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It's fair to say that today's speaker Tom Vanden Berk's life changed drastically in 1992 when his 15 year old son, a sophomore at Evanston Township High School, died at the hand of a gun. Since that tragic loss, the gun violence prevention movement has been front and center in his life. He turned his anguish into forceful determination, becoming instrumental in informing and educating child welfare organizations on the importance of planning strategies against gun-related death, disability and suffering. Tom founded HELP for Survivors, a victim self-help support group for parents and others who have lost children or loved ones due to the gun violence epidemic, and also became one of the founding members of The Bell Campaign, which eventually became known as the Million Mom March (MMM). He also applied it to calling at UCAN.
UCAN’s story begins in the early 1860s at the onset of the Civil War. As men left for service, the members of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ made a promise to care for the children of fallen soldiers. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Uhlich donation of a large piece of property to perpetually endow the orphanage home. In March of 1869, the Illinois Legislature approved an act to incorporate the Uhlich Evangelical Lutheran Orphan Asylum. October 8, 1871 was an unforgettable date for members of St. Paul’s and the children of the orphan home, as their buildings fell in the Chicago fire. A year later, a new home was built at Burling and Center streets, which housed boys and girls for the next 56 years. In 2002, Uhlich Children's Home changed its name to Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (UCAN) to reflect the wide variety of services provided, and in 2004, UCAN merged with Family Care of Illinois. Today, UCAN is a multi-faceted social service organization building strong youth and families through compassionate healing, education and empowerment. The meaningful programming UCAN provides the critical needs of Chicago's most at-risk populations.
When Tom took over UCAN in 1987, it was a shelter for 50 boys and girls on the brink of closure. Through hard work and leadership, with the help of dedicated board members, UCAN achieved certification by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children in 1991. So even before his life's tragedy, he was a man with a heart pre-destined for public service.
Part of UCAN's many facets are violence prevention, healing trauma, and building stronger families. In preventing violence, UCAN has developed 360º Model, a school based program that works with teachers, students and families to recognize the impact of violence and trauma in order to create safety and healing for students in schools. This can include individual and group counseling and mentoring as well as professional development workshops. Hands Without Guns (HWG) is a public health and education campaign to increase public awareness, influence peer behavior, change policy and engage adults in dialogue regarding gun violence prevention in Illinois. HWG is dedicated to reducing violence ad the use of handguns through educational workshops, youth projects and community awareness. They strive to guide children toward a future that is free of the fear and pain caused by gun violence.
Of the youth that have gone through their programs, 92% agree that UCAN has provided the an opportunity to improve their future.
Tom Vanden Berk speaking passionately about gun violence and UCAN's programs.
Keith Brin, our other speaker, Todd Roth and President-Elect Yesim Sonmez
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