This week's Difference Maker builds a powerful community, through the gifts of special people.
WBBM was able to take a walk through a group home in west suburban Oak Park that's operated by L'Arche Chicago. L'Arche means "The Arc."
L'Arche Chicago, which has been around for 25 years, has four group homes and provides direct care and support for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Mic Altena, L'Arche Chicago's Executive Director and Community leader, told WBBM, "we have an intentional community here where many of our staff members live in the homes with people with intellectual disabilities, our core members. And we desire to cultivate relationships centered on an environment of faith."
Anders Gullberg has been a resident of L'Arche Chicago for nearly ten years and was WBBM's tour guide on a sunny September day and said L'Arche is "very family style...like a home."
Altena said, "funding is always kind of front and center of everyone's mind especially these days as there's a lot of discussion about Medicaid funding on the federal level, but also here at the state level we've seen a lot of fluctuation over the years and we do have to supplement what we get from the State of Illinois with private donations. Things always change in society and around us and so that kind of requires us to change too and take new approaches, so we're really excited about kind of digging into the fabric of what brings us together as a community."
As WBBM finished our tour of the L'Arche Chicago home on East Avenue in Oak Park we expressed our admiration of the beautiful space with caring people. Anders Gullberg said with a smile, "it's a nice home."