Donate

What does your donation do? Your contributions enhance the lives of disabled adults by ensuring that each individual gets not only what they need, but what they want, to live their best life!

Did you know that Open Door has a special commemorative brick garden located under a canopy of shade trees at their east campus? This area displays beautifully engraved granite bricks which surround a bench dedicated to Open Door's 50th Anniversary. In addition to honoring Open Door's years of service to clients and community, this distinctive monument provides a space for touching, personal dedications.

Please consider adding a commemorative brick to this area. Honor a friend, memorialize a loved one, or celebrate a personal milestone like a graduation or anniversary. Each brick is prominently displayed near the intersection of Main and Fayette Streets, right on Open Door’s east campus.

Your special message will be listed in the Brick Commemoration section of our newsletter, as well as engraved on the brick or bricks. A portion of your purchase will benefit Open Door programs and services.

Brick Form

Have you ever thought about leaving a longtime legacy, a planned impact that will benefit adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities? Your thoughtful gift can make a difference in lives for many years to come.

Donor Benefits:

Leave a legacy
Avoid estate taxes
Impact lives

Planned gifts may be made in a number of ways. You may wish to leave a legacy through a bequest, such as a gift amount or a percentage, named in your will or trust. Legacy gifts can also be made to the Open Door Founder's Fund, a special fund that was set up in 1997 and managed by the DeKalb County Community Foundation (DCCF). This organizational endowment fund was established in order to provide income to Open Door. The DCCF handles all administration and investment responsibilities, freeing Open Door to pursue our mission.

Please contact Rita Potter, Open Door Executive Director, for more information about any of these giving options. Call (815) 786-8468, x226.

These are just a few of the many things that your money helps to provide:

Dental care that is not covered by Medicaid
Admission to a concert, play, or sporting event
Adaptive equipment (communication boards and tablets)
Special birthday dinners
Arts and crafts supplies used in programming
New carpeting and furniture in group homes
A new pair of jeans or coat
Money for client to buy their favorite musician's CD

The list could go on, but the important thing to realize is that state funding only covers the bare necessities. Your help ensures that clients enjoy a quality life.

If you are local, you probably see Open Door vans all over the community on a regular basis. It is through donations that the wheels on Open Door buses keep turning and by your generosity that individuals served are able to go to so many places and do so many things!

Birdcrafters of Open Door

Open Door provides the individuals we serve the opportunity to earn a wage. One of the ways that they can earn an income is by participating in a program called Birdcrafters of Open Door. This group makes wooden birdhouses, squirrel feeders, and benches. They are mentored by the Woodcrafters Club, an assembly of local retirees. The individuals we serve learn to follow instructions, gain woodworking skills, and practice safety rules in our woodworking shop.

Support Open Door individuals by taking home a birdhouse, today! (Suggested $20 donation) Birdhouses are on display at:

Open Door Administration Building
405 S. Wells St.
Sandwich, IL 60548

For more information, call (815) 786 8468.

Meet Austin

Austin is a working member of the Birdcrafters of Open Door. He loves using the sander and helping build the benches. He builds custom homes for House Wrens, Black-Capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches and Prothonotary Warblers. The birdhouses he constructs do not require perches, as Austin has read that perches encourage larger birds and animals to get inside and take the eggs.

Open Door understands that there are many community needs, and it can be difficult to decide which organizations are deserving of your hard-earned dollars. We thank you for considering Open Door as a charity worth supporting. Your generosity goes a long way to provide a wide variety of services and experiences for our clients. Your donation makes a difference, and those in need greatly appreciate it!