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BiG Great Lakes was birthed through a mom on a mission, Annette Cvengros, founder of BiG Great Lakes.  She spent years looking, touring, and searching for a program for their special needs children, Deliah and Aaron, to attend once the school bus stopped coming at the age of 22. She knew that it had to be a faith community. After visiting The Brookwood Community and BiG in Texas, February 2020, she knew she found the model that she wanted to see reproduced here in northeastern Illinois that was full of dignity, respect, and purposeful living. On November 1, 2021 they were honored to be invited to be the first out of state satellite for BiG.
Citizens at the launching of Big Great lakes
Copy of Cvengros-
Cvengros family

Beliefs

BiG Brookwood in Georgetown has adopted the 5 unique qualities that set BWC apart from others.

 

Adopted from Brookwood Community

First and foremost, we are a God-centered community.  You’ll see this represented with God’s Chair – a visual reminder that God loves us and is always present with us.

Our Citizens work in a variety of creative enterprises. These enterprises provide a social entrepreneurial atmosphere and challenge the Citizens, while simultaneously giving them valuable work experience and a sense of purpose and belonging.

Our current enterprises include hand-built clay pottery, pies, cards, jewelry, candles, fudge, spice mixes, shower steamers, dog treats and many more.  Everything the Citizens (we) make is sold at our program location, online store and markets.

BiG will have a high-end gift shop and coffee caffe’ when we attain our forever space. 

The world teaches we have to be independent.  At BiG we believe we have to be interdependent working community.  We are all created with complementary strengths and weakness.  I need you and you need me, and we work together, we can truly accomplish the potential that God has intended for us.

For most special needs adults, their lives have always been about being served.  Our Citizens are given the opportunity to serve and give back

At BiG Great Lakes we have a very unique component as we use RPM- Rapid Prompting Method- as a means of communication for non verbal and unreliably verbal Citizens. At BiG we have two Level 2 Licensed RPM Practitioners, the only 2 licensed practitioners in the state of Illinois.