About El Valor

El Valor is a non-profit community-based organization founded in 1973 that strives for a community in which all members, including individuals with special needs, can live, learn and work.

El Valor, meaning “courage”, from its roots in the Hispanic community, has grown into a multicultural, multipurpose organization that reaches thousands of families throughout the Chicagoland area.

OUR MISSION

 

El Valor’s mission is to support children, people with disabilities, and their families to achieve excellence and participate fully in life. Our programs exist to create opportunities that enrich and empower vulnerable populations to become their own advocates and promote a sense of inclusion within a learning community.

OUR VISION

 

El Valor aspires to be a leader in social justice and the premier organization that supports vulnerable populations to meet their full potential.

Our History


In 1973, one woman saw a need.

Guadalupe Reyes’ son was born with a condition that led to mental and physical disabilities – one of the challenges was finding suitable care, but the bigger challenge was a world that wanted to limit him, rather than embrace him. There was silence where there should have been support, acceptance, community.

So she created a place in her own home where he, and other children like him, could thrive. She quickly moved to the basement of a church in her community and, over time, more families joined El Valor‘s mission.

What started out as one woman’s vision for her child grew into El Valor as we know it today. A center for education, support, resources, and empowerment for children and adults.

Since El Valor’s inception, it has been a home and a source of belonging, a place for the most marginalized members of our community to be uplifted. We celebrate our differences and hold sacred our values of courage, community, and inclusion.

The feeling of welcome pervades El Valor – it’s in every room, every event, every conversation – our people know that they’ve found something unique.

While we have come a long way in cultivating our programs, we never forget our beginnings.

 

 

 

Today

El Valor has four Children & Family Centers, an Inclusion Center, a Developmental Training Center and six Community Residence Homes for adults with disabilities. (Adult Programs are CARF Accredited). With a budget of over $20 million, programs work with families throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. El Valor has over 300 staff members and hundreds of volunteers help provide services to children, people with disabilities and their families.

Our Vision for the Future

El Valor has four Children & Family Centers, an Inclusion Center, a Developmental Training Center and six Community Residence Homes for adults with disabilities. (Adult Programs are CARF Accredited). With a budget of over $28 million, programs work with families throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. El Valor has over 300 staff members and hundreds of volunteers help provide services to children, people with disabilities and their families. El Valor’s services include:

  • The best in the nation in early childhood and parental engagement.
  • A model for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of the community.
  • A trustworthy support system for families’ access to education information, and a premier organization developing national multicultural leadership.

We welcome partners to embrace our mission and to take an active role in shaping the future. An investment in El Valor is an investment in the future of our community to ensure social justice.

 

Our Locations

1951 W. 19th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60608
Main Office: (312) 997-2021
Fax: (312) 432-9849

2434 S. Kildare Avenue                                                    
Chicago, IL 60623
Main Office: (773) 242-2700
Fax: (773) 542-1528

3050 E. 92nd Street                                    
Chicago, IL 60617
Main Office: (773) 721-9311
Fax: (773) 721-5865

5310 W. 24th Place                                                   
Cicero, Illinois 60804
Main Office: (773) 242-2710
Fax: (773) 542-1528

1924 West 21st Street                               
Chicago, IL 60608
Main Office: (312) 997-2030
Fax: (312) 997-2035

1850 W. 21st Street
Chicago, IL 60608
P: (312) 666-4511
F: (312) 666-6677

Our Impact

13 facilities throughout Chicagoland area

Over 3,000 children served annually

Over 300 employees

Over 6,000 snacks served monthly

Over 14,000 meals served monthly

90% of those served fall below the poverty line

100% of interested adults assisted with community employment

100% of residential participants received nutritonal consultations and dietary plans