KidsMatter, the Naperville-area youth organization dedicated to helping local teens overcome destructive behaviors and find success, has reached its milestone 20th year and will celebrate with a fundraising gala Friday night.
For former Executive Director IdaLynn Wenhold, the nonprofit has come a long way since being launched through Naperville’s Edward Hospital. Initially, the group’s mission was to find ways to reach out to the increasing number of teens who were abusing drugs or alcohol, attempting suicide or basically making choices that could ruin or end their lives.
“Our mission to empower kids with endless possibilities by effectively dealing with those stressors in life is what we’ve been dedicated to,” Wenhold said. “And I think that will continue through dedicated programming and great leadership.”
The nonprofit, originally known as the Naperville Youth Coalition, has kept up with changing attitudes and problems through surveys and by offering support through counseling, job programs and other means to get kids back on track, Wenhold said. That will continue to evolve as KidsMatter goes into its next 20 years, she said.
Nina Menis, a longtime Naperville resident who has worked K-12 and higher education, took the helm as the group’s executive director in June.
The 20th anniversary was something to celebrate because they could acknowledge the way community has embraced KidsMatter over the years and helped them pursue their mission, Menis said. As of right now, the nonprofit is working with about 55,000 students in Will and DuPage counties, she said.
Among the initiatives the organization has undertaken in recent years include:
A State of the Kids Survey, in which teens answered questions on what types of things gave them stress and how they were coping with them;
A prescription take-back program raising awareness of potential drug abuse when unused prescription drugs are in places where teens might access them;
A Crisis Text Line that allows teens to seek help via text messages answered by crisis counselors;
An annual Digital Leadership Summit intended to combat cyberbullying.
Partners that include Naperville School District 203, Indian Prairie School District 204, Edward Hospital, Naperville Police Department and the city of Naperville have made such ambitious projects possible, Menis said.
“We’re grateful of all the partnerships we’ve had to support youth and families in DuPage and Will counties. We wouldn’t be positioned where we are today without those important partners,” she said.
Wenhold, who now lives in Arizona after spending 17 years as KidsMatter’s first executive director, agrees.
“It was all about a community coming together and not working in silos,” she said.
There is plenty to look ahead to as well, Menis said. They hope to expand their year-old Leadership Academy, which gives high school seniors a chance to serve on a city of Naperville board or commission and become civically engaged, she said.
Applications are currently being accepted for students who want to apply. The deadline is Sept. 24.
KidsMatter and the Naperville Park District will hold their community job fair at the Fort Hill Activity Center in January, Menis said. Because the last one they held had to be outside because of COVID-19 restrictions, she hopes this one will attract more vendors and applicants, she said.
The nonprofit will continue work on its career pathway program, launched in 2020, which partners with area school districts and businesses to set up internships for teens.
But KidsMatter will take one night to celebrate what its done in its first 20 years with a fundraising gala Friday night at the Marriott Naperville, where former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon will be in attendance and former Naperville police Chief Robert Marshall will be presented with the Kids’ Champion Award.
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Honoring the recently retired chief is a way to recognize “his personal, professional, and community-wide work supporting and empowering youth in the community,” officials said.
Marshall, speaking in a news release about the event and the award he was to receive, said, “In my 37 years in law enforcement, I hope I’ve made things better for others by listening to the issues and engaging with our youth. We must provide support for parents, educate them on what their kids are exposed to.”
Wenhold said Marshall was always a huge supporter of the KidsMatter mission.
“He wanted our young people to not just survive but thrive,” she said. “He was very willing to join in our efforts through concrete ways and concrete programming.”