Marklund (not-for-profit)
Marklund is a not-for-profit organization based in the Chicago suburbs of Geneva, Illinois and Bloomingdale, Illinois, that serves infants, children and adults with developmental disabilities. Services encompass a full realm of human needs including: medical care, residential facilities, specialized (physical, aquatic, occupational, speech, recreational, music and art) therapies, educational and day services, as well as community-based programs, such as volunteer respite care training, and early intervention programs. With a mission to enrich the lives of those with special healthcare needs by honoring the unique purpose of each individual, Marklund's vision is to make Everyday Life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.
History
In 1954, pediatrician Mary Ellen Reddy, M.D., asked Claire Haverkampf, R.N., to provide foster care for a 5-day-old infant named Mark William Lund who had Down Syndrome and severe cardiac complications. On Christmas Day, Claire and her husband, Stan, agreed to accept the baby into their home and give him the best care they could.
Over the years, the Haverkampf family grew as the couple cared for more children with developmental disabilities. Their decision to take on children with special needs fulfilled their belief that the able-bodied are bound – and privileged – to care for those who cannot care for themselves.
Eventually, the Haverkampf’s Northlake, Illinois house became too small for the growing family, and they moved to a larger home in Bloomingdale, Illinois, known today as the Marklund Philip Center for Children. Over the next fifty years, Marklund has grown into a not-for-profit network of homes, day centers and programs that are designed to serve individuals with profound disabilities. To date, that network has provided care for more than 1,700 infants, children and adults with developmental disabilities.[1]
Today
In Bloomingdale, Illinois, the Marklund Philip Center for Children encompasses the Marklund Children’s Home, a skilled pediatric nursing facility for medically fragile infants, children and adults; the Marklund Day School, a non-public state-certified school that provides a highly specialized education experience for individuals ages 3–22 with medical, developmental, and physical disabilities; the Life Skills Academy, an initiative designed to provide specialized support to teenage students who have learning and developmental disabilities, and those identified on the Autism Spectrum; and the REST (Respite Education and Support Tools) program which provides specialized education for organizations that wish to train volunteer respite care workers.
The Geneva, Illinois, site, Marklund at Mill Creek, is a 20-acre campus that includes the Marklund Hyde Center which houses seven developmental training classrooms, therapy areas, a hydrotherapy pool and spa, and administrative offices. The Mill Creek Campus also has six, 16-bed residential buildings which feature home-like environments, are 8,300 sq. ft. each, and are fully ADA-compliant. Adjacent to the homes is a specialized Miracle League baseball diamond.
Fundraising
- Marklund's Top Hat Ball, the organization's primary fundraising event, began in 1996 and is held each February in Chicago.
- The Marklund Annual Golf Classic, began in 1982, and pairs celebrities with golfers at the Indian Lakes Country Club in Bloomingdale, Illinois.
- Run, Walk & Roll for Marklund, a new 5K/1 mile walk/run, will debut in October, 2013, in Geneva, Illinois.
- Various Third Party events are held throughout the year, organized by donors, volunteers and/or parents in support of Marklund.
- Eighty-five percent of revenue supplied primarily by State of Illinois Department of Public Health. Fifteen percent of revenue supported by donations from individuals, foundations and corporations to cover $16,000 annual gap for each person Marklund serves, the difference between what the State of Illinois funds and Marklund's standard of care.
Life-enrichment activities and events
- The Miracle League Field, located on the Marklund at Mill creek campus in Geneva, Illinois, was created in 2003 with the support of the Chicago White Sox Foundation, and allows individuals in wheelchairs to participate in baseball and other sporting activities.
- The Annual Holiday Gift Drive gives people and businesses/organizations the opportunity to provide "wished for" gifts to clients at both the Marklund at Mill Creek campus and the Marklund Children's Home.
- Annual Summer Games events held at both campuses in June, are Marklund's own version of special Olympic-style games, allows clients to participate in a variety of activities and games with the assistance of volunteers, family members and staff.
- Marklund's Annual Top Hat Ball] began in 1996.
- Marklund's Golf Classic began in 1982.