Nexus-Onarga Family Healing

09/10/2025

Nexus-Onarga has officially kicked off the NFL football season! 🏈Our Recreation Department is building community and bringing the campus together for a little friendly competition through activities centered around the weekly team matchups. While team loyalties may differ, our youth are enjoying the excitement -and snacks- that are essential to an NFL afternoon!
Explore Family Healing’s free resources and discover how simple recreation activities can build connection and hope: https://www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/creating-coping-skill

09/06/2025

Save the date for a free drive-thru coffee & donut event on September 16th! We're getting ready to celebrate 35 years on the Onarga campus, and we are grateful to our community for being part of this journey! Thank you, Onarga, for being a special place where youth are able to heal and find hope!
Nexus Family Healing offers resources to help youth and families discover coping strategies that bring comfort and hope. Explore them here: www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/creating-coping-skills

09/02/2025

The Nexus-Onarga campus actively uses recreation and creative arts as tools to grow and heal. Building coping skills is one of the most powerful ways we can protect our mental health and strengthen resilience. Find resources from Nexus Family Healing to support your family and community, and together, we can raise awareness for Su***de Prevention Month!

08/30/2025

A group of brave spirited students performed brilliantly at the Grand Prairie School & Expressions Day School Talent Show & Poetry Slam today! The outstanding student emcee welcomed each youth to the stage with encouragement to celebrate "creativity, courage, and talent!" They were all shining stars! 🌟
This September, Nexus Family Healing is raising awareness for Su***de Prevention Month. Having tools like music and poetry remind us that healing is possible—even in the hardest moments. Discover tools & resources for your family and community at www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/creating-coping-skills. Together, we can reduce stigma and create hope.
Thank you to our special GPS team who made this possible for our students. ✨

08/27/2025

Today is National Dog Day, and that means Grand Prairie School's on-site therapy dog gets a special🐕shout-out🐕 for being a trusted best friend to our students! Since Marley and her caregiver Kelcey Daily, GPS Administrative Assistant, completed therapy training together last fall, Marley's presence has continued to promote a calm and welcoming environment in the school.
Considering a pet for your family? Check out> www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/blog/welcoming-new-friend

08/26/2025

There's nothing like a bit of cool weather to make it truly feel like back-to-school time! Help your family through this transition time with our Back to School Toolkit for activities and advice to support all ages: www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/school-toolkit

It’s back to school time. And, while some children may be excited, others may be experiencing anxiety and nervousness. Prepare your child with our Back to School Toolkit! Back to School Toolkit Our kit include a fun art project to keep worries at bay, a guide to help teachers advocate for children...

08/22/2025

Our youth filled their late summer break with lots of fun activities, from fishing to skating--and lots of grilling and eating! (That crockpot night was a hit!) School is now back in session, and staff are helping students find their footing in the regular routine. Read on for tips to support your child's back-to-school experience: www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/blog/back-school-bubbling-excitement-or-anxiety-provoking

08/13/2025

A group of our youth have adopted the new barrel planters at the base of the Teddy Roosevelt wood-carved statue south of campus at the intersection of East Roosevelt and South Poplar. Clinical Supervisor Danielle Graham, who encouraged their participation in the project as a way to connect with and take pride in the community, said the boys enjoyed the bonding experience of picking out and planting the flowers for each container. Credited by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for "shaping the way Americans thought about their relationship with nature," President Roosevelt may still be making an impact right here on his namesake street!
Thank you to the Village of Onarga for this opportunity to help our youth grow flowers AND civic responsibility together!

08/09/2025

We are happy to announce that Industrial Arts teacher Bill Gullquist is our August Employee Spotlight! To say that Bill has made his mark on campus would be an understatement! For over thirty years, staff and students have looked to him for his support and expertise. He keeps a watchful eye on Grand Prairie School, maintaining the learning environment while also mentoring youth to help them gain practical skills. In the Industrial Arts workshop, Bill is in his element, sharing his know-how with students in his easygoing manner that makes him an approachable and relatable role model. His teammates appreciate his unflappable demeanor as well, and he literally rolls with whatever comes his way--whether it is a parade wagon that needs extra attention or a fleet vehicle that needs an oil change! Take a walk around Onarga, and you’ll see his handiwork there, too! From pool picnic tables to the Free Little Library, Bill has had a hand in shaping our youth and our community, and we are so grateful to have him as part of Nexus-Onarga!
Congratulations, Bill! ~ Thank you for bringing authenticity to the workplace and inspiring others to build their own unique skillset!🪛🔧🔨🪚

08/06/2025

When Food Service Assistant Tammy Morgan bakes a special batch of cookies for our youth, it brings out a special batch of smiles, too! Acts of kindness that come from the kitchen are especially powerful in connecting with our youth. Thanks, Tammy, for demonstrating compassion, a core value of Nexus Family Healing!
Looking for ways to connect with your kids? Check out www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/blog/4-ways-strengthen-family-mental-health.

08/01/2025

When the Grand Prairie School junior high team and Facilities staff HATCH a plan, watch out! This egghead idea has been incubating for a while, and today, the long-awaited science project flew the coop! Students were challenged with designing and building a landing device with provided materials to protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a significant height. With a boom lift already on campus for maintenance work, Facilities Supervisor Jim Kearney saw the opportunity to have a crack at testing the science lesson covering gravity, impact force, and momentum. The results were optimal-- enough eggs left intact for an omelet! 🥚🍳 Thanks to our flock of helpers who made this a most EGG-celent time for our GPS students!
Learn more about Grand Prairie School at www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/nexus-onarga-family-healing/residential-treatment-programs

07/30/2025

We welcomed special guests to campus today to share information about the important work that happens here! State Senator Chris Balkema, State Representative Jason R. Bunting , and Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY) staff members Jennifer Roland, Carlos Urquizo, and Cameron Zelaya toured the auditorium, Grand Prairie School, and Bradshaw Dormitory with Nexus-Onarga Executive Director Jamie Kozma and Nexus Family Healing Chief Operating Officer Bobbi Kochevar. Highlights included the GPS Industrial Arts classroom and new sensory rooms in the dorm, as well as the Cornerstone Café, part of our vocational training program. Our visitors also appreciated the overall historic charm that is rooted in Onarga and the campus. Thank you, Sen. Balkema, Rep. Bunting, and ICOY for this opportunity to advocate for our youth in residential care!