On Friday, State Senator Julie Morrison visited Arden Shore Child and Family Services – a 115-year-old child service provider in Lake County.

Arden Shore’s location, services and workers have changed over the decades, but its core mission has remained the same: to help children grow up in safe, structured, nurturing environments.

The service provider has come a long way since its creation as a summer camp on the shores of Lake Michigan for poor women and children living in Chicago. Today, Arden Shore runs a group home for children with special needs, a foster program and various support programs for parents and other caregivers. It also recognizes the importance of Lake County’s growing Latino population and provides bilingual services.

“Arden Shore’s long history of protecting abused and neglected children is a shining example of the Lake County community’s commitment to building a better society,” Morrison said. “After seeing Arden Shore’s staff at work, I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication and to thank the many Lake County families and community service organizations that provide Arden Shore with the resources it needs to succeed.”

Even before she was elected to the Senate, Julie Morrison was committed to improving Illinois’ services for abused, neglected and abandoned children. In her first year in office, she passed an important law to ensure DCFS can continue to work with the FBI to conduct background checks on its employees. She is also holding a series of hearings to identify changes in the law that could enable DCFS and private service agencies like Arden Shore to do their jobs better.