This June and July, One Family Illinois is celebrating its graduates with festivities at each Village, where our 2021 graduates are being recognized for their hard work and achievement. Once again, we celebrated a 100% high school graduation rate, made possible by your thoughtful support and dedication to our mission.
Lockport Village Celebrates in Style
We are proud to share the wonderful stories of the youth and children in our care this commencement season. At SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, we are fortunate enough to mark this momentous time for our graduates in a special way.
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, staff, children, Foster Parents, and our extended family (volunteers with the Diversity Committee with support from Thrivent and Castellanos Bounce Houses) all gathered for a celebration of our 2021 graduates at our Lockport Village. In the past, we have held this event as an all-Village party, and last year was held virtually, and for the safety of the children in our care, we are honoring their academic success at individual sites this year.
The guests of honor were our graduates from our Lockport Village: six kindergarten graduates and one eighth-grade graduate. Each child was recognized during an official graduation ceremony.
We also celebrated the incredible generosity of corporate and foundation partners and sponsors who made the day’s activities possible, as well as supported educational programming throughout the year. Partners included the Diversity Committee, with the support of Thrivent, who helped with field games, face painting, crafts, and fun, as well as Castellanos Bounce Houses, who supplied the bounce house and plenty of popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones.
Graduation Celebrations Still to Come
The graduation celebrations for both Chicago Village (7/14) and Roosevelt Square Village (7/21) will be held in July. We look forward to sharing details on these parties, as well as highlight our partners who are helping us through volunteering and sponsorship.
Send Words of Encouragement to 2021 Graduating Youth
According to statistics, only about 50% of children in foster care graduate from high school. That is why our 100% high school graduation rate at One Family Illinois is such a source of pride, and it’s something we are wholly dedicated to maintaining. More importantly, we commit to doing everything we can to see that all of our children matriculate to the next grade level, have the resources they need and deserve, and know that there is a community supporting them.
Your support is priceless. Even a simple gesture of supportive words has a lasting impression on our youth. Whether to those moving on to first grade or our high school graduates making plans for post-secondary education, we encourage you to send words of encouragement our youth can take with them long after they leave our Villages. We thank you and look forward to hearing from you!