🎉 Collective Update – April Highlights! 🌷
We’ve had a full and beautiful April at the Collective, and we’re excited to share just a few ways we’ve seen connection, growth, and JOY all over Villa Park:
🏫 School Impact
- We wrapped up Basketball Club and finally launched Soccer Club—something the school has been asking for for 2 years. Huge shoutout to Tim Angst for pulling together a rockstar team of volunteers!
- Craft Club came to a close this month with all the spring vibes—fireflies, butterflies, and lots of festive, hands-on fun to celebrate the season. 🌸🦋✨
- During Spring Break, we hosted an Art Camp where 20 students came each day to get creative, build friendships, and hear about Jesus.
- Reading Buddies & Math Groups are going strong—and one of our volunteers has formed a sweet bond with 4 girls who now cheer when he shows up!
- Middle School Lunch Groups are helping students grow socially and emotionally with consistent support and structure.
- We partnered with North’s Spanish group to help provide CPR training to over 30 Spanish-speaking parents—most of whom had never received this kind of training before. One thing I continue to realize is that resources many of us take for granted in English—like parenting seminars or CPR classes—are a rarity for many families in Villa Park. And they love them!
👨👩👧👦 Family Impact
- We hosted a Family Game Night that was full of joy and (let’s be honest) a little friendly competition 🧡
- 📖 Women’s Bible Study
It’s been an adventure digging into God’s Word with a group of amazing Spanish speaking women from our community. There’s been lots of laughter, lots of tears, and beautiful moments of discovering more about who God is and how deeply He loves us. 💛
🌎 Community Impact
- We teamed up with Frida launching Spanish parenting classes—many parents are learning about trauma, brain development, and their kiddos in a whole new way. It’s been powerful and potentially cycle-breaking 🙌
- We joined 20+ other organizations at a community resource fair and connected with nearly 200 people!
💡 Impact Stories
We’ve seen some truly beautiful moments unfold this April—here is one:
🗣️ Finding a Voice
We connected a local community organizer with several of our Spanish-speaking moms to ask: What does the community need?
The response was powerful—these moms realized they haven’t had a space to express their needs or advocate for change. They’re now starting to organize, connect, and invite their friends into that same experience. It’s been incredible to watch them go from quietly showing up to boldly stepping out as leaders in their own community.
🚨 What’s Coming Up
☀️ Summer Camp is almost here!
Every June, we offer a low-to-no-cost Summer Camp in Villa Park for 2nd–5th graders. It runs Tuesdays through Thursdays, and it’s one of our favorite ways to show up for families in our community. But—we can’t do it alone!
👉 We need more volunteers to help lead games, crafts, and just be a fun, kind adult in a kiddo’s life. If you have a morning (or more!) to spare in June, we’d love to have you on the team.
🎉 Spanish Family Nights return in June!
On Wednesday evenings, we host weekly activities for Spanish-speaking families—think games, crafts, laughter, and community.
We need:
- Volunteers to run fun activities for the kiddos 🧃🎨
- Spanish speakers to connect with parents and help build a welcoming, supportive space ❤️
If you’re looking for a way to give back, connect with others, or practice your Spanish—we’ve got a spot for you 😊
DM us or email [email protected] to jump in!
The Collective exists to equip children and families through safe relationships that foster restoration, dignity, and hope—and April has been full of all three. 💛
Thanks for cheering us on, Parkview family!
