El Valor

El Valor is a non-profit community-based organization founded in 1973 by the late Guadalupe A. Reyes. A visionary leader and mother, Mrs. Reyes dreamed of a community in which all members, including her son with special needs, could live, learn and work. She and several others took out a small bank loan and borrowed a church basement in Pilsen where they started the first bilingual, bicultural rehabilitation center in Illinois, and named it El Valor, meaning courage. El Valor is a multipurpose organization with a mission that reaches thousands of families throughout Chicago and surrounding communities via direct services. El Valor reaches millions more families through its National Public Awareness Campaign on early childhood learning. Our mission is to support and challenge urban families to achieve excellence and participate fully in community life. Programs enrich and empower people with disabilities, the disenfranchised and the underserved. El Valor builds stronger, mo...