Open House. Open Hearts.

September 16th was a special day for us here at Hephzibah. It was the day we reopened the doors to visitors at Hephzibah Home, where some of the State of Illinois’ most vulnerable, abused and neglected children live. Our home has been closed to visitors and volunteers for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In true Hephzibah creative spirit, we used the time to our advantage, to make necessary enhancements to the home, making it more accessible and safer, and so that our therapeutic team would be better positioned to meet the needs of the children we serve.

On the day of the event, over 200 invitees were greeted outside the home by Hephzibah staff and representatives from Oak Park Bank, our community partner and generous underwriter for this event. As visitors crossed the threshold of the newly installed double doors, necessary for the safety of the children and staff, they were immediately greeted by a warm and beautifully renovated lobby and reception area. Our friends and guests were invited in to tour the home, mingle with members of the executive staff and board, and enjoy refreshments. Positioned in several key areas around the home were staff and board members, who spoke to each person passing through about what that space means to the kids, and how the improvements will impact each child in their recovery from their individual trauma.

On the first floor, where most of the renovations occurred, guests could wander between the family visitation rooms, which were updated and encourage families to connect and spend time together, the newly repainted and remodeled atrium and dining room, the new state-of-the-art gross motor therapy room where children receive vital behavioral and sensory modulation treatment, and brand-new bathrooms for guests and the children for improved privacy. Visitors were encouraged to flow upstairs to see spaces where the children relax, do homework, and partake in art therapy, and were also treated to a ‘Hephzibah Birthday Party’ in the renovated upstairs kitchen, just like the children of the home are when it’s their special day. Patrons also could peek inside a bedroom, to hear about the lengths staff go to when a child is distressed at bedtime, learning about all the techniques used to make sure each child gets rest, which is often difficult for children suffering from severe trauma. Outside, another stop included a visit to the garden, where the kids learn calming skills through nature therapy and guests were given seed packets to take home.

When visitors visited the freshly updated therapeutic spaces they could be seen making art in the art therapy room, swinging on the monkey bars in the gross motor therapy room, and sampling the vegetables grown by the children in the garden. The hands-on activities gave partakers a real sense of what the children in the home do daily, and as one guest commented “It’s nothing like I imagined a home for neglected children would be like. It’s a real home.”

On this day, we also celebrated the 125th anniversary of Hephzibah Children’s Association and the instillation of a sculpture funded by our Art Heals fund in memory of Leslie Ann Jones and Tom Johnson, long-time supporters of Hephzibah. We had many reasons to celebrate, and we were honored to share the afternoon with our supporters. What matters most, however, is how much these changes mean to the children who come through our doors and start their healing journey. Serving some of the state’s youngest children, we want our supporters to know that we are more than a clinical care facility – we are a home. Hephzibah Home is a place where kids can learn to just be kids, know that they are loved and cared for, and most importantly, that they matter and are worth it.