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SouthSTAR Services was founded in 1950 by a group of parents in search of education, training and activities for their children with disabilities. Volunteers staffed the school in several donated quarters in the south suburbs throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. As students matured, the need for vocational services grew. By the mid-1970’s, SouthSTAR served adults exclusively, many of whom were graduates of the local Special Education Cooperative which had been mandated to serve children with disabilities. SouthSTAR moved to its current Chicago Heights location in 1975. In the 1990’s SouthSTAR began developing small community based group homes to provide a permanent home for the people we serve. Around the same time, the organization began providing home based services to adults and has since expanded its home based services to include children. SouthSTAR Services is a nonprofit organization located in Chicago Heights, Illinois with offices in Olympia Fields Illinois and Schererville Indiana. Our mission is to provide choices and opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities, which enrich their lives and maximize independence in their pursuit of vocation, community living and social integration. Since 1950, SouthSTAR has provided individualized services throughout the south suburbs of Cook and Eastern Will Counties along with Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana. SouthSTAR serves over 500 individuals daily ages 5 and over requiring varying levels of support including an expanding group of senior citizens and children with autism. Our service goals cover a broad range from full independence, such as living independently, to small personal accomplishments that make one’s life more rewarding. |
Classroom in 1950s |
