General Resources
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
(800) 662-HELP (4357)
TTY: (800) 487-4889
SAM’s Sweet Heart Memorial Foundation
SAM’s Sweet Heart Memorial Foundation is dedicated to helping Illinois families with children with complex medical diagnoses.
SAM’s Sweet Heart provides financial assistance to Boone and Winnebago county families with children under the age of 18 who have a medical condition requiring lifelong treatment. Local families may apply for a grant during open application periods.
Sarah’s Inn provides comprehensive services for families affected by domestic violence so that they get the support they need to find safety, rebuild their lives and heal. It serves Chicago and 22 surrounding West Cook County suburban communities. Sarah’s Inn resources include:
- Support and crisis interventions
- Legal support
- Violence prevention programs
- Community education and training programs
- The Partner Abuse Intervention Program (PAIP)
Sarah’s Inn’s 24-hour emergency Crisis Line is (708) 386-4225.
The Self-Advocacy Online (SAO) website, from the Research and Training Center on Community Living at The University of Minnesota, provides self-advocacy tools for people with disabilities. The SOA website can help you research, learn and connect around self-advocacy. It includes:
- Stories from self-advocates
- A search feature to help you find self-advocacy groups
- Research and information on a variety of important topics
Sertoma Star Services in Illinois
Sertoma Star Services (SRS) is a not-for-profit community organization dedicated to challenging the limits and changing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illness in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana areas. Services include vocational, educational, therapeutic, recreational and residential programs.
Sertoma Star Services programs include:
- Special recreation services for children, teens and adults
- Community living and home-based services
- Life skills enrichment program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Janitorial and e-recycling vocational training and long-term job opportunities for adults
The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission has a list of Service Animal Resources. Information includes Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, programs that provide animals and more.
Sesame Street in Communities is an online community that provides multimedia tools in both English and Spanish for parents, caregivers and providers to support children from birth to age 6.
The site covers a wide range of topics including school readiness, healthy minds and bodies, emergency planning and tough issues such as divorce, hunger and other traumatic experiences. It features videos, activities, printables and digital interactives fearing Sesame Street characters.
Shady Oaks Camp is a non-profit, non-denominational, volunteer-driven organization serving children and adults with a wide range of disabilities. The summer camp provides fun activities, field trips and learning for individuals ages 5 and older. Campers must have an active Shady Oaks membership to attend camp.
See the Shady Oaks’ FAQ page for more information. For other questions, please contact soc16300@sbcglobal.net or (708) 301-0816.
Sibling Grief and Bereavement Toolkit for Children and Teens
The Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition’s (PPCC) Sibling Grief and Bereavement Toolkit aims to address the needs and concerns of children and teens who have experienced the death of their sibling with medical complexities. The toolkit provides information to help adults understand how children and teens may process their grief and how to provide comfort to help them heal.
The toolkit can help with:
- The many feelings siblings might experience
- Therapeutic activities families can do together
- More resources for encouraging and guiding conversations
The Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition (PPCC) and Courageous Parents Network (CPN) provide resources to help parents, caregivers and medical professionals focus on giving special attention to siblings who are living and sharing their lives with a brother or sister with medical complexities.
Their Sibling Support Toolkit provides videos, activities, podcasts, a guided pathway and other resources to support parents and siblings as they navigate the ups, downs, setbacks and joys that make up their day-to-day lives.