Aspire’s Winter Highlights!

We hope you’re soaking in all the cozy winter vibes just like we are here at Aspire! From snowflakes to shared smiles, the past few months have been filled with meaningful moments, big wins, and everyday joy. As we settle into the season, we’re reflecting on all the good that’s been happening, and there’s plenty to celebrate!

To wrap up a heartwarming winter stretch, we’re excited to share some special highlights and updates from across Aspire:

Academy North Highlights:

The bathroom project at Academy North is completed and there is now a Women’s and a Men’s Restroom located on the south side of the building!

A huge thank you to Julia Wold and the Grainger Family Foundation for the funding to support this project. A toilet paper ribbon cutting ceremony was held in January for the Grand Opening!

Volunteering with Meals on Wheels is such an impactful way for us to give back to the community and we always look forward to it! We help to deliver meals, build connections and brighten people’s day.

The P-O-W-E-R Up Self Advocates at Aspire participated in the Illinois Self-Advocacy Alliance, Power Up Advocacy 2025 Rally in January, and the group presented a break-out session on Self-Care! 

A small group spent some time exploring the newest exhibit at the Dunn Museum: Threads of Time: Quilts and Textiles. This collection provided a colorful glimpse of Lake County’s history from the 1830s to the 2000s.

Academy South Highlights:

We took advantage of free days at the museums in Chicago by visiting the Art Institute and the Chicago History Muesum!

The Art Institute provided us with the opportunity to see artwork from all over the globe while the Chicago History Museum focused on history in our own backyard. 

Aspire took advantage of the free days at the Shedd Aquarium! Everyone enjoyed learning more about our ocean friends and seeing some of our favorite ocean animals. 

To have some fun and to escape the cold, a small group visited a nearby cat cafe for an afternoon!

It was such a fun time playing with all of the different cats and learning about the different breeds of the ones there.

A BIG thank you goes out to National Van Lines as they helped to spread the holiday cheer through their annual gift donation!

For each of our Community Homes, gifts were purchased for everyone living in them and in the days afterwards spent delivering them, everyone had such big smiles. Thank you again National Van Lines!