Marklund is a not-for-profit organization based in the Chicago suburbs of Geneva, Illinois and Bloomingdale, Illinois, that serves infants, children and adults with developmental disabilities. Services encompass a full realm of human needs including: medical care, residential facilities, specialized (physical, aquatic, occupational, speech, recreational, music and art) therapies, educational and day services, as well as community-based programs, such as volunteer respite care training, and early intervention programs. With a mission to enrich the lives of those with special healthcare needs by honoring the unique purpose of each individual, Marklund's vision is to make Everyday Life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.
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History
In 1954, pediatrician Mary Ellen Reddy, M.D., asked Claire Haverkampf, R.N., to provide foster care for a 5-day-old infant named Mark William Lund who had Down Syndrome and severe cardiac complications. On Christmas Day, Claire and her husband, Stan, agreed to accept the baby into their home and give him the best care they could.
Over the years, the Haverkampf family grew as the couple cared for more children with developmental disabilities. Their decision to take on children with special needs fulfilled their belief that the able-bodied are bound – and privileged – to care for those who cannot care for themselves.
Eventually, the Haverkampf’s Northlake, Illinois house became too small for the growing family, and they moved to a larger home in Bloomingdale, Illinois, known today as the Marklund Philip Center for Children. Over the next fifty years, Marklund has grown into a not-for-profit network of homes, day centers and programs that are designed to serve individuals with profound disabilities. To date, that network has provided care for more than 1,700 infants, children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Today
In Bloomingdale, Illinois, the Marklund Philip Center for Children encompasses the Marklund Children’s Home, a skilled pediatric nursing facility for medically fragile infants, children and adults; the Marklund Day School, a non-public state-certified school that provides a highly specialized education experience for individuals ages 3–22 with medical, developmental, and physical disabilities; the Life Skills Academy, an initiative designed to provide specialized support to teenage students who have learning and developmental disabilities, and those identified on the Autism Spectrum; and the REST (Respite Education and Support Tools) program which provides specialized education for organizations that wish to train volunteer respite care workers.
The Geneva, Illinois, site, Marklund at Mill Creek, is a 20-acre campus that includes the Marklund Hyde Center which houses seven developmental training classrooms, therapy areas, a hydrotherapy pool and spa, and administrative offices. The Mill Creek Campus also has six, 16-bed residential buildings which feature home-like environments, are 8,300 sq. ft. each, and are fully ADA-compliant. Adjacent to the homes is a specialized Miracle League baseball diamond.