Reimagining with a little help from 266 Friends

Our heartfelt thanks to our 2021 volunteers—individuals and groups who were so generous with their time, attention, and compassion. You breathed life into our dreams. We deeply appreciate you.

200+ Lovely Individuals

The Ability Experience

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois

Sheree Bynum

CILA Holiday Party Hosts

Congregation of St. Joseph

Erika Gilchrist

Envision Unlimited Board of Directors

Envision Unlimited Associate Board

Feed6

Graymont Medical

KPMG

Chris & Christopher Eb, Liberty Plumbing

Pi Kappa Phi

REI

Stantec

Team Envision for Bike the Drive

2021 Volunteer of the Year Boosted Members’ Self Esteem

“I’m

beautiful. I’m beautiful. I’ve got it going on!”

The words echoed throughout Frick Center as Envision members embraced the spirit of the lyrical mantra. They were all aglow, almost dancing, after spending a few hours with former model Sheree Bynum, who was prepping them for their upcoming fashion show.

Sheree met Envision the same way so many people do: through a chance encounter with Chief Development Officer Marty Kenahan. When Sheree mentioned that she had been a model, Marty cataloged that information and kept in touch.

Fast forward two years. After discovering that Envision members wanted to stage a fashion show, Marty instantly reached out to Sheree. Just as quickly, Sheree volunteered to coach them on walking the runway.

In no time, she said, members’ enthusiasm inspired her. “They have so much energy and life, and great big smiles! And their willingness to be sassy on the runway. I didn’t have to teach them anything. They taught me!”

To reward that sass, Sheree bought and presented each model with a trophy at the dress rehearsal. Each member’s name was engraved on the trophy, along with the mantra Sheree taught them to repeat to themselves as they strutted the runway.

This memorable member-inspired and member-led fundraiser was made even more joyful because of the effervescent woman who not only believed in the members, but reminded them that they are beautiful.

Members Reimagined and Reconnected

After months of being separated from their friends, Envision members at Westtown Center were inspired to imagine how they could stay connected if they couldn’t be together. Their solution was to publish an electronic newsletter for, by and about Envision members: stories about their activities, home lives, favorite books, movies, TV shows, and even recipes.

With the encouragement and support of Westtown Center Director Hannah Lowe and journalist Ruth Lopez, their dream was realized. The initial issues were created as a Word document and emailed. On April 8, they launched their first eight-page volume online. Since then, members from other centers have contributed stories and they have published nearly 30 bi-weekly issues. The collaboration has broadened members’ circle of friends, improved their writing skills, and given them a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Reimagination Impacts Satisfaction Rates

Member satisfaction has always been important to us. In previous years, we were only able to sample our program participants for their feedback. This year, we were able to leverage our electronic database and conduct satisfaction surveys with every member in every program. Here are the results:

“I am so excited and proud of the dedication and vigor members put into developing Unlimited Voices,” Hannah reflected. “They’ve taken ownership of this publication and look forward to working on it each week.”

“I like putting my articles into the magazine so someone can read them all because they might like them. It’s an honor for me to write it,” said member Charles A.

“I read the newsletter and I write for it. I’m very excited to see it. It’s so crazy to see me and my friends!”

Jamie P. exclaimed.

Did you miss an issue?

Visit the Unlimited Voices online archive.