Oak Leyden

11/20/2025

I can't believe that the holidays are HERE! 😲 But it is November 20th, folks...it's game time! We are excited to celebrate this special time🎄 with our friends, family, and colleagues, and especially happy to thank our partners in the community that have committed to providing gifts and holiday treats for the families we serve. 😍 Big hugs and gratitude to our friends at Grace Lutheran Church and School, River Forest, Illinois , Rush Oak Park Hospital , Village of Oak Park, Illinois, ACH Food Companies and River Forest District 90 Schools . We are grateful to all of you! 🫶👏🙏 (and apologies for referring to the wrong district, River Foresters!)

11/13/2025

We are very fortunate to have so many deeply committed folks on our team here at Oak Leyden and nowhere is that more true than our direct service providers. Their work demands patience, creativity, empathy, intense focus and energy--on a daily basis. Let us take a moment to salute November's work anniversaries for these incredible people that ensure that our residents and program participants can live their very best life.

William Thornton--16 years (11/30)
Shakira Lane--12 years (11/7)
Michelle Reynolds--7 years (11/26)
Johnnie Duncan-- 1 year (11/11)
Katie Fleming-- 1 year (11/12)

We appreciate you!

11/06/2025

We're excited to introduce you to the newest addition to our team, our Family Advocate, Nancy Schroeder!

While your child's team of therapists are still going to be the best experts on your child's needs, Nancy's role is to support current and alumni families as they navigate complex systems. She is also available to work side by side with you to advocate on behalf of your child.

How can you use a family advocate?
As a thought partner,
To connect you to resources available to you (both at Oak Leyden and throughout the state),
To help you understand those resources,
To help you through the IEP process as your child ages out of EI,
To attend meetings with you as an extra set of ears and as an additional voice speaking up for your child,
And more!

This grant-funded support is free to you, so if a need arises, ask your therapist to connect you to Nancy!

11/03/2025

Our 'Adopt-A-CILA' program matches folks with an interest in supporting our adult residents (that live in community integrated living arrangements, or CILA homes) with one of our residential sites. Participants in Adopt-A-CILA get to know the 4-6 inhabitants of these residences 🏡and work collaboratively with them to plan parties, 🥳 holiday gatherings, and beautification projects in their homes.

These are ongoing, sustained relationships🤝 we are building, not 'one off' group volunteer events, and the impact is clear to see on the faces of our residents, 😁 the team that cares for them, and the Adopt-A-CILA folks themselves.

This past Halloween weekend, 👻 we had two separate groups visiting our Dora (Franklin Park) and Grove (Berwyn) CILAs. Shout out to Logan's team at State Farm as well as Michelle and Jeff's family for their gigantic hearts! 🥰

Would you like to know more about our Adopt-A-CILA program? Glad you asked! See below for more...

10/31/2025

10/31/2025

Our Children's Services team welcomed some adorable visitors during the week of Halloween 👻 for some trick or treating and developmental games. It's always great to see the children we work with out in the community, having fun 🥳 and playing with other kids. Great chance for parents and guardians to also socialize and join in the fun. 😃

10/29/2025

If you have a free moment during your lunch period on Friday, why not come visit our Lifetime Learning site here in Oak Park to experience some frightening fun? Our adult program participants would love to show off their Haunted House! 👻No RSVP necessary; we will be launching the tour of several terrifying vignettes at noon on Halloween at our day program site at 320 Chicago Ave in Oak Park. Our participants are really excited to have guests, so we hope you can drop by! (Plenty of street parking available.)

10/19/2025

Handing out candy and toys to hundreds of little trick-or-treaters? Taco trucks? Meeting members of the communities where we provide services? Supporting an amazing event thrown by one of our very closest municipality partners? Yes, please, to all of the above! 🥰

We had a fantastic time at Leyden Township's annual Boo Fest event, where 20 of our adult program participants enjoyed music, fun food, a petting zoo and a hayride. Good stuff for everyone involved. 🎃 Congrats to Rocco Biscaglio, the Leyden Township Supervisor, for a job well done!

10/16/2025

Being a good neighbor means many things, but one of the most impactful is to welcome your community to your home. This week, Oak Leyden offered up its Lifetime Learning Program site to the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce for its 'Business After Hours’ event. 😀 We were happy to see a good turnout for the Chamber, and had a chance to briefly introduce ourselves and our mission before the networking event completed. Thanks to 's Mark Walden for choosing us to help out! 👍

10/14/2025

Dear Oak Leyden supporters,

Over the weekend, nearly all employees in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services were included in shutdown layoffs. This department, which was created under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is responsible for the federal oversight of all programs that support students with disabilities. Cuts to this critical office will cripple legal protections for families all over the country as there will be no bandwidth to enforce IDEA, which remains the law of the land.

First, we want to take the opportunity to assure our families: we stand with you. At Oak Leyden, we are committed to providing supports for individuals with disabilities. Most notably, our outstanding team of Children’s Services therapists will continue to advocate for the tools your child needs to best succeed in every environment, including as they transition from Early Intervention into school services.

Secondly, we are urging you to take action with us. Please call your members of Congress and ask them to protect children with disabilities by rehiring the Office of Special Education staff. Doing so will uphold IDEA, which has benefitted from bipartisan support for all of its existence. If you have examples of how IDEA’s protections have helped your family, name them! But be clear in your ask: Please rehire the staff of the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Thank you for your continued partnership,

RJ McMahon
Oak Leyden CEO

10/13/2025

People are searching for ways to impact the communities that they live in, and support brands and services that align with their values. We are constantly looking for ways to make our lives matter, to make an impact. Smart leaders know that their business offerings, their company culture, and the examples that they set in the community makes a difference. Join the conversation!

10/08/2025

We LOVE getting out into the communities we serve to meet our neighbors and raise awareness of the work we do at Oak Leyden. Usually, we set up our 'Kid Rest Stop', a chance for tired parents to catch their breath while we give their little ones something fun to do. And what is more fun than writing on stuff with chalk? 😎 (These photos were from the last Thursday Night Out in Oak Park.)