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2019 Annual Report

From serving 28 people in 1959 to more than 1,300 people in 2019.

Download 2019 Annual Report and Financials

2019 Annual Report

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From serving 28 people in 1959 to more than 1,300 people in 2019. From selling eggs off our own farm in 1965, to finding valuable community jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. From launching a recreation center in 1978, to having our athletes set world records in 2019.

It can be overwhelming to think of the incredible progress Little City has made in 60 years. Major milestones often seem to come in rapid succession. Little City established a school in 2011, followed by the opening of the Duffey Family Children’s Village in 2014 and a major merger with Countryside Association in 2016.

On the surface, it almost looks like progress comes easy. But no matter how big the leaps of progress may seem, it is the hard work in the small steps that have built Little City’s success. That is true of the major accomplishments we achieve as an agency, and the personal accomplishments we see in those we serve every day.


2019 was a special year, as Little City officially celebrated its 60th anniversary on Oct. 1. Throughout the year, we celebrated our heroes of today, remembered the visionaries of our past and worked to build the leaders of our future.


And as we look toward that future, it is important to not lose sight of our past. Throughout the decades of evolution, one word never seemed to change: opportunity. In 1957, two years before Little City opened its doors, Dr. Delilah White wrote Little City would be a place to offer opportunity for all to learn at their own rate. In 1982, the local newspapers wrote Little City pioneered a new opportunity for the ‘mentally retarded’ by finding placements in paying community jobs. In 1993, Michael Piazza of the Art Institute secured a grant to offer more opportunities in arts for people with developmental disabilities.


We know Little City is where it is today because of the opportunities created by those in our past. And we see it today in gifts like the incredible donation from the Chicago Club Managers Foundation to open a new community employment training center in DuPage County for individuals with disabilities seeking work, and the 3-acre land donation from longtime supporter Abe Bohrer. These blessings for Little City will undoubtedly lead to more opportunities for countless individuals.

We know where we come from, and because we do, we know where we are going. We are going through the next door. We are doing the hard work in each small step, until we get to that door and open it. And then we go to the next.


Sincerely,
Shawn E. Jeffers, Executive Director

Matthew B. Schubert, Little City Board President