Hoyleton Youth & Family Services‘ Puentes de Esperanza (Bridges of Hope) serves Spanish-speaking families in Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair counties. Puentes de Esperanza connects Hispanic families to community resources, including interpretation and translation, finding employment, immigration and citizenship information and other resources.

Puentes de Esperanza also:

• Partners with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to help immigrants know their rights
• Hosts mobile events with the Illinois Secretary of State Department of Motor Vehicles

Generation Patient is a nonprofit organization created by and for young adult patients with chronic, complex, rare or undiagnosed medical conditions. The organization’s focus includes providing peer-support groups, roundtable discussions and helping to drive systems-level change through policy work, leadership programming and advocacy initiatives across healthcare and research spaces.

Generation Patient also offers:

• “Creating Spaces for Young Adults with Chronic Conditions,” a step-by-step toolkit with resources and strategies for finding and creating peer support
• Virtual community-led peer-support groups for young adults (ages 18 and up), including:
  •  A general group for young adults with chronic and rare medical conditions,
  • A higher education group for patients in college or graduate school,
  • A group for young adults with irritable bowel disease (IBD)

First Hand Foundation‘s pediatric medical grants provide vital financial assistance to uninsured or underinsured children up to 18 years old. The grants aim to help children receive timely, life-changing treatment that improves their health and quality of life. Families can apply for grants to cover critical medical expenses such as surgeries, prescriptions, medical equipment and travel costs. Each child is eligible for one grant every 12 months.

Learn more about applying for a grant, covered expenses and eligibility on First Hand Foundation’s website.

Applications can be submitted anytime. Grants are reviewed monthly.

Camp Hope is an overnight summer camp for Chicago-area teenagers and young adults with developmental disabilities. Campers ages 15 to 30 have a one-on-one buddy providing care and participate in activities adapted to their unique needs. Campers experience five fun days filled with friendships and activities, including swimming, dancing, arts and crafts, adaptive sports, cookouts and more. Camp registration typically opens in December of each year. Space is limited.

Check out Camp Hope’s Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more. You can also contact camphopeillinois@gmail.com for more details.

The Child Mind Institute’s Family Resource Center provides information for parents, caregivers and others supporting children struggling with mental health, behavior or learning challenges. Resources include parenting guides, a glossary of terms and up-to-date information on learning and behavior disorders, sensory processing, milestones and more.

The Child Mind Institute offers a variety of free parenting guides in English and Spanish. Guide topics include:

• The Quick Guide to Anxiety in Children in English
• The Quick Guide to Anxiety in Children in Spanish
• Executive Function Issues in Kids in English
• Executive Function Issues in Kids in Spanish

Oracle Health Foundation’s pediatric grants cover various clinical, equipment, and travel and lodging costs related to children’s healthcare needs. The foundation accepts applications from the United States and through select international providers.

Funding criteria include that the applicant must be 21 or younger (special consideration given for individuals 22-25 receiving pediatric treatment). You can find more details on the Oracle Health Foundation website on how to request a pediatric grant.

FreeFood.org is a website where people can find and add free food resources locally and nationwide.

CommunicationFIRST advocates to ensure everyone has the support they need to express themselves effectively and be heard. Organization members include people of all ages with over two dozen known and unknown expressive communication-related conditions, congenital and developmental disabilities, and conditions acquired later in life. CommunicationFIRST resources include:

• “The Words We Use” style guide
• Tips for online meetings with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users, by AAC users
• The “See us. Hear us.” film series
• The AAC Counts Project

Legal Aid Chicago provides free legal assistance in civil cases to people living in Chicago and suburban Cook County with limited income or special legal needs. It focuses on helping in the following key areas:

• Family and safety –  where personal safety and financial stability are at risk
• House and apartment – protecting safe and affordable housing for tenants and homeowners
• Money and debt –  protecting income and assets from unfair collections and fraud
• Work and employment rights – protecting the rights and benefits of workers and reducing barriers to employment
• Health, disability and basic needs – accessing and protecting benefits for basic human needs
• Immigration – obtaining protected status for victims of crime, including U-visa, VAWA (for victims of domestic violence) and T-visa (for victims of human trafficking)

Camp Sunshine helps children with life-threatening illnesses and their families find hope, community and a safe space for recharging together. Located in Maine, the camp offers medical support and free, year-round camping sessions for children ages 21 and under, their siblings, parents and caregivers. Campers come from all over the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. Bereavement sessions are also available for families who have experienced the death of a child from a supported illness.

Camp Sunshine offers sessions of varying lengths throughout the year. Supported conditions and diagnoses include:

• A brain tumor, cancer and retinoblastoma
• Kidney disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Hematologic conditions
• Phenylketonuria (PKU) and more