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As told by Frank Giosa, Principal of the West40 Safe Schools Middle School “It’s funny that I’m in education, because where I grew up, there was not a lot of emphasis on school. But because of the mentors I’ve had throughout my life, I’ve developed a passion for service. I’m from a tight-knit, blue collar neighborhood in Philadelphia where ‘quick money’ was the expectation. People looked for quick payoffs from different jobs, trying to get by. Growing up, I wasn’t exposed to

As told by: Karen Tiemann, president of ICEARY; Dr. Mark Klaisner, former president of ICEARY; Ben Lewis, ICEARY member; John Milosovic,...

As told by Bill Stewart, parent of a West40 Safe School student “Before my son Michael went to a West40 Safe School, he went to a middle...

As told by Joshua Easter, Charles Carter and Cody K. Cotton, West40 mentors and founders of A Greater Good Foundation “Let’s say you have...

As told by Renee Makris, Area Director of Leyden ALOP Programs “Growing up, I never thought I’d be in education. If you had told me that...

As told by Dr. Mike Popp, Assistant Executive Director of West40 and former school superintendent “When I was a school superintendent, I...

As told by Maria Rivera, former West40 ALOP student and current college student “I grew up in the U.S., but when I was in first grade, my...

As told by Loreah Boyle, Karina Carbajal and Jimmy Mortillaro, West40 ALOP advocates at Proviso East High School “If a student enters our...

As told by Dr. Mark Klaisner, Executive Director of West40 and President of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of...

Anyone who follows the news can see headlines about the rising cost of living: whether that’s an increase in housing costs, food costs or...

As told by Fran Pike, West40 ALOP advocate “A lot of organizations talk about treating people like family. But at West40, it’s true. The...

As told by Phil Salemi, Superintendent of Westchester School District 92.5, and Greg Leban, Principal at Westchester Middle School “When...

As told by Juan Silva, former Safe School and ALOP student, current student advocate Read Part 1 of Juan’s story here. “After attending...

As told by Juan Silva, former Safe School and ALOP student “I was fine in grade school. Just a normal kid in the neighborhood. But things...

As told by Nancy Debre, West40 Truancy and Pregnancy Services “People see statistics about truancy, but they don’t usually think about...

As told by Sharon Balderas, West40 Education Licensure Specialist “When parents or the general public think about the life of an...

As told by Shannon Bidlo, Seniors Plus Coordinator “Aaron started with West40 as a student at our Safe Schools Middle School. He entered...

As told by Laura Guzman Lopez, Lead Advocate “When a student at East Leyden High School named Max was first referred to our program, he...

Advocating for students means supporting them at school and providing a listening ear. It’s also about organizing activities to keep...

As told by Emily Molson and Pedro Peralta, West40 Seniors Plus Advocates “In the West40 Seniors Plus program, we work with high school seniors who, for whatever reason, weren’t able to graduate. They’re anywhere from 18 to 22 years old and they come to us for help with finishing their education. There’s a steady flow of people that we serve. Some weeks we have two graduates, other times it’s five graduates". During a normal school year, the faculty and staff within a buildi