Our HistoryIn 1955, a small group of parents came together to create a brighter future for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In a donated classroom in an Evergreen Park church, these determined parents began teaching their children. As word of their heroic efforts spread, other families joined and soon they established Park Lawn School.
In 1968, they were granted state funding to hire professional staff and construct the first permanent school in Oak Lawn. Shortly after, Park Lawn expanded to include programming for adults and a variety of community day services and residential facilities. Today, over 500 individuals are enrolled in Park Lawn's programs and encouraged to pursue a life of productivity, independence and happiness – the same as everyone else. |
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Our MissionWe believe everyone’s life has meaning, value and purpose. We encourage people with disabilities to discover their passion, take pride in their accomplishments, live more independently and thrive.
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Our Value Statement
Everyone has a purpose.
A desire to do and be more.
To contribute, connect and be valued.
At Park Lawn, we help people with disabilities discover their passion
and take pride in their accomplishments.
By providing them with a space to be themselves.
A home to call their own.
A place to connect and forge long-lasting friendships.
Since 1955, our mission has been to provide comprehensive services
that encourage our participants and residents to lead fuller, more independent lives.
We don’t build walls.
We tear them down. Opening doors to new possibilities.
Every day, we inspire our participants to be more than observers.
They are contributors who are accepted, respected and engaged.
With ideas that have an impact.
Opportunities to advance personal skills and pursue new interests.
And choices that allow every person to thrive.
A desire to do and be more.
To contribute, connect and be valued.
At Park Lawn, we help people with disabilities discover their passion
and take pride in their accomplishments.
By providing them with a space to be themselves.
A home to call their own.
A place to connect and forge long-lasting friendships.
Since 1955, our mission has been to provide comprehensive services
that encourage our participants and residents to lead fuller, more independent lives.
We don’t build walls.
We tear them down. Opening doors to new possibilities.
Every day, we inspire our participants to be more than observers.
They are contributors who are accepted, respected and engaged.
With ideas that have an impact.
Opportunities to advance personal skills and pursue new interests.
And choices that allow every person to thrive.
Our Philosophy
We believe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities earnestly wish to lead a normal life. They want to go to school. They want a job that instills pride and earns a paycheck. They want a full and active social life.
Our Vision
Our vision is to provide the broadest range of quality programs, services and facilities possible to meet the changing, long-term needs of people with intellectual and development disabilities. As a private, non-for-profit community-based agency, we make every attempt to elicit the support of similar providers and all appropriate community resources required to achieve our vision on a progressive and cost-effective basis.
Maureen Reilly
President Read More
An integral part of the Park Lawn family for almost two decades, Maureen’s journey began when her son Kyle enrolled in Community Day Services and later moved into a Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA). Some of Maureen’s most heartwarming moments include witnessing the joy on Kyle’s face when he received his first paycheck and watching him grow and thrive under the care of Park Lawn’s dedicated team. With a distinguished career spanning 42 years in theatrical costuming, Maureen achieved the esteemed position of Costume Director at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2000 — a position from which she recently retired. Grateful for her own physical and mental well-being, Maureen and her husband, Charlie, actively support Park Lawn’s robust fundraising efforts. They recognize that Park Lawn is their lifeline and are honored to be part of it. They hope to inspire more people to join this important cause. |
Cheri Boublis
Vice President Read More
A dedicated Board member for more than 15 years, Cheri takes immense pride in contributing to Park Lawn’s ever-expanding ability to profoundly transform lives. With a rich history in the healthcare industry for 30 years, Cheri expertly merges her talents in construction development and design with food management in both clinical and non-clinical settings. As the Senior Director of Hospitality at Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, she applies her creativity and expertise to elevate the dining experience through strategic menus, employee training and design development. Cheri's charitable commitments help support lifechanging organizations including The Center and Children's Farm in Palos Park. During her tenure at Park Lawn, she’s enjoyed watching the organization flourish under exceptional leadership. She firmly believes in Park Lawn's growing impact within the south suburbs, offering essential services and vital support to all participants and their families. |
Vicki Scanlon
Secretary Read More
A retired bank manager and small business lender, Vicki brings a wealth of knowledge and a heart full of compassion to her involvement with Park Lawn. Leveraging her financial expertise, she works to enhance Park Lawn’s impact and long-term success. With more than two decades of banking experience, Vicki initially held key management roles in bond trading operations before transitioning to retail banking. Her passion lies in connecting with people from all over the city and striving to make a positive impact. This commitment shines through in her volunteer efforts at St. Barnabas Church and throughout the Oak Lawn community. A devoted supporter of Park Lawn for 15+ years, Vicki actively volunteers for crucial fundraising events and key committees. As a valued member of the Board of Directors since 2017, her unique talents and boundless enthusiasm help benefit those in need of Park Lawn’s invaluable services. |
Courtney Joyce
Treasurer Read More
Courtney joined the Park Lawn Board of Directors in 2023 to help make a positive impact on the community she calls home. Her enthusiasm and commitment are inspired by Park Lawn’s mission to create a more independent and fulfilling life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Courtney brings a wealth of financial expertise to Park Lawn. As assistant vice president at Wintrust Commercial Banking, she leads a team dedicated to partnering with middle market businesses across the Chicagoland area. She focuses on providing strategic insights, lending solutions and treasury management experience to help businesses thrive. Courtney’s passion for creating real change is an asset to Park Lawn. Her dedicated efforts promise to be a driving force in advancing Park Lawn’s vision to ensure a brighter future for all individuals served. |
Robert Barnes
Director Read More
For over three decades, Park Lawn has held a very special place in Rob’s heart. He watched his nephew gain a heightened sense of pride as a participant at Park Lawn. Rob’s daughter Cassandra will soon be eligible for Park Lawn services as well. To honor them, Rob has served on the Park Lawn Board of Directors since 2005 and, as an active fundraiser, continues to pave the way for all who can benefit from Park Lawn’s services. As founder and president of Integrated Insurance Consulting, LLC, Rob specializes in leveraging life insurance for both business and estate planning. Highly active in his field, he is a former board member of the South Cook County Estate Planning Council and regularly attends advanced planning seminars. He is a proficient public speaker, hosting educational events for advisors and their clients on a variety of insurance topics. Rob resides in Orland Park with his wife, Rita, and their daughter Cassandra. He is passionate about music, travel and being a devoted dad. 
Pat Singler
Director Read More
With over twenty years’ experience in state funding, grants and community outreach, Pat is an invaluable asset to Park Lawn. A proud mother of Park Lawn Community Day Services participants Gretchen and Beatrix, Pat utilizes her unique insights and compassion to address the challenges faced by adults with disabilities and their families. In her multi-faceted position with the Easter Seals Society of Greater Chicago, Pat serves as a parent liaison focused on support and early intervention. She is responsible for various educational outreach programs for parents of special needs children including identifying crucial programming, resources, funding and parent support networks. Together with her husband, John, a former Park Lawn Board member, Pat and her family reside in the Beverly neighborhood. They are active champions of disability awareness and inclusion. |
Jim Himmel
Director Read More
Jim is a dedicated member of the Park Lawn Board of Directors with over two decades of service. He first connected with Park Lawn through past Board president Bob Kresse. Shortly after that introduction, Jim became a volunteer, helping establish Park Lawn’s Human Rights Committee. With a background in business administration and law, Jim has been a practicing attorney in the south suburbs for 30+ years. He's deeply involved in various charitable causes and has served as the Library Board president, the Beverly-Ridge Lions Club president and a Cub Scout leader. Jim has received numerous honors, including the Melvin Jones Fellowship Humanitarian Award. He’s also known for his corny jokes and engaging sense of humor. An avid boater and proud father of three young men, Jim cherishes his role with Park Lawn and the meaningful connections he's formed with parents and clients. He fondly remembers a group outing where his son Eric bonded with a Park Lawn participant over baseball. “It was so natural. They were just kids being kids.” 
Kyle Hastings
Director |
Diana Parkman
Director Read More
A dynamic and tech-savvy human resources professional, Diana enjoys contributing her expertise and strategic vision to the mission of Park Lawn. Currently serving as the Director of Human Resources at Chicago Event Management, Diana is part of a team deeply committed to connecting and enriching communities through the events they orchestrate. Under Diana’s leadership, her team achieves new levels of success by sharing best practices, using insights to create unforgettable experiences, and building relationships that fuel fresh ideas and innovation. With her multifaceted expertise as an HR director in organizations ranging from nonprofits to telecommunications and retail, Diana thrives by helping others lead more active and engaging lives. 
Bob Schwartzers
Consultant Read More
Bob Schwartzers’ journey with Park Lawn began in the 1970s when he and longtime friend and colleague James Mommsen worked at an auditing firm that served Park Lawn. Over time, Bob’s connection with Park Lawn evolved from professional to personal, as he volunteered for various fundraising events, including bingo. Professionally, Bob is the owner of R.J. Schwartzers & Associates, P.C, in Downers Grove. As a practicing CPA for more than 50 years, he represents a diverse range of industries with clients in Illinois, Indiana, Europe and Australia. For almost two decades, Bob has been a steadfast member of the Park Lawn Board of Directors. Serving as treasurer since 2008, he contributes his expertise to shape Park Lawn's vision. Beyond his achievements, Bob values the friendships cultivated while supporting Park Lawn's mission. On his rare days off, he enjoys boating, motorcycling and attending sporting events. |
Philip Kujawa
Director Read More
With his legal acumen and passion for driving positive change, Phil Kujawa joined the Park Lawn Board of Directors in June of 2022. He channels his extensive experience and training to support and empower those served by Park Lawn. After graduating from ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Phil began his distinguished legal career at Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP, where he has enjoyed a 30+ year tenure specializing in litigation. As a partner, Phil not only leads the firm’s Alarm and Security Services Group, but also excels in negotiation, operations management, team building and account management. A lifelong resident of Chicago's southwest side, Phil, along with his wife, Meggan, and children Elizabeth and Philip, live in the Beverly neighborhood and are active parishioners at St. Barnabas. |
Our Staff
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Our Locations
Park Lawn Administration Offices
10833 S. LaPorte, Oak Lawn, IL 60453 | (708) 425-3344 | [email protected]
Park Lawn Community Day Services
5 locations: Chicago Ridge, Crestwood, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights and Tinley Park
Park Lawn Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA)
8 locations: Chicago Ridge (2), Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Tinley Park (3) and Worth
Park Lawn Intermediate Care Facilities
2 locations in Alsip
Health, Safety, & Accessibility
The Health, Safety and Accessibility Committee began in 1993 to assist in promoting and maintaining our high standards for the health, safety, and welfare of all individuals at Park Lawn. Our quarterly survey focuses on important issues including sanitation, universal precautions for safety and fire protection codes. The committee also assists the agency with risk management. Education, training and plans of correction are tools the committee relies on for compliance. Questions or concerns can be directed to [email protected].
Resources
Our community employment, housing and integration programs are CARF accredited. This prestigious designation represents the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization and shows Park Lawn’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. To receive a coveted Three-Year Accreditation, Park Lawn has undergone a rigorous peer-review process. During an on-site visit by a team of surveyors, we have demonstrated our commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.
ACCREDITATION
- CARF – The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- Illinois Department of Public Health
- Illinois Department of Labor
- United States Department of Labor
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- ACCESS - American Congress of Community Support and Employment Services
- A-N-C-O-R
- Association for Behavior Analysis
- Donors Forum of Chicago
- Illinois Health Care Association
- The Institute on Public Policy for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- They Deserve More
- Intersect for Ability
Reports and PublicationsKeep up to date on everything there is to know about Park Lawn. Click on the links below to download PDFs of each document.
Brochure Newsletter Annual Report Strategic Plan |
Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions
Park Lawn is committed to protecting your privacy when you visit our website. Information we collect from you is used to
improve our site, provide you with a better experience and respond to your questions and requests.
Your privacy and security are as important to us as they are to you. Park Lawn uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure
that your personal information and confidential transactions remain safe, secure and private.
The information you provide to us is used for the sole purpose of adding you to our mailing list or processing your donation.
Your information is not sold and is only available to staff responsible for adding your information to the database or to those
who process your donation. All monetary donations are processed through the secure site of Springboard.
If you willingly provide us your personal information, Park Lawn may use it in the following ways:
Donations: When you make a donation to us we might acknowledge your donation by sending you an email or letter
acknowledgement or replying to your text message via a text message campaign.
E-Mail information requests and questions: When we respond to your e-mail requests or questions, we may collect
your e-mail address and send you e-mail correspondence or news.
Event registration: The agency provides on-line registration for our fund raising events. We may also collect your e-mail
address and send you e-mail correspondence or news.
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your e-mail address, postal address,
home, work or cellular telephone number and other personal information.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your
email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ
in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.
You may opt-out of Park Lawn Association e-mails by:
Clicking on an opt-out link within the promotional correspondence you receive
Sending an email to [email protected]
Contacting the Development office at 708-425-6867
You may opt-out of Park Lawn Association text message correspondence by:
Texting “STOP” to the short code provided on the website for that particular service.
Secure Information Transmission
When you send a donation to Park Lawn using your personal credit card information or Pay Pal account, your account
information is kept confidential via Pay Pal. Your credit card information is never processed through Park Lawn’s website.
Other email that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place
prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as
Social Security or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.
Web Site Use Information
Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation
below, "What Are Cookies?") and Web server logs to collect information about how our Web site is used. Information
gathered through cookies and Web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at
our Web site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our web site. This information is collected on an aggregate
basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.
Cookies
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a web site.
Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's Web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember
what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that web site by the same user
or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move
from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online
experience easier and more personalized.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact us:
Mailing Address: Park Lawn Association, 10833 S Laporte Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL 60453.
Email: [email protected].
Phone: 708-425-3344.
improve our site, provide you with a better experience and respond to your questions and requests.
Your privacy and security are as important to us as they are to you. Park Lawn uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure
that your personal information and confidential transactions remain safe, secure and private.
The information you provide to us is used for the sole purpose of adding you to our mailing list or processing your donation.
Your information is not sold and is only available to staff responsible for adding your information to the database or to those
who process your donation. All monetary donations are processed through the secure site of Springboard.
If you willingly provide us your personal information, Park Lawn may use it in the following ways:
Donations: When you make a donation to us we might acknowledge your donation by sending you an email or letter
acknowledgement or replying to your text message via a text message campaign.
E-Mail information requests and questions: When we respond to your e-mail requests or questions, we may collect
your e-mail address and send you e-mail correspondence or news.
Event registration: The agency provides on-line registration for our fund raising events. We may also collect your e-mail
address and send you e-mail correspondence or news.
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your e-mail address, postal address,
home, work or cellular telephone number and other personal information.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your
email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ
in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.
You may opt-out of Park Lawn Association e-mails by:
Clicking on an opt-out link within the promotional correspondence you receive
Sending an email to [email protected]
Contacting the Development office at 708-425-6867
You may opt-out of Park Lawn Association text message correspondence by:
Texting “STOP” to the short code provided on the website for that particular service.
Secure Information Transmission
When you send a donation to Park Lawn using your personal credit card information or Pay Pal account, your account
information is kept confidential via Pay Pal. Your credit card information is never processed through Park Lawn’s website.
Other email that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place
prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as
Social Security or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.
Web Site Use Information
Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation
below, "What Are Cookies?") and Web server logs to collect information about how our Web site is used. Information
gathered through cookies and Web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at
our Web site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our web site. This information is collected on an aggregate
basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.
Cookies
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a web site.
Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's Web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember
what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that web site by the same user
or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move
from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online
experience easier and more personalized.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact us:
Mailing Address: Park Lawn Association, 10833 S Laporte Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL 60453.
Email: [email protected].
Phone: 708-425-3344.
