West40 Shares Update on St. Joseph

West40 would like to share a quick update on the progress at St. Joseph and our continued focus in supporting students and families in our communities.

First and foremost, we remain committed to transforming the campus into a state-of-the-art residential school for children in foster care in a partnership with a variety of entities that share our commitment to serving children in need.

We are waiting on new updates from state agencies before resuming the renovation of St. Joseph. Rest assured that we will be ready to build as soon as funding becomes available.

“St. Joseph continues to be an important investment in our community’s future and the lives of youth-in-care across Illinois. While we wait for our state agencies to finalize processing, West40 is seeking additional funding streams to expedite and accelerate the work on this project,” said West40 Executive Director Dr. Mark Klaisner. 

We’ve created this website and video to share with the public about the need for St. Joseph and the money to fund it. Additionally, a new grant opportunity from the Department of Children and Family Services has become available and West40 is completing the application process.

Even though construction at St. Joseph is progressing at a slower rate than we hoped, we have been putting in the foundational pieces of the project as we envisioned it.

That includes the Heart 2 Heart Food Mart, which is inside the existing building and serves about 120 guests each week and the number continues to grow. We also receive 100 freshly prepared hot meals each week provided by our generous partners at Chi-Care.

“The Heart 2 Heart Food Mart is making a healthy impact by providing families with fresh food. We serve everyone from all over with care and dignity,” said Heart 2 Heart coordinator Pam Vujovich.

West40 also installed an embroidery machine in the building as part of our employability program. This gives students the chance to learn real-world skills by creating custom designs on shirts, hats, and more, while experiencing business and entrepreneurial skills.

We are also exploring installing data centers on the property that will be managed by a third party to potentially provide opportunities to serve local school districts and municipalities with their data storage needs.

And in keeping with our promise of forging community partnerships, we have granted the LaGrange Celtics Soccer Club the use of our athletic fields.

West40 knows this project matters to the community and we will continue to keep you updated and informed.