Cunningham Children's Home

The Foundation is charged with providing charitable support to meet the annual operating needs of the agency, provide charitable support to meet the major capital needs of the agency, and to provide management and leadership to maximize the performance and growth of the Cunningham Children's Home endowment assets and funds. As the Cunningham 2000 Committee continues its research and planning work throughout 2001-2002, the Board establishes The Phase I Design and Construction Committee to solidify plans for a new Residential Treatment Center. In 2003, the committee gives final approval on the new building's planned construction on the 17-acre area at the north end of campus. When ground is broken on the project in March 2004, the Cunningham Master Campus Plan begins to be realized. In 2005, thirty of our youth moved into a new 23,700 square foot Residential Treatment Center. This facility was a major step forward in creating a safer and more effective treatment environment for our youth. The Center includes three self-contained residential cottages, connected to a clinical and health services wing which houses the offices of our therapists, nurses, and supervisory staff. The safety improvements are enormous and have made a measurable impact both by reducing dangerous situations for our kids, and by giving our staff improved tools to focus their attention to the therapeutic needs of each clients. At the same time, the building was designed to preserve our children's emotional safety and feeling of home. While more clinical in appearance than the older cottages, the new living environments include attractive design features and abundant natural light. As always, every child is given their own hand-made bed quilt, stitched with love by the United Methodist Women who have been caretakers of the home since 1895. In 2007, we opened the doors on our Spiritual Life Center, which serves as a resource for spiritual and emotional healing as well as providing a community center where graduations, school plays, and other Cunningham celebrations can take place. The Spiritual Life Center contains a chapel, a meditation room, our chaplain's office, and several meeting rooms and offices. It's a beautiful building where everyday miracles can and do take place. As fundraising to pay for the cost of these two new facilities continues, Cunningham turns our attention to the educational, vocational and therapeutic recreation needs of our kids and embarking on Phase II of our project-creating a new Education and Recreation Complex. In 2007, a major new initiative of the Lighting the Way Capital Campaign was launched, "Coach's Campaign," chaired by former Illini Basketball Coach Lou Henson and his wife Mary; and former Illini and NBA Player Kendall Gill and his wife Wendy. Coach's Campaign aims to provide a base of support for the new Education and Recreation Complex, beginning with raising $2 million towards a new Special Therapies Center and $7 million towards the cost of two new schools. Drawing on best practice models for special education and therapeutic recreation, the proposed complex will include our residential school, our day school, and a shared cafeteria/dining hall and shared recreation and activity center. Also in 2007, the Girls Group Home returns to Cunningham's main campus and the Transitional Living House moves into the former Girls Group Home residence. These moves reflect the ongoing need to continue to shift Cunningham's resources and adapt our facilities to better meet our young peoples' needs. 10) Changing Leadership, Continuing the Mission 2008 - 2014