Seasons Greetings from Community Access
Naperville!
It has been an exciting and productive year for Community Access Naperville! We are grateful to our many dedicated volunteers, interns, financial donors, vocational partners, and hardworking staff. Thanks to them, CAN has been fulfilling its mission: To empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work in, contribute to, and enjoy their community. We hope that you are able to take a few minutes to read about what we've been up to! Find out what's new with our staff, and how we'll make your donation go farther. Learn about the new offerings in our colorful products for sale, our openings for volunteers, TheCANShop on Etsy, and much more! Links in blue will take you to more in-depth information on our website.
'Tis the Season! Please Consider Making a Donation.
Participant tuition fees do not fully cover CAN’s staff and activity expenses. Your donation helps to fill the gap.
New this year: For every $10 donated, CAN will deliver one crayon set (see descriptions below) or one rosary to a local hospital's pediatric ward. We have limited quantities of inventory, so deliveries will take place throughout the year, as our participants create more. We are thankful for every donation, and this is a small way that we can pay it forward.
Community Access Naperville is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the full amount permitted by law, and may be eligible for a matching donation from your employer.
Please consider shopping online at AmazonSmile instead of Amazon, and indicating Community Access Naperville Inc as your non-profit of choice. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase amount to our organization. Start your online shopping trip atsmile.amazon.com, or you canclick hereand bookmark the page. Your account for AmazonSmile is the same as your regular Amazon account, and you can shop at AmazonSmile just like you shop at Amazon. Just be sure you see "AmazonSmile" in the upper left corner, and "Community Access Naperville Inc" at the top of the page. Thanks for your support!
Volunteer for
Community Access Naperville!
Our participants love to spend time with their neuro-typical peers. Please consider joining them at one or more of our sessions! Earn community service hours, or inquire about internships for class credit.Visit the volunteer page on our website to find out more.
CAN Products for Sale! CAN participants enjoy creating the colorful items shown below, and 100% of the proceeds from these sales go to Community Access Naperville.
In addition to crayons and rosary beads, we're selling a collection of colorful hand-made knitted and woven items that were created and donated by a generous CAN supporter. Customers who need their items to be shipped should order through TheCANShop at Etsy. However, if you live in or near Naperville, IL, you are invited to avoid shipping and handling costs by contacting us at info@communityaccessnaperville.org to make arrangements to purchase items directly.
Give your old crayons new life! Look for CAN's green crayon donation bins at all three Naperville Public Libraries during the months of January and June!
CAN T-shirts and Sweatshirts for Sale
If you would like to purchase a CAN t-shirt or sweatshirt, please contact us at info@communityaccessnaperville.org T-shirts (S,M,L,XL) $12, T-shirts (XXL) $14, zippered hoodies $28. And we have two small pullover hoodies left - $21.
What makes Community Access Naperville so special? Our incredible team of helpers who befriend and guide our participants at each session! We say goodbye to Saturday Program Leader Alex Acosta, who has followed a lifelong dream and joined the military. Program Assistant Carissa Thalmann (above left) has been promoted to Saturday Program Leader, and we welcome our new Saturday Program Assistant, Dawn Callahan (above right). We are grateful for all of our wonderful program leaders and program assistants, as well as the fantastic interns who earned college credits for their time spent working with our participants. Additionally, over the course of 2016, about 35 volunteers donated their time and energy to help out and get to know our participants. Thank You, each and every volunteer, for your time, your help, and your friendship! Special Recognition goes to the following 2016 volunteers who were committed to helping out at CAN sessions on a regular basis. We are lucky and grateful to have you as part of the CAN Family!
Cassie Fenwick, Ingrid Gonzalez, Ashley Helmi, Jeannine Pfau
Do you have a project for us? CAN Participants enjoy working on projects which require repeating tasks, such as collating, shredding, assembly, and flyer distribution. CAN Staff and volunteers provide guidance to the participants as they work, so that they can make meaningful contributions to our community.
CAN's Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday participant rosters are currently full, but we are considering adding another weekday session to our schedule. Families who are interested in having their loved ones attend CAN on Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays are invited to contact us to find out more.
CAN Benefits from Matching Gifts Throughout the Year
In 2016, the BP Foundation and the Illinois Tool Works Foundation matched their employees' donations to Community Access Naperville. The Rotary Club of Naperville - Downtownalso generously matched the $1500 in donations made to CAN during the first three months of the year. Additionally, one of our volunteers registered her 100+ hours spent at CAN sessions in the Starbucks' Partner Match program, and CAN subsequently received a $1000 donation from the Starbucks Foundation! Another volunteer recently registered her 100+ hours, so we are hopeful that we will receive yet another $1000 donation from Starbucks soon! Community Access Naperville is grateful to all of these organizations for their support.
Young Life Naperville & Aurora graciously shares its van with Community Access Naperville when our destinations are not accessible by bus, train or foot. This makes a wide variety of vocational and recreational opportunities possible for Community Access Naperville programs. Thank You, Young Life!
