We are grateful for the volunteers of the Home Sweet Home Foundation for coming out and planting flowers and vegetables with us at one of our Community Integrated Living Arrangement homes serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Home Sweet Home Foundation transforms supportive housing into safe, happy, nurturing homes, through in-kind donations – [...]
Self-Advocates from our Vocational Services program Rico Clark and Cornell Wilson attended a Pep Rally featuring Illinois Governor Pritzker at Gately Park in Chicago. The outing was a part of our ongoing effort to give people we serve with intellectual and developmental disabilities opportunities to be active and involved in their community and the causes [...]
Discover the joys of becoming a foster parent by joining Ada S. McKinley's next Virtual Foster Parent Orientation. Those interested in becoming foster parents are welcome to join us. Wednesday, May 18, 2022 11:00 am central Join Virtual Foster Parent Orientation via Zoom Meeting ID: 819 6142 0963 Passcode: 844545 One tap mobile: 312-626-6799 Learn [...]
Being a black woman right out of slavery, there are little to no records of Ada S. McKinley. She has gone unsung among Black sheroes. Here’s what we were able to dig up through research as we continue to honor her legacy. Ada Sophia McKinley was born on June 26, 1868 in Galveston, Texas during [...]
Contact Us for more information about our Foster Care Program View News Stories about our Foster Care Program Participate in a Foster Parent Virtual Orientation to learn more In Cook County alone, there are over 6,000 children in Foster Care. Biological parents aren’t always able to provide safe or consistent care to their children for [...]
"He is a trailblazer because 75,000 African American, black and brown students, were able to access post-secondary opportunities that they, under normal circumstances, would not have been able to access." – Venise Hardy, Vice President of Educational Services at Ada S. McKinley, speaks about her mentor and predecessor Silas Purnell. 56 Years Later, Program Founded [...]
Congratulations to our Vocational Men’s Special Olympics Basketball Team, The Panthers, on winning the silver medal in the City Tournament at Hope Academy Sports Multiplex. They are headed to the State Basketball Tournament at Illinois State University in March! We are excited about the prospect of winning another state title. The Panthers are the 2016 [...]
In celebration of Black History Month, several media outlets have featured our acclaimed College Preparation & Placement program and honored its founder, the legendary Silas Purnell. Mr. Purnell founded our program in 1966, opening a critical door of opportunity for African American students to receive a post-secondary education. The program has placed more than 75,000 [...]
"Mr. Purnell was very transparent about opportunities and the lack of opportunities that existed for black and brown students. He made sure that students knew that there was a world outside of their immediate environment, noting ‘how can you aspire to be better if you have not been shown opportunities outside of your community that [...]
We truly appreciate the generosity and hospitality of the Women’s Athletic Association at the University of Chicago. Two of our all-around Special Olympics athletes, Vernita Love-Brown and Quentin Porter, were invited to attend one of their Men’s Basketball games where they enjoyed engaging with other athletes and sharing their sports stories and backgrounds. In addition [...]
