Professional Services in Joliet
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The Petfinder Foundation is the nonprofit arm of Petfinder.com, which houses one of the largest databases of adoptable pets with more than 13,500 animal-adoption organizations represented. The Petfinder Foundation supports the groups that post on its database with funding, equipment, supplies, and volunteers. As part of its emergency-management program, it also prepares shelters for emergencies and helps shelters and pet owners recover in the wake of natural disasters. For the Rescue U program, volunteers work to repair damaged shelters and improve life for adoptable pets by providing services that may include laying paw-friendly turf in dog runs, building meet-and-greet areas, installing sound baffling in kennels, and adding cat-enrichment perches and toys.
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In 1973, a small group of teens founded an information clearinghouse, meeting place, and helpline known as Gay Horizons. It offered referrals for professional, medical, and social services from a coffeehouse on Lincoln Avenue and organized annual identity conferences. In 2007, the organization reopened its doors as Center on Halsted, a community center dedicated to strengthening the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Center on Halsted welcomes more than 1,000 people each day for recreational and development programs, held in a facility that contains classrooms, a technology center, a theater, and a gymnasium. Staff members organize a variety of therapeutic and support services including individual and group counseling, HIV and STD prevention programs, and services for homeless youth. Center on Halsted also works beyond its own walls through its Youth Speak Out program, a 10-week spoken-word apprenticeship held at local schools, and Stand Out, which gathers young people for community-service projects in addition to life-skills sessions.
With the vision that empowered, confident girls will become independent women who can support themselves, their families, and their communities, GirlForward mentors and supports adolescent refugee girls in Chicago. Individual mentorship and educational programs—such as Camp GirlForward, a summer program that includes English, math, and computer-skills instruction—help foster confidence among participating girls and provide them with a supportive community.
In August of 2003 more than 75 residents and community leaders from the North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, and Grand Boulevard neighborhoods of Chicago came together to discuss the current state of their communities and devise methods for improvement. That marked the formation of the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC), and today the team of individuals strives to bring together residents, local organizations, businesses, and government institutions to make the North Kenwood, Oakland, Grand Boulevard, and Douglas neighborhoods more sustainable, healthy, and economically diverse.
As the lead agency for the New Communities Program, QCDC worked with more than 400 community residents and stakeholders to establish a 10-year quality-of-life plan. In addition to guiding the implementation of this plan, the organization continues to focus on economic development, education, and employment services throughout communities. These three targets have led to initiatives such as the Bronzeville Community Market, academic-based support for low-income students, and life-skills and job-placement services.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Cook County helps protect and advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court cases. Through its well-trained volunteer advocates, CASA ensures that each child's voice is present in court, with the hope of securing safe, permanent homes where children can grow and thrive. Each advocate champions one child, researching the case and providing valuable information to the court so judges can make the best decisions about the child's future. Advocates work with the child for as long as necessary, which can last from a few months to a few years, but is typically about a year. In the last year, CASA volunteer advocates invested 12,000 hours of advocacy to 483 children in Cook County.
