Building Futures Together

About Us

From infants to seniors, Aspire serves people with disabilities across their lifetimes. We offer a comprehensive array of support for individuals with developmental disabilities. Our name – Aspire – best sums up our approach. We help our participants and their families to aspire to a world of possibilities.

Aspire is one of the largest human service nonprofits in west suburban Chicago. We assist more than 1,000 children and adults each year with services focused on achieving potential and independence. Aspire is recognized throughout Illinois for our dedicated team of 400 staff who provide personalized services at 24 locations in the western suburbs. We help infants and toddlers begin life with as many abilities as possible and encourage adults with developmental disabilities to participate as fully as possible in community life.

History

In 1960, ten families of children with developmental disabilities gathered in the basement of St. Domitilla Church in Hillside, Illinois, and started talking about their experiences and sharing their challenges. These families knew their children had untapped potential and could flourish if they only had the proper support. They identified the strong need for lifelong services that would help their children realize their unique potential and live as independently as possible. They knew firsthand that in order to achieve, their child needed to dream. These ten families founded what is now Aspire.

Aspire has grown tremendously over the past 50 years. Today, Aspire is one of the largest charitable organizations for individuals with developmental disabilities in west suburban Chicago. Our innovative, person-centered services lead the field with a standard of quality and excellence. We provide services that are tailored to the needs of the individual, supporting each in realizing his or her individual aspirations.

Mission

Aspire’s mission is to support the successes of children and adults with developmental disabilities, strengthen their families and build embracing communities.

Services

Aspire is a comprehensive nonprofit that serves more than 1,000 children and adults, and their families, each year with a wide range of programs. Our services are comprised of the core programs of Aspire children’s Services, Aspire Residential Choices, Life Skills Training and Employment Options. Aspire partners with any person in need of our services, regardless of severity of disability or ability to pay. e help infants and toddlers begin life with as many abilities as possible, encourage adults with developmental disabilities to participate as fully as possible in community life, and provide seniors with critical supports that keep them as “connected” as possible.

Aspire offers the business community a host of opportunities where our unique spirit may rub off on your company. We offer many business services and partnership opportunities that can help your business meet key corporate needs. Aspire currently partners with leading Chicago-area corporations and businesses such as OfficeMax, National Van Lines, Metropolis Coffee Company, NBC5 Chicago, Navistar, Cinemark and Popular Community Bank.

About Aspire Coffeeworks

Aspire CoffeeWorks offers craft-roasted coffees while opening new horizons for people with disabilities. We are a partnership between Metropolis Coffee Company, one of the nation’s top artisan coffee roasters, and Aspire, a non-profit leader helping children and adults with disabilities.

Aspire CoffeeWorks was launched to address a real challenge—currently one in four people with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy are employed. Aspire knows people with developmental disabilities can flourish in jobs in our neighborhoods and communities—if only given a chance. Through Aspire CoffeeWorks, we’re creating new jobs and quality coffee at Metropolis Coffee’s roasting facility, based on the North Side of Chicago. Aspire CoffeeWorks’ staff work right alongside Metropolis Coffee’s team to grind, package, and ship your order.

Great Coffee

Aspire CoffeeWorks brings you one of America’s finest craftroasted coffees, hand roasted in the heart of Chicago, making it the freshest coffee around. We certify that every step of the coffee making process maintains its organic integrity. Our partner, Chicago’s Metropolis Coffee Company, has been named micro-roaster of the year by Roast Magazine and one of America’s top coffees by Saveur Magazine. We craft-roast each order in small batches and proudly write the roasting date on each bag before shipping to you. We also certify fair trade between farmers to promote sustainability in developing countries.

The Cause

With every purchase, you help children and adults with disabilities to aspire and reach their dreams. 100% of Aspire CoffeeWorks’ proceeds fund life changing programs and create new jobs for people with disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy.

Fair Trade and Organic Certified

All our coffee blends are certified organic by the OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association). Organic certification proves our coffee has been grown, harvested, processed, shipped, roasted, and sold in conditions that do not affect the organic integrity of the coffee and helps promote sustainability in agriculture.All our coffee displays the Fair Trade Logo. Through Fair Trade certification, coffee producers are offered a minimum floor price and a social premium, ensuring costs of production are covered and communities can invest in important social and economic initiatives.