A new play captures the longing of children in Chicago foster care
Alex in Windyland, running through May 23, 2025 at Filament Theatre, feels authentic because it is: Foster children co-wrote the script and developed the characters.
You can read the original post on WBEZ Chicago’s website here.
The immersive and interactive Alex in Windyland starts when you walk through the front door of Filament Theatre. Someone at a front desk in a railroad cap hands you a key with the ominous tagline, “Expires soon.” You’re told to hold onto the key because the conductor may collect it from you at any moment.
The play, which opens Saturday and runs through May 23, offers an artistic look at the experiences of young people in Chicago’s foster care system — a system that currently is responsible for 2,428 children, according to Illinois Department of Children and Family Services data. Written in collaboration with LYDIA Home, a nonprofit that provides housing for children in the foster system, the production feels authentic because it is: Foster children co-wrote the show and came up with the characters.
Alex in Windyland tells the story of Alex, an 11-year-old girl who gets separated from her younger sister the night before her birthday. After a storm, Alex is taken to a magical, liminal train called Windyland. The play explores her adventures as she learns to navigate the train system — a fantastical allegory for learning to traverse the “in-between” nature of foster care.
“We talk a lot about adoption and the end and the forever home, but we don’t talk about the in-between and the liminal and that these are these kids’ real lives,” said Abby Thompson, the production’s director. “We don’t talk about the realities of what it means to be in that middle space and in that waiting period, and just the reality of the older that you get, the less statistically likely it is that you’ll be adopted, especially males, for a variety of reasons.”
Alex in Windyland tells the story of Alex, an 11-year-old girl who gets separated from her younger sister the night before her birthday.
The play expresses that “in-between” with Alex moving among various cars on the train and building relationships with others. Amid her adventures, she maintains hope she will be reunited with her sister one day.
Professional actors play the characters, but at least one cast member has lived the show’s content. Actress Jade Gray, who plays Alex’s little sister, was removed from her family’s care multiple times throughout her childhood and ended up being adopted at 16. The questions raised by the young characters in the play resonate with her.
“Why you’re being separated from your family? What’s wrong with you? Why does nobody want to take care of you? I think you grow up and you become an adult, and you know, I’m working and I’m professional or whatever,” Gray said. “At the end of the day, those questions still reside deeply in anybody who’s gone through the displacement that youth in the foster care, or people who have been adopted later in life, have gone through.”
At various points in the show, the conductor collects the keys handed out to audience members at the beginning. Actors pull viewers out of their seats throughout multiple points in the show to help with the action on the performance floor.
Foster children co-wrote and created characters for Alex in Windyland.
LYDIA Home declined to allow any children who participated in the show to speak with WBEZ, citing Department of Children and Family Services regulations.
But Imelda Gonzales, a LYDIA Home residential coordinator, said the experiences of the kids she works with were poignantly depicted in the show.
“Our children don’t have a voice. They go through life, just like [the characters] did, believing that they’re lost, they’re forgotten, they’re left behind, and nobody ever comes to pick ‘em up,” Gonzales said, through tears, after a preview performance earlier in the week.
Thompson estimates that, over the two-year creation of the production, she worked with 40 kids on the show. She selected cast members with experience in the foster care system or experience as teaching artists.
The production presents a fantastical allegory for learning to traverse navigate the “in-between” nature of foster care.
One facet of the production is that audiences have opportunities, post-show, to engage with the issue. Organizations that work with foster youth throughout Chicago, such as LYDIA Home and One Hope United, set up tables for conversations with audiences at the end of each show. The goal is for people to learn about opportunities to help children in the foster care system, from volunteering to help give foster parents short breaks to becoming a mentor.
“I try to find mentors so it’s one on one, they can trust adults again, and then I hope that those mentors will stay connected to them, because our children are only with us between six months to a year, depending on their age when they come in,” Gonzales said. “But I’m hoping the mentors will stay with them.”
If you go: Alex in Windyland runs May 17 to May 23 at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are from $25 and available here.
Adora Namigadde is a contributor to WBEZ. Follow up with her on this story at madebyadora@gmail.com
You can read the original post on WBEZ Chicago’s website here.
SOS Illinois Revisits the History of Foster Care Awareness Month
Each May, the United States honors Foster Care Awareness Month to show support for children in foster care, foster parents, and biological families on their paths towards healing. During Foster Care Awareness Month, and throughout the year, SOS Children’s Villages Illinois encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Illinois a better place for children in foster care. By acknowledging Foster Parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections, we change the narrative of the child welfare system. SOS Illinois is proud to join in Foster Care Awareness Month to celebrate all those who make a meaningful difference in the lives of children in care.
History of Foster Care Awareness Month
The United States Department of Health and Human Services established the Children’s Bureau 107 years ago. Since then, the Bureau has worked to assist children in foster care, engage youth in decisions that affect their lives, and support Foster Parents, kinship caregivers, child welfare professionals, and others who help these children. As we raise awareness for children in foster care, SOS Illinois would like to share a brief history of Foster Care Awareness Month in the U.S.:
· Before the creation of the Children’s Bureau in 1912, child welfare and foster care were mainly in the hands of private and religious organizations.
· In 1919, the Children’s Bureau published Minimum Standards of Child Welfare, which affirmed the importance of keeping children in their own homes whenever possible and, when that was impossible, providing a “home life” with foster families.
· In 1923, the Children’s Bureau published Foster-Home Care for Dependent Children, an acknowledgment of the growing preference for foster family care over institutional care.
· During World War II, when more than 8,000 children were evacuated from Europe to the United States, the Children’s Bureau oversaw their temporary placement in U.S. foster homes.
· The Children’s Bureau published “The Rights of Foster Parents” in the May 1970 issue of its journal Children. That same year, the Children’s Bureau sponsored the National Conference of Foster Parents.
· In 1972, the Children’s Bureau sponsored—and President Nixon proclaimed—National Action for Foster Children Week to raise awareness of the needs of children in foster care and recruit more foster parents. The following year, Children published “The Bill of Rights for Foster Children.”
· In 1988, President Reagan issued the first Presidential proclamation that established May as National Foster Care Month.
In support of these efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families: Office of Regional Operations, its Child Welfare Information Gateway, and over 20 National Foster Care Partners created a 2020 Campaign Resource Guide: Foster Care as a Support to Families, Not a Substitute for Parents.
Additionally, each year, the U.S. President makes a formal announcement through a Presidential proclamation to support National Foster Care Awareness Month. The White House acknowledges the profound contributions of the individuals and organizations supporting foster and kinship caregivers, and those of community providers and professionals who are helping children in foster care find safe and stable families. All are invited to observe this month by taking time to help children and youth in foster care, and to recognize the commitment of those who touch their lives, particularly celebrating their foster parents and other caregivers.
SOS Illinois Raises Awareness for Children in Foster Care Today
This year, help share the SOS Illinois mission with your co-workers, friends, families, and communities in a number of different ways. Join the conversation to support the children at SOS Children’s Villages Illinois—and all children in foster care. Get your copy of our 2020 Influencer Tool Kit, which includes TEN different opportunities to get involved, key dates, and plenty of information to share with your networks. These ten opportunities offer different levels of time commitment, which allows you to support in a way that works with your schedule.
Celebrate Children and Youth All Year Long
In addition to National Foster Care Month in May, SOS Illinois supports two other special initiative months: National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and National Adoption Month in November. At SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, we are committed to providing safe, stable, loving homes. We do this by keeping brothers and sisters together in an individual home in the care of a full-time, professional Foster Parent. In doing so, we lay the foundation for rebuilding trust, confidence, and hope for each child in our care. We invite you to support our programs and services. You can donate here to help us continue strengthening families and transforming lives. Together, we are building the future of foster care.
“All Roads Lead to Home”: SOS Illinois Featured on Kennedy Expressway’s Wintrust Mural Building
SOS Children’s Villages Illinois is excited to announce the unveiling of “All Roads Lead to Home” as featured on the Wintrust Mural Building. This Mural, located at 1735 N. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, will be viewable from the Kennedy Expressway—one of the busiest roads in the state. SOS Illinois looks forward to welcoming our community members into our evolving journey as we gear up for Child Abuse Prevention Month and Foster Care Awareness Month.
All Roads Lead to Home Mural
About the Wintrust Mural
The Wintrust Mural, a three-sided building viewable from the Kennedy Expressway owned at operated by Wintrust Financial, stands as voice for nonprofits across the Chicagoland area. The mural, attracting thousands of city-bound commuters each day, sheds light on the missions of some of Illinois most reputable, dedicated, and impact-driven nonprofits committed to making a difference, building experiences, and strengthening our city.
SOS Illinois is honored to have been chosen to be featured on the mural from mid-March through mid-April 2020, creating the perfect introduction to SOS Illinois’ major awareness months: Child Abuse Prevention Month (April) and Foster Care Awareness Month (May).
About “All Roads Lead to Home”
The inspiration for SOS Illinois’ “All Roads Lead to Home” is based on a shared story that for many begins with young, vulnerable lives that have endured abuse or abandonment. The “All Roads Lead Home” mural focuses on bringing much needed awareness to the nearly 500,000 children in foster care in the U.S.
This mural looks to highlight SOS Illinois’ Village model of care, which is an innovative approach to traditional foster care. This model keeps brothers and sisters together in the care of a full-time, professional Foster Parent, living as a family in a single-family home and surrounded with an intentional community of support that includes onsite case management, therapeutic, academic, and recreational services. The Village lays the foundation for rebuilding trust, confidence, and hope for each child in our care. We do this so that children can go on to lead fulfilling lives as adults.
In addition to providing safe, stable, loving homes, we marshal all the resources needed to help children heal and achieve their permanency goals. Whether brothers and sisters are living on our Villages, or moving to their “forever homes,” SOS Illinois is there for every milestone.
Impact of the SOS Illinois Wintrust Mural
Whether zooming passed the Mural in a hurry or stuck in traffic with time to explore its detail, SOS Illinois is grateful for this opportunity for the mural to serve as a new type of “front door” to our organization over the next month.
It is our hope that viewers take away from the mural that there are organizations dedicated to building the future of foster care. As media stories so often focus on the heartbreak and missteps of the foster care system, and as policies are written to protect the most vulnerable lives, we are seeking for this mural to invite viewers into our evolving story; one of hope, persistence, and safety.
With this mural, SOS Illinois aims to show that regardless of the road that is traveled, we will continue to advocate for and support children and families in pursuit of a forever home. For us, we want viewers to recognize that “all roads lead to home” is not a catchphrase, but a promise that we have been keeping for thirty years.
Wintrust’s Longstanding Partnership with SOS Illinois
SOS Children’s Villages Illinois is fortunate to have the long-time partnership of Wintrust, which began during the construction of the 14-homes of the third Village in Chicago’s Roosevelt Square neighborhood more than five years ago. In the years following, Wintrust has offered support at every level of the organization, especially as it relates to spreading awareness of SOS Illinois’ programs and services.
Edward J. Wehmer, Founder/President/CEO of Wintrust Financial Corporation, said, “SOS (Illinois) is a light under a bushel basket. My personal philosophy is you have to give kids a leg up. If you can give someone a leg up, you can change a just one life . . . you can’t get a better feeling than that.”
By supporting SOS Illinois, Wintrust has embodied the notion of giving a “leg up” by making a profound impact on the lives of children in Illinois foster care. With this help, we are strengthening families, stabilizing communities, and building the future of foster care.
Thank you, Wintrust, for once again supporting our children and families with this special feature on the mural!
Inspired by the Mural? Here is How You Can Help
Feeling impacted by the joyous art on the “All Roads Lead to Home” Wintrust mural and wanting to do more? You can help support the children and families we serve by getting involved inside and outside of our Villages and sites.
Throughout the next two months, we will be participating in Child Abuse Prevention Month and raising awareness during Foster Care Awareness Month with various Village events and activities. You can get involved by making a donation in honor of these awareness months, learning about becoming a Foster Parent or Child Welfare Specialist, or getting your copy of our 2020 Influencer Tool Kit that includes ten different opportunities to get involved in spreading awareness of our mission. For information on becoming an Influencer, contact Tina Cisarik at tcisarik@sosillinois.org.
Please view the original post on SOS Illinois’ blog here.
Foster Care Awareness Month
SOS Children’s Villages Illinois + Foster Care Awareness Month
To learn more about becoming a Foster Parent with SOS Illinois, visit us at sosillinois.org/fpq
Did you know that May is Foster Care Awareness Month? SOS Children’s Villages Illinois highlights the needs to create a sense of community for foster kids and keeping siblings together. To read more, here is a link to SOS Children’s Villages Illinois CEO, Tim McCormick, speaking to Hinsdale Living Magazine in 2018 about the goals of SOS Illinois and how you can get involved. For those of you ready to dive right in, see below more information on the phase’s of becoming a foster parent at SOS Illinois.
Foster Care Facts (via American SPCC)
45% of foster children live in non-relative foster family homes.
32% of foster children live in relative foster family homes.
23% of foster children live in institutions, group homes, trial and pre-adoptive homes.
118,000 children and youth in America are waiting to be adopted.
On average, a child can spend almost 12 to 20 months in foster care.
10% of foster children spend more than 5 years in foster care.
26% of children entering foster care are under the age of one.
About 22% of youth in foster care are age 13 or older.
20,500 youth are emancipated from foster care without reunifying with their families, or being adopted.
Of youth who age out of foster care, 1/4 are incarcerated within 2 years and only 1/2 graduate from high school.
Children and adolescents with foster care experience are diagnosed with PTSD at twice the rate of U.S. war veterans.