Kane County Helps Marklund Celebrate 60th Anniversary
The Kane County Board passed a resolution Tuesday recognizing the 60th anniversary of Marklund, which has called Kane County home for the past 12 years.
Marklund President and CEO Gil Fonger accepted the resolution from Kane County Board Vice Chairman Drew Frasz and County Board member Mike Donahue, who is a longtime Marklund supporter.
“As it was said in the resolution, Marklund was named after our first client, Mark William Lund, which I think shows the profound respect we have for the people we serve,” Fonger said. “We are so grateful to the Kane County community, which we’ve called home for the past 12 years, that has welcomed us, accepted us, and shared this great vision.”
Marklund was founded in 1954 when a nurse agreed to provide foster care to Lund, an infant who was born with Down Syndrome and severe cardiac issues. Realizing there was a great need to care for more children like Mark, Claire Haverkampf, RN, and her husband built the Children’s Home in Bloomingdale. There they could help those who, because of their disabilities, were unable to be cared for at home by their own families.
Today, Marklund serves more than 130 clients at its campuses in Bloomingdale and Geneva. The 25-acre Geneva campus was opened in 2002 at the southern edge of the Mill Creek neighborhood.
There, Marklund serves 96 residential clients and 15 day clients ages 18 and above. With its vision to “Make everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities,” Marklund provides developmental training, physical, recreational aquatic, art and music therapy, and many additional activities with the help of a strong corps of volunteers.
RESOLUTION NO. 14-231
RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARKLUND
WHEREAS, Marklund was organized as a result of nurse Claire and Stan Haverkampf providing foster care for a newborn baby born with Down Syndrome and severe cardiac issues on December 26, 1954; and
WHEREAS, Claire and Stan Haverkampf began taking more medically fragile babies into their Northlake home, eventually seeing the need to expand and built Marklund Children’s Home in Bloomingdale in 1957; and
WHEREAS, as time went on, children were living longer than doctors predicted due to specialized care being provided, and now outgrew their Bloomingdale location; and
WHEREAS, group homes were established in various suburbs; and
WHEREAS, adult clients were brought together in one location and twenty-five acres were purchased on the western edge of Geneva; and
WHEREAS, Marklund at Mill Creek was opened in 2002 and today cares for ninety-six residential clients in addition to green space, a Miracle League ball field, Marklund Hyde Center building including developmental training classrooms, therapy rooms, an aquatic therapy pool, and administrative offices; and
WHEREAS, Marklund employs 225 employees at the Geneva campus, making everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Kane County Board extends its gratitude and appreciation to Gilbert Fonger, President and CEO of Marklund, and recognizes Marklund for its sixty years of distinguished and dedicated service to those in need, from infancy to adulthood.
Passed by the Kane County Board on August 12, 2014.
