our citizens
Read each Citizen's unique story
Aaron
Aaron was born in Lake Forest, IL and LOVES people. He is compassionate, tender hearted, and a licensed Pastor. Aaron is part of the BiGGL Pastoral care. His favorite thing to do at BiGGL is to be an encouragement to others, creatively write, paint, and bring devotionals. Aaron is currently working on a book and sees himself traveling the world, changing the way people view those with disabilities.
Anna
Anna was born in Romania and now resides in Lake Villa, IL. She loves floor hockey, bicycling, dancing, basketball, yoga, and traveling too, especially back to her home country. Anna loves baking and creating at BiGGL and shines as a true artisan.
April
April was born in Canada and now lives in Waukegan, IL. She carries much joy and she brings laughter wherever she goes. At BiGGL April enjoys pottery and cooking. She loves people and is an extravagant giver at heart, always showering others with gifts. In her spare time she loves to shop and talk with friends. She dreams of having her own living space at BiGGL soon.
Sawyer
Sawyer lives in Gurnee, IL and loves to ride his bike with his grandfather. He has a great sense of humor and a gentle spirit. Sawyer enjoys cooking and would like to be a food critic.
Nicholas
Nicholas resides in Gurnee, IL. He enjoys sports, singing, playing handbells, dancing, reading the newspaper, and telling jokes. At BiG Great Lakes he loves to make people laugh and enjoys sports, cooking, singing, and art.
Nicco
Nicco resides in Waukegan, IL. He loves to smile and has a very happy and energetic presence. He specifically loves to paint and learn new things. Nicco has a contagious grin and enjoys cooking, painting and playing the bongos at BiGGL.
Joey
Joey was born in Naperville IL and now resides in Kenosha, Wi. Joey has been a long time part of the BiG community of Citizens and we are excited that he formally is now part of the program. Joey keeps everyone laughing with his daily jokes and smile. He has a servant heart and loves being a part of the BiG community. At BiG Joey loves to be part of the Human Resources welcoming all, and loves to work with his hand
Charlie
Charlie was born in Lake Forest and now resides in Wadsworth, IL. Charlie is gifted in swimming, loves to horseback ride (especially with a friend), watch “I love Lucy”, dance, and keep up with the Blackhawks. At BiGGL he loves creating in art, making fudge and granola, and works with great precision. Charlie assists us with quality control at BiGGL wit
Emanuel
Emanuel was born, raised, and lives in Waukegan, IL. He loves traveling, baseball, cooking, gardening, and taking care of his cats at home. He is a great athlete and at BiGGL he enjoys baking and exercise. Emanuel hopes to work selling products in a store. (maybe a BiGGL store? 🙂
Fermin
Fermin resides in Kenosha, WI. He is an excellent listener and a worship leader. At BiGGL he loves to praise, exercise, drum, create pottery, and bake. Fermin is “on task” to the minute, and helps others stay on task. He is an excellent listener, and in his spare time loves to swim and exercise.
Gabe
Gabe lives in Kenosha, WI. He is an excellent listener, very friendly, gentle, and loves to communicate his heart during devotions and social time. Gabe is a justice advocate and enjoys reading. At BiGGL he loves making soaps, exercise, praise and painting.
Mia
Mia resides in Wadsworth, Illinois. She loves to go shopping, horseback riding and making jewelry. She enjoys singing but not in front of large crowds. We hope that at BiG she will increase her confidence to share her beautiful voice and talent!
Peter
Peter is an outstanding athlete and extremely fast. He enjoys exercising, dancing ,Zumba, and cooking his own creative recipes . At BiG Peter enjoys being with his peers, leading exercise time, and cooking. He has a wonderful sense of humor and excels in all he puts his hands to.
Karl
Karl was born in Evanston, IL and now resides in Kenosha, WI. He is a full-fledge gifted artist on all fronts. In his spare time he loves to draw, paint, spend time with Nana, and take pictures with his camera. At BiGGL Karl loves to make fudge, draw, and exercise.
Sean
Sean is a new resident to Winthrop Harbor, IL. He is actively working on a new joke book and frequently likes to make people laugh by testing out new ones that he comes up with! He also likes to make new beats and music with his phone. We are glad Sean has joined us at BiG!
Anthony
Anthony resides in Waukegan, IL. He is duo lingo and enjoys computers and puzzles in his spare time. He enjoys swimming and swinging and relaxing walks. He has a wonderful memory and loves to organize. He enjoys the drums and at BiGGL enjoys painting, cooking playing the congas
Tony
Tony resides in Round Lake Beach. He enjoys puzzles, board games, going for walks, game shows and sports. Tony is our newest Citizen. Welcome Tony!
Brooke
Brooke resides in Cary, IL. A special gift Brooke has is to light up a room with smiles when she walks in with hers. She is an entrepreneur and has her own Etsy shop selling stencil painted art. She has a good sense of humor, goes with the flow, and enjoys walks, family and friends, and her peers. She is a speller to communicate.
Sarah
Sarah is from Waukegan, Illinois. She brings a lot of energy to us at BiG! She loves meeting new friends and going out shopping or to movies. One of her favorite things to do is paint her nails.
Nolan
Nolan resides in McHenry, IL. He has played with the Challenger baseball team for over 10 years. He also enjoys keeping busy playing Mario Kart or doodling. We are excited to see Nolan grow alongside his new BiG friends!
Johnny
Johnny resides in Waukegan, IL. His laugh is contagious and we love to see him smile! He loves playing video games and telling jokes. He enjoys basketball and visiting his sister in Wisconsin. We were thrilled to see him reunite with a classmate and start to build relationships with all his new BiG friends!
Drew
Drew resides in Antioch, IL. In his leisure time he likes to play his x-box, playing sports, and swimming. He is a happy, fun Citizen and enjoys people and creating enterprises. At BiG Drew especially likes basketball and is a great inspiration to be around with his exhorting gift and uplifting spirit
Brandon
Catherine
Catherine lives in Gurnee, IL. She loves going out to eat or movies with her friends. She also enjoys listening to music. We would love to see her help during worship time.
Cindy
Cindy resides in Wadsworth, IL. In her leisure time she likes shopping, exercising, and helping clean. Cindy is a little shy at first, but her bright social personality comes out after spending a little time with her. At BiG she enjoys painting and making dog treats.
Our Trailblazers
We want to thank our 14 Trailblazers who helped us launch BiG Great Lakes: Laurel, James, Tyler, Aaron, Lydia, April, Emanuel, Fermin, Jereth, Gabe, Carlos, Gavin, Charlie and Carl (not pictured).
