Palatine’s Countryside completes expansion, renovation

Supporters of the Countryside Association for People with Disabilities decided they couldn’t stand idly by as a waiting list grew of people hoping to access services.

So the Palatine-based nonprofit organization launched a capital campaign in an effort to accommodate more clients who stay engaged and integrated in the community through jobs and other healthy activities.

Two-and-a-half-years and $2.5 million later, Countryside is gearing up to open the doors to its new 9,000-square-foot addition.

“In Illinois, there are 22,000 people (with intellectual and developmental disabilities) waiting for services that the state simply cannot find a way to fund, and we wanted to chip away at that number,” said Countryside Executive Director Wayne Kulick, who expects everything will be in place sometime next week.

To celebrate the completion of the expansion and renovation project, the human services agency will hold a grand reopening, noon-2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, at Countryside Center, 21154 W. Shirley Road, Palatine. The public is invited to tour the facility and meet the clients while enjoying refreshments.

The new space will allow Countryside’s client base of 675 individuals with disabilities to expand by an additional 50 people, Kulick said they’ve added 10 already and hope 40 more will join over the next year.

Many clients have subcontracted production jobs. Others are soon-to-be graduates of area high schools who need training before seeking outside employment.

Countryside, which began construction about nine months ago, also provides activities and recreation for older clients and people with more severe disabilities.

“We do a very good job of providing paid work opportunities, but we’ve been constrained by the size of the building,” Kulick said. “This is a nice improvement.”

Countryside received generous donations came from Ashland Millwork, the estate of Ray and Barbara Friend, The Coleman Foundation, Dominick’s Charitable Foundation, Foglia Family Foundation, Friends of Countryside Center, Illinois DCEO Capital Fund, Col. Stanley R. McNeil Foundation and the Richard A. Perritt Charitable Foundation.

Visit countrysideassn.org or call (847) 438-8855.