AID celebrates new residence with open house

About a year ago, the Association for Individual Development successfully purchased a house at 3N370 Bonnie Lane in St. Charles.

The evening of Nov. 1 was one of celebration as residents, family, neighbors and supporters joined together for a house warming and grand opening.

The Rev. Carl Gray gave a blessing over the house, with a message about how a mother eagle must teach her young to fly on their own, drawing comparisons to the residents of the home and their own independence.

Guests also enjoyed refreshments and a tour of the fully furnished, accessible home.

There were delays in opening the home as there were several renovations that needed to be made in order to make the home fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act.

Key among the renovations was installing fire extinguishing sprinklers and redoing the back deck to make it safer. The house is currently home to five individuals with developmental disabilities.

The home was dubbed "Pedersen Place" because of the generous funding from the Pedersen Foundation.

The project also would not have been a possibility without the support of the following contributors: Kane County Board, Kane County Community Development Block Grant, St. Charles Parent Fundraising Group, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, EFS Foundation, Trust Company of Illinois, St. Charles 708 Mental Health Board, Dellora A. and Lester J. Norris Foundation, Hansen-Furnas Foundation, Unity Masonic Lodge No. 48, National Knights of Columbus, and The Community Foundation of Fox Valley.

AID is a nonprofit, community-based organization that serves 3,800 individuals throughout Kane, Kendall, DeKalb, DuPage, suburban Cook, and Will counties offering more than 20 programs for individuals with physical or developmental disabilities, and those in need of behavioral health services or crisis intervention.