The Thrall Family announced that they plan to bestow a gift of $1.4 Million dollars to Elim Christian Services. The gift is to be used toward Elim’s Moving Beyond Capital Campaign program, in which Elim will expand its capacity to serve more children and adults with developmental disabilities throughout the Chicagoland area. Through this campaign, Elim will be established as a Resource Center of Best Practices, sharing the knowledge accumulated through 59 years of excellence in the education and empowerment of children and adults with learning and developmental disabilities.
The Thrall family, headed by Jerry and Lynn Thrall, has been involved with Elim Christian Services for many years. One of their grandchildren, Adam, is a student in Elim’s Autism Comprehensive Education (ACE) program. Now in its third year, the ACE program is gaining a reputation in the special education community as providing excellent, cutting-edge care for children with autism. The ACE program will be expanded to accommodate up to 60 children with autism. The renovated space for the expanded program will be named, “Thrall Family Space for ACE” in recognition of the family’s outstanding commitment.
Adam’s mother, Polly, has been thrilled to see the progress Adam has made during his time at Elim. She explains, “We couldn’t be happier with Elim. We knew on our first visit that he needed to be here. The difference is that the staff are committed here, it is the reason God put them on this earth. Adam is loved and he is safe. Safety is especially important to us because if there was a problem, he couldn’t tell us. He’s made great leaps and bounds at Elim.”
The mission of Elim Christian Services is to equip children and adults with disabilities to achieve their highest God-given potential. Elim pursues this mission by providing educational, vocational, therapeutic, and residential service to over 800 persons with special needs, from learning disabilities to severe disabilities. Elim is located at 13020 S. Central Avenue in Palos Heights, Illinois.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Carol Hill, Advancement Office, Elim Christian Services
708-389-0555 phone, chill@elimcs.org email
