Sertoma Star Services was established through a merger of New Star and Sertoma Centre, two agencies with rich histories of providing state-of-the-art services and programs for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and those living with mental illness. The organizations have provided critical vocational, educational, therapeutic, and residential programs and services to individuals in and around the Chicagoland area and northwest Indiana for a collective 125-plus years.
Sertoma Centre
In 1971, three Sertoma clubs joined forces to meet a community need. POW-R Sertoma, Alsip Sertoma (now Action Sertoma), and Evergreen Park Sertoma took on an enormous venture that no other organization of its kind had considered tackling: to build a job training facility to give adults with disabilities a place to work.
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New Star
New Star was conceived as a result of a merger in 2016 of SouthSTAR Services and New Hope Center, Inc. Both organizations were championed by courageous parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were seeking better educational opportunities for their children.
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A Long Rich History
Sertoma Centre
In 1971, three Sertoma clubs joined forces to meet a community need. POW-R Sertoma, Alsip Sertoma (now Action Sertoma), and Evergreen Park Sertoma took on an enormous venture that no other organization of its kind had considered tackling: to build a job training facility to give adults with disabilities a place to work.
The M.A. Lombard Co donated the site where the Sertoma Job Training Center was built by local businessmen and tradesmen over twelve months. Club members dedicated their time and efforts to complete the 3,200-square-foot building. The center opened on September 10, 1971, with one program, 11 clients, and four staff members. The facility later changed its name to Sertoma Career Center in 1987 and supported over 200 adults with disabilities.
In 1993, the name was changed to the Sertoma Centre to more accurately fit the wider variety of programs offered by the organization. The goal has never changed – to help people with disabilities – only the scope and the programs have expanded exponentially.
Over the years, Sertoma clubs have generously supported Sertoma Centre, New Star, and now Sertoma Star Services.
New Star
New Star was conceived as a result of a merger in 2016 of SouthSTAR Services and New Hope Center, Inc. Both organizations were championed by courageous parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were seeking better educational opportunities for their children.
From Happiday to SouthSTAR Services
In response to schools that refused to enroll children with developmental disabilities, SouthSTAR’s founders created “Happiday School,” which consisted of one classroom staffed by parent volunteers. By the mid-1970s, student needs shifted from educational opportunities to vocational training, which led to the search for a larger, more permanent facility.
In 1975, with the help of dedicated supporters, Happiday School moved to our current location in Chicago Heights, Illinois. More than 20 years later, it became clear that the name “Happiday School” was no longer representative of the mostly adult population whom we served and the diversity of services we provided. In 1990, the board chose the name SouthSTAR, with STAR as an acronym for who we were (South Suburban Training And Rehabilitation) and what our programs accomplished (helping our clients reach for the stars!).
From New Hope School to New Hope Center
In June 1960 New Hope School was chartered as a non-profit educational center for children with developmental disabilities. The first class of eight students met on September 19, 1960, in the Ivanhoe Community Methodist church.
In 1975, as New Hope continued its growth, congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act on the strength of the voices of people like those early New Hope parents. The act assured that all handicapped children would have a free, appropriate public education that emphasized special education to meet their unique needs, and it assured that their rights and the rights of their parents and guardians would be protected.
New Hope School soon evolved into New Hope Center and began serving adults with developmental disabilities by providing vocational and employment training, recreational opportunities, and a variety of community supports to families.