Gala to be night of glitz for Little Friends' Bids for Kids
One night before Hollywood honors its top performers at the Academy Awards, a bit of Tinseltown glitz will sparkle in DuPage County.
Guests will walk the red carpet Saturday, March 6, as they enter the Bids for Kids Benefit Auction, a long-running fundraiser for Little Friends Inc. And though the event is in a Lisle hotel, organizers hope those who attend feel like they might run into a few Oscar nominees on the dance floor or as they peruse the auction items.
Then, almost before the stars finish celebrating their new golden statuettes, the Little Friends staff will put the auction proceeds to work to provide therapy, training, counseling and other services for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout the Western suburbs.
The Naperville-based agency provides an array of programs for clients, their families and those who work with them. The past year saw the Little Friends Center for Autism move into a dedicated building near downtown Naperville, allowing the agency to enhance the program offerings at its headquarters.
Carolyn Hamilton, director of marketing and public relations, tells us more about Little Friends' work.
Q. What is Little Friends' mission? Whom do you aim to help?
A. It is the mission of Little Friends to empower children and adults with special challenges to live, learn, work and participate in the community.
Q. What do you do?
A. Little Friends is a private, nonprofit organization that serves children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Based in Naperville, Little Friends operates 13 programs that include three schools, family support and consultation services, vocational training programs, community-based residential services and the Little Friends Center for Autism. Founded in 1965, Little Friends serves more than 800 people each year throughout DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will, McHenry and western Cook counties.
Q. What sets Little Friends apart from other organizations? Do you collaborate with other groups?
A. Little Friends strives to meet the individual needs of each of the children, men and women we serve daily. We work collaboratively with area school districts, park districts, YMCAs and other community groups to establish partnerships to provide unique educational, vocational and recreational opportunities for our clients. We also work with businesses throughout the community to seek vocational training opportunities for our adult clients.
Q. What changes have you seen in the community and the need for your services in the past three years?
A. Little Friends has provided unparalleled services for children and adults living with developmental disabilities for more than 40 years. Thousands of families from across the state have relied on our agency to empower their loved ones to live, learn, work and actively participate in their communities.
In the last 25 years, the need for services for children and adults with autism has risen to the forefront. Recognizing the urgency for educational, residential and therapeutic services for this growing population, Little Friends set out to meet the needs of the autism community by introducing several new and innovative services.
Building on its more than 30 years of experience in providing services for individuals with autism, Little Friends opened the Little Friends Center for Autism in 2004. The center provides comprehensive diagnostic and evaluation services, consultation, training for parents and professionals, counseling, speech and occupational therapies, social skills groups and educational materials. Each year, thousands of families and professionals from across the nation benefit from the center's practical experiences in the field of autism, helping to further understand this complex disorder.
Q. What major accomplishments has your organization achieved in the past three years?
A. Like many social services providers across the state, our agency has endured difficult times over the past year. As a result of cuts in state funding, we were forced to trim more than $1 million from our budget. These cuts were significant, and each of our 13 programs was affected. Our board of directors worked tirelessly to formulate a fiscally responsible plan to face these cuts head on, which resulted in layoffs, pay freezes, elimination of contributions to the retirement plan, and the loss of benefits for staff across the agency. Although these times have been difficult, we are very proud to say that not one of our clients lost services during this period.
In 2009, the Little Friends Center for Autism moved into a new and expanded location on Chicago Avenue in Naperville. At its new location, the Little Friends Center for Autism offers expanded services, including on-site ABA and Speech and Occupational Therapies.
The agency also recently completed renovations on the third floor of its administrative building in Naperville. This 100 percent grant- and gift-funded renovation project transformed the space previously occupied by the Little Friends Center for Autism into an expanded training facility for the agency and center.
The new training space has capacity for up to 55 people and features new carpeting, state-of-the-art technology and a ceiling-mounted projector. The Little Friends Center for Autism conducts nearly 100 training programs a year for parents and professionals.
Little Friends hosted its first Step Up for Autism walk in June. Designed to raise awareness about autism, a complex developmental disability that affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans, the Step Up for Autism walk was the first of its kind in Naperville. More than 1,600 participants helped raise more than $145,000 in donations, making the 2009 walk one of the most successful fundraising events in Little Friends history. Our 2010 walk is slated for June 27 along the Riverwalk. For details, please visit stepupforautism2010.kintera.org.
Q. What goals have you set for the coming year?
A. At Little Friends, our No. 1 goal is the well-being of the individuals we serve each and every day. Our agency will continue to seek new and innovative funding sources to supplement programming and services for the individuals we serve and families within our communities.
In addition, our Little Friends Center for Autism will continue to offer expanded services for families living with an autism diagnosis at its new Chicago Avenue location. These services include comprehensive state-of-the-art diagnostics for children and adolescents, consultation and training for parents and professionals, ABA, speech and occupational therapy and social skills groups.
Q. What are Little Friends' long-term goals for the next five years? Ten years?
A. Always in tune with the needs of the community, Little Friends has continued to evolve, consistently introducing new and innovative programs. As a leading authority in the field of autism, Little Friends will strive to provide the most dynamic and cutting-edge therapies and resources for the tens of thousands of families across Illinois that live with autism each and every day.
Q. Tell us about the Bids for Kids Benefit Auction.
A. Little Friends will host its Bids for Kids Benefit Auction on Saturday, March 6, at the Hilton Lisle-Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle. This year's auction theme will celebrate the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown. Guests will stroll along the red carpet and toast the Academy Awards while gazing into the stars above the Hollywood Hills, all while raising funds for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities served by Little Friends.
Festivities include cocktails, dinner, silent auction and a rousing live auction led by Greg Dellinger. Guests will also enjoy dancing and entertainment courtesy of Pal Joey Entertainment.
Now in its 34th year, the Bids for Kids Benefit Auction is one of the area's longest-running auctions.
Q. Will the proceeds support general operations or a specific program or project?
A. Funds raised will benefit children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities served by Little Friends.
Q. How many people attended last year? How much money was raised? What are your goals for this year?
A. More than 350 supporters helped Little Friends raise nearly $90,000 at the 2009 Bids for Kids Benefit Auction. In 2010, we are hoping for another sold-out crowd!
- Christie Willhite
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>If you go</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What:</b> Bids for Kids Benefit Auction</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>When:</b> 6 p.m. Saturday, March 6</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Where:</b> Hilton Lisle-Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Cost:</b> $100 per person</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Details:</b> Theme is "Tinseltown;" auctioneer Greg Dellinger leads the live auction of trips, sports memorabilia, fine dining experiences and sports and concert tickets </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Info:</b> (630) 355-6533 or <a href="http://littlefriendsinc.org" target="new">littlefriendsinc.org</a></p>
<p class="News"><b>Vital statistics</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Number of contacts annually: More than 800 people receive services each year; thousands of families and professionals take training and receive referrals</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Budget:</b> $17 million</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Funding:</b> State and local government; individual, corporate and foundation contributions; grants; client service fees; United Way; special events; Spectrum Vocational Services; Serendipity Resale Shop and ColorBurst Screen Printing</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Full-time employees:</b> 298</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Part-time employees: </b>43</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Volunteers: </b>600</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>To volunteer:</b> Opportunities are posted at littlefriendsinc.org; contact Cally Edwards at credwards@lilfriends.com or (630) 281-1882</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Wish list: Computers; office furniture, including desks, chairs and filing cabinets; twin and full-size mattress sets; living room furniture, including lamps, love seats and cable-ready television sets; classroom supplies. Donation needs also are posted at littlefriendsinc.org</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>To donate</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">• Serendipity Resale Shop: Accepts clothing, household items and collectibles at the shop, 12 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville, during store hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; noon to 4 p.m. Sundays</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Donations also may be made between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Little Friends Administration Building, 140 N. Wright St., Naperville.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">• In-kind donations: Used furniture is accepted, as needed, due to limited storage space. The furniture is used in the homes of men and women served by Community Living program or in staff offices.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Contact Tony Valente at <a href="mailto:avalente@lilfriends.com">avalente@lilfriends.com</a> or (630) 281-1842. </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Info: </b>(630) 355-6533 or <a href="http://littlefriendsinc.org" target="new">littlefriendsinc.org</a></p>