Southeast Chicago Center community reconnects at Family Fun Day

Our Southeast Chicago Center’s Behavioral Health program recently hosted a Family Funday for our children, adolescents, adults and their families! We had a great turnout of nearly 80 people, despite the heat, to enjoy activities including the FabFun video game truck, photobooth, D.J., taco truck, volleyball, basketball, bid whist/spades card games, tattoo/face painting, clothing give away, and arts & crafts.

Our staff joined in the fun to engage clients in fun, energizing and physical activities to support reconnecting with others, and to ensure safety for all.

In March 2020, the pandemic invaded our lives and forced each of us to shelter-in-place and cut ourselves off from our support systems; including extended family and community supports. In addition, our clients in the Southeast Chicago community became overwhelmed with the racial violence and injustice in our world. Chicago Public Schools students shifted to remote learning, families lost employment and income, loved ones passed away from COVID-19, and our staff had to serve clients using telehealth.

The Family Funday helped our staff and families to reconnect and participate in efforts towards community healing.

Clients had the opportunity to socialize and meet other clients and develop new relationships, and staff strengthened their relationships with their clients as we participated in activities and felt safe doing so. For one clinician, Family Funday was the first time that she and her client had met in-person, all services had been provided via telehealth for the past two years!