Willowbrook Corner Learning Program Family Support

Willowbrook Corner Year in Review Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit the Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning program, and any donation will help make an impact for the kids and families who are served by the After School and summer programs.  

As friends of The Community House, and supporters of Willowbrook Corner, we started this fundraiser with one goal in mind - raise money for a transformative program that has provided services and supports to thousands of youth and their families with modest means, who often face challenges based on systemic racism. 

Like many social service programs, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, funding is crucial and donations of any dollar amount will have a big impact on our ability to keep the doors of this critical program open. The Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program is especially worthy of your attention, based on its history, rate of success and commitment to working in partnership with this diverse community.  

Please take the time to read more…

HISTORY

Our journey in support of WBC began when we realized that The Community House, a non-profit that has served communities throughout DuPage County for almost 80 years, was meeting a need for educational support in a community only 10 minutes away from their main location in Hinsdale, called Willowbrook Corner that was enduring ongoing challenges like low academic performance, youth violence and substance abuse.

The Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program began in 1997, and while the program was initially successful, the staff and community partners who had the pleasure of providing direct services within Willowbrook knew there was more that needed to be done in order to make a greater impact.
 

Achieving academic success and impacting real change was not just about providing tutoring, after-school services and getting homework done. Academic success started in the home, with parents and family members supporting young people and encouraging healthy habits and a commitment to education.

It meant having mentors who both provided support, and also resembled the students, in ethnicity as well as in life experiences. 

It also meant providing counseling services to youth and families who needed it and financial literacy education in order to cultivate a greater understanding of what it means to have financial stability.

RATE OF SUCCESS

The overall success and growth we saw in the youth and families of WBC who received comprehensive services was overwhelming. Our staff and community members were working in partnership and the relationships they built were respectful, kind, compassionate and collaborative.  A safe space was created that allowed for open communication and those values have been commonplace throughout the more than 20 years the program has been in existence.


·       Last year alone, The Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program provided comprehensive support services to 156 children and their families

·       85% were people of color (78% black, 14% multi-racial, 3% Latino, 2% Asian)

·       97% fell below the median income level for DuPage County

·       83% of the youth served improved or maintained their grades (*2019 school year)

 
HOW CAN YOU HELP?


Supporting The Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program at The Community House which has historically and is currently…
impacting change where it counts is always critical, but during this moment in our country’s history, it is more important than ever.


Your support of WBC will help:

·       Youth of diverse backgrounds understand that they not only matter, but are loved, appreciated, and supported by their community;

·       Provide youth in our program with mentors, counselors and presenters that look like them, have similar backgrounds and are invested in their future and share a message of acceptance and understanding.

·       Provide educational support services, counseling, and care that empower youth and their families and;

·       Provide 2020 summer and fall programming to WBC families at a deeply discounted rate (amounting in $20,000 worth of free services)


We thank you so much for reading and we thank you for your consideration of making a donation in support of WBC.

 

Sincerely,

Alyssa Guido and Trayce Biancalana

Volunteers, Friends and Supporters of The Willowbrook Corner Youth Learning Program at The Community House

 

PS: Your Go Fund Me donation today will qualify for a tax deduction and the funds raised will be delivered directly from GoFundMe to The Community House.