiving, Mary Robbins and her Baird & Warner, Edgebrook coworkers donated 16 delicious apple and pumpkin pies to help us celebrate. The pies are a favorite among clients and staff alike! On November 30, generous donors raised a record-breaking $76,963 on GivingTuesday. Thanks to the power of community, we were able to meet our match donation challenges and use the funds raised to support clients and staff who continue to navigate the ...

Last August, Orchard Village started creating a behavioral health clinic and began offering services in September for underserved individuals with a dual diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and mental illness. The clinic’s founding director, Dr. Christina Geiselhart, feels she is a good fit for this program as she has extensive experience building programs in both medical and community mental health settings. She also brings over a decade of experience in treating complex trauma and working with all age groups as well as underserved populations. To ...

Dear Friends of Orchard Village, Happy Summer! So much has happened since I last wrote to you in January. In March, we launched our 50th Anniversary celebrations. The 50th Anniversary Committee, led by board member Steven Witz, created a special anniversary logo highlighting our 50 years of service to the community. In May, our 35th Annual Blossom Gala featured Orchard Village’s past, present, and future and honored several individuals who have been instrumental in our current success. For our future, we announced updates on our housing plan and the future growth of our programming ...

At the beginning of this year, Orchard Village saw an increased demand for enrollment in our employment-focused day program, InnOVations. We also saw an unmet need from clients and their families for day services for individuals interested in active, community-based programs that are not focused on a goal of employment. As many of our participants age, some retire from their jobs but still want meaningful activities for their leisure time. Out of that growing and unique need, Orchard Village launched our newest day program --DiscOVer. DiscOVer offers socialization, recreation, art ...

Thank you to the 100 Women Who Care Northwest Suburban Chicago Chapter for their generous award of $9,100 in support of Orchard Village and our vocational services program. 100 Women Who Care is a unique organization where 100 local women donate $1,000 quarterly to a charity chosen by their chapter. Last July, Susan Kaufman, Orchard Village’s President & CEO, presented on Orchard Village’s services and impact at a regular meeting of the 100 Women’s Northwest Suburban Chicago Chapter. Two other charities also presented at the same meeting. Orchard Village is honored to have ...

On September 3rd, Illinois State Representative Denyse Wang Stoneback and farmers from the Douglas County Farm Bureau toured Orchard Village’s urban agriculture program. The farmers visited to learn more about this unique program and how it benefits Orchard Village and the whole community. The tour began in the Charles Green Memorial Garden and Farm, where the last of the summer vegetables were being harvested. This year’s farm grew more than 2,500 pounds of produce that went into more than 300 Community Support Agriculture (CSA) boxes and supplemented the diets of Orchard Village ...

Fifteen Orchard Academy students returned to in-person learning on August 18th, after mostly hybrid classes last school year. Before classes began, Academy Director Nancy Otter stated, "We are looking forward to being together as a team and with our students. We are happy to be back full-time in person. It is great that we can resume many of our typical activities." Academy students attend classes as they would in high school. The Academy houses classrooms, computer labs, and work simulation areas. One difference, though, is that students spend much of their time participating in ...