St Mary's to show off new offices at open house
On Thursday, March 20, the 127-year-old St. Mary's Services will have an open house to showcase its first move in more than a quarter century. The new offices, located on the second floor of the Favia Dental Building on Northwest Highway, features updated space and infrastructure to help St. Mary's meet the maternity counseling and adoption needs of its clients.
The event, scheduled from 4-7 p.m., will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Thomas Hayes, mayor of Arlington Heights, as well as Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler. Members of the community and business members are invited to attend.
"Our new offices are right in the center of town, a great location for St. Mary's as we enter our next phase of growth," said Joanne Bratta, executive director of the agency. "We are poised to increase our market share and this move is part of that strategy." The move was completed Feb. 1. Previously, St. Mary's Services had held offices in St. Simon's Church on Kirchoff Road, since 1988.
The open house will feature light refreshments, and caseworkers will be on hand to talk about the work performed by the agency, including its new educational initiative with schools and church outreach program, as well as its Hopeful Beginnings maternity program. Also on hand will be adoptive families - some of the parents who have adopted children through St. Mary's Services in the past.
"The mission of St. Mary's Services is to counsel women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, who are conflicted about what to do or how to handle it," said Bratta. "Our new location continues to build on the tradition of St. Mary's as one of the most recognized providers of maternity and adoption counseling in Illinois."
St. Mary's Services is the oldest adoption agency in Illinois. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving all of Illinois from its base in Arlington Heights. For information, contact St. Mary's Services at (847) ‐870‐8181.
Founded in 1887 by the Episcopal Sisters of St. Mary, the agency's dedicated social workers counsel women experiencing unplanned pregnancies who are considering adoption. They also provide preparation and placement services to families pursuing domestic infant adoption. In addition, St. Mary's facilitates home study and post placement services for international adoptions. The agency helps both birth and adoptive families before, during and after placement. For more information, visit www.stmaryservices.com and www.hopeful‐beginnings.com.