Grantee Spotlight: El Valor
The Coleman Foundation strives to champion our partners in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field and is proud to spotlight an organization who is working hard to bring families and community together through equity and opportunity.
Taking their name from the Spanish word for courage, El Valor began in 1973 in the home of founder Guadalupe Reyes. When she could not find an organization to provide suitable care for her own son, Reyes took it upon herself to create programs and supply services for her son and others with physical and mental disabilities. Fast-forward to almost fifty years later, and El Valor has grown into one of the top 25 Hispanic-run organizations in the United States, serving over 4,000 children and adults with disabilities in 13 facilities throughout Chicagoland.
El Valor offers programs in three areas to advance their mission of helping people with disabilities and their families achieve excellence and participate fully in life: Early Childhood Education, Adult Programs, and Parental and Community Engagement. The Early Childhood Education program focuses on early education, inclusion and enrichment through both Spanish and English instruction. Adult Programs are comprised of a continuum of services that emphasize personal choice, employment, and self-sufficiency for individuals with different abilities. Parental and Community Engagement uses a multifaceted approach to bring families together through education, workforce development and advocacy.
The organization honored Senator Antonio Muñoz and Representative Theresa Mah In June at El Valor’s 29th Annual Don Quixote Gala, which raised $264,000 to fight systemic inequities effecting quality of life in their community. You can click here to contribute to their goal of raising an additional $40,000 to support dual-language programming and efforts to provide access to food and housing.
