Please share your mission. 
Improve the quality of life for children with disabilities by providing the equipment and experiences needed to reach their highest potential.
Describe how your organization lives/realizes its mission.
Our mission is focused on the principle of “improving quality of life”. Every individual wants to live the life they choose, have a good quality of life and reach their highest potential. This requires the support, encouragement, opportunity and resources to explore and define their goals and aspirations. Variety, the Children’s Charity of Illinois believes dreams and aspirations begin in childhood. Our programs provide opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in a typical age-appropriate activity with peers, experience acceptance, a sense of belonging, social connectedness with their families and friends, ability to participate in activities of choice, and the support to reach their goals and dreams. “Kids on the Go” provides adaptive equipment that allows children and young adults with disabilities to experience freedom and exhibit independence. “Live to Achieve” provides $1,000 grants to support individuals in their pursuit of their goals and aspirations to be able to participate in recreational and elite athletic activities. “Variety at Play” provides the opportunities to enjoy childhood activities together as a family. Overall, the goal of our programming is to support the development of self-confidence in children with disabilities by providing experiences that allow them see what they can do versus what they cannot do and being an active, accepted and respected individual in the community.
