We are so excited to announce the launch of our capital campaign this fall! We couldn’t be more committed to supporting and empowering each core member of L’Arche Chicago, so deciding on a name for the campaign was easy for us: L’Arche for Life!
Our new construction home in Oak Park will truly be a home that can serve core members for life. It will feature ADA accessibility (including an elevator) and universal design features in a thoughtfully constructed home that fully embodies the core values of L’Arche.
The home will be built on a beautiful, residential block in South Oak Park on land that we acquired last summer. We’ve been working hard since then with building consultants, architects, occupational therapists, and others to move forward with our plans at a steady pace.
The team at Elements Architectural Group has guided us along and helped craft a custom design that makes the house truly a L’Arche home. This includes a central place of gathering for our whole community, private spaces for reflection and prayer, cozy rooms to relax and connect with others in (including a living room with a fireplace), and most importantly, a home environment that feels comfortable and restorative.
We’re excited to announce, with the past support of our donors through campaigns like the Opening Doors campaign, Giving Tuesday efforts, and a generous grant from the Coleman Foundation, we’re just over halfway to our total capital budget of $2M!
Next month, we are excited to look over the completed blueprints and begin our work with the building contractor. As this exciting project progresses, we will be updating you via our blog with news and photos, so stay tuned to see it unfold! We are scheduled to break ground in early 2023!
If you haven’t seen the video that highlights our new home, check it out here:
https://www.larchechicago.org/larcheforlife
Whether you’re a long time friend of the community, have seen the power of L’Arche in a family or friend’s life, or you’re learning about us for the first time, we need you at this time! A gift will help us build a fourth home that will offer meaningful places of belonging, make L’Arche home for life for four new core members, and address the accessibility needs of current and future core members. Whether you’d like to contribute a one-time gift, or commit to a lifetime of giving to L’Arche Chicago, every dollar will create a lasting impact in our community as we make this final push to see this home through construction!
