I am a PADS volunteer who works the 3 to 7 AM shift with Joe Ruane, a selfless volunteer addict…read morewho, at 83, is one of the most active people on the planet. He was one of the original volunteers 26 years ago and he tells me stories abort the unsung heroes of this magnificent organization that live their lives for the benefit of others. Not only does PADS provide a network of shelters for those in need, they provide clothing, job and housing counseling, job readiness training, and a food pantry. They are a one-stop shop for down-on-their-luckers. This non-profit needs support with ample volunteer opportunities and 501C3 write-offs for donations. Consider giving as an alternative to America's emphatuation with accumulating. It feels excellent!

Not Good is an understatement !!! This privately owned non profit is masquerading as a resource to…read moreactually, truly help the homeless! Everything they do is a pretense to line their own pockets with government funds. Please read their bio: there actually is NO mental health support or services of any kind. The entire organization is run upon the backs of sincere yet naive volunteers. The "new" building is only 3 or 4 years old, yet there is no sufficient ventilation. It is an SBS. It has " sick building syndrome". The full week residents are constantly sick with every possible upper respiratory virus or illness imagine able. COVID ?? The facility doesn't care; they barely acknowledge such things. The food is often less than fresh. The few case managers do little to counsel or help clients to find a home. The managers main concern is to make CERTAIN that the residents ",sign in" every day. That is how they get paid by the government. There is NO medical staff, NO psychologists, and it is run like a locked down mental institution or jail in many ways. I'm too tired to say more. In my 70 years of life, the 3.5 months that I lived there were the most horrible and frightening months ever. I felt much safer living in my car. My title for this self-serving organization is "Journeys,the Road to Perdition". Look up the word "perdition" in a dictionary...it is a perfect description of Journeys. The day that I left Journeys, I put in a phone message,saying "I cannot come back even one more day. This place is psychically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually TOXIC."

Very dedicated and loving volunteers…read more pets have all medical issues. Neutering and shots

We had such a wonderful experience adopting our dog Copper from here. The staff was so kind,…read morehelpful, and truly cared about making sure each pet goes to the right home. They took the time to answer all of our questions and made the whole process feel comfortable and stress free. We are so grateful to have found our new best friend. Thank you for everything you do!

I've been a volunteer and donor for years with Shelter, Inc. They are an amazing organization…read morehelping children and families every year. I've really enjoyed volunteering with them making an impact on the local community and helping children in need.

It's scary to review Shelter Inc. When you have to be nice to them in hopes they will do the right…read morething but after 4 months I'm realizing they are going to do whatever they want to do regardless of anything I say or do. Don't get involved with their Foster Care Program, they are destroying families and the kids are the ones that suffer the trauma and long term effects. They claim to keep families together, what a joke. Do some research, other people are saying the same things I'm saying.

Great organization. They do good work in Arlington Heights. Great fundraisers!! This is a good…read morecause and helps lots of people.

From the owner: We raise funds to supplement the Village of Arlington Heights, IL Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF)…read more The EAF helps Arlington Heights residents in crisis with stop gap measures to assist in getting their lives back on track. The money could go toward anything from rent assistance to car repairs. Arlington Cares offers fun events to raise money for this purpose.

This was my first visit here, I only dropped off donations for this visit. I was a little confused…read morewhere the donations were supposed to be because it was right next to the store entrance. Once I found it, the store associate was by my car before I even stepped out of the car, which was nice. I look forward to coming again another day to shop.

Standard good will store with a wide variety of items available at very good prices. There is…read moreplenty of parking available and the traffic flow isn't too confusing through the lot, though it can be a bit difficult to turn back onto the main streets around busy rush hour times. The goods are arranged logically here, and there's a lot of items to sort through with the average quality of selection. Checkout is fast and efficient.

Keep in mind, its a thrift store. Youre going to have to search for the good stuff and it's not…read morealways the cleanest place to shop... but the deals are well worth it. Every Saturday they have a different color tag that brings anything under that color to 69 cents! I mean, what a steal. If you're a treasure finder, this place is great. (DONT USE THE BATHROOM, its scary)

Greedy garbage place. Manager wouldn't consider lowering the price of an overpriced BROKEN item…read more Delusional

We love that WINGS supports women and children. So, when we have things to donate, this is usually…read moreour first choice. I don't think I've ever been in their retail store before, but have dropped off goods many times over the years. We're purging our house of 20 years of accumulated stuff. When you arrive, they have a door for dropping off donations. We've given them clothes, nick-nacks, paintings, glassware, and more. They take everything with a smile. We'll continue to drop off merchandise as we have it. And, perhaps next time we go I'll stop into their store. The reviews are certainly good.

WINGS Resale is my favorite donation center in the area. They take all types of donations from…read moreclothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, home decor, furniture, and more. It's easy to drop off donations at their back door which is separate from the store entrance. All items are organized, priced, and resold in the store. Walking around, resale items are very fairly priced and in good condition. Their profits from the store go toward supporting families fleeing domestic violence. What a great way to give back and help those in need! Donation Hours Daily: 10am - 5pm* Tip: They have locations in Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, and Niles. Pro Tip: Check out their daily discount specials before heading over to browse their great selections.

Feed My Starving Children is a wonderful place to volunteer because it is open to anyone ages 5…read moreyears and up, is open regularly, and does not have any time commitments so you can go when it fits your schedule! I have been volunteering with "FMSC" for over 13.5 years. I go with my gym mates, my relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. You have to wear a hairnet, and take off all jewelry, and keep your hands clean, but that is minimal compared to what the kids you are helping face. You scoop vitamins, veggies, soy, and rice into bags, seal them, box them up, and have a wonderful time doing so! The music can be great and fun, one time I was volunteering and they did music trivia while packing. At $0.29 a meal, both your time and [voluntary] donations are being maximized! The organization is based in Christian values, but the prayer at the end is an invitation, not an obligation, so I appreciate the inclusivity. There is also a MarketPlace where you can purchase items that provide for the artisans that make them. My most used item is a clay mug from Haiti. The kids used to eat the clay, but now the artisans use it to make items. If you're on the fence, I suggest you give it a try! It's a couple of hours in your day and the most fun I can picture having in a latex free hairnet!

Without a doubt one of the best volunteer based opportunities around. So much you can accomplish…read morewith the time frame given. Always great to see people of all ages participating. Our small group has made it a yearly thing to go and do this. The workers they hire are always super warm and welcoming. Its an enjoyable process all around. I do want to mention that it was a bit unfortunate the last time we went to see the teenagers that came just to fulfill their community service hours be so disrespectful. They were chatting and messing on their phones at the end when the staff leader was telling how much we packed. He literally had to pause to tell them to be quiet. Regardless, a joy of an experience and super fun to do. Thank you FMSC for blessing the world with these opportunities.

I had Clearbrook work with my son twice in the past few years-2018 and 2021. The assigned coaches…read morewould meet with us each time. We would do applications during the hour meeting. I even helped suggesting places that I knew were hiring, which they said was fine if I applied but just let them know the information. Each time when my son had a job interview, the job coach came along with him, since he has lower functioning autism and hard to understand him speaking sometimes. When he got the jobs each time, the coach would come and assist in his training. Then the visits would be be a little less until he can do the job without assistance. The same procedure was followed with my daughter, with autism spectrum disorder, but when she was hired, the coach didn't have to be at training with her because she caught on faster. I returned to because I was satisfied from each time. But I am not happy with the job coach he is assigned to, She isn't doing her job. She insists that I need to clarify myself as to where do I want her to play a role in this. I told her about all my experiences with Clearbrook and how the coaches handled things. She approached me with that same question more than one time. I get the impression that she doesn't know what she is supposed to do. The online meetings only lasted not more than 15 minutes. She gave me 1 job list email with jobs far away to travel when I specifically gave her location areas of where we'd like to find work at. I had an interview which she set up with a Culvers in Rosemont, 30 minutes away. She never showed up. I had another one at a nearby Culver's in Harwood Heights, only 10 minutes away, but the time and day didn't work out with the coach. She told me her availability and days she has meetings on. I went online to change the time to a time that would fit her schedule. But she can't come once again because she has a meeting. She now says her meetings change every week as opposed to just Wednesdays and Fridays. She made up a script for him to practice interviewing.which is fine. But she wants me to go with him and interview alone and bring the script. She said that we discussed in his staffing, it is in Nick's interest to attend all available interviews to help him practice his interview skills and have the opportunity to network. It is ok if Nick interviews alone, as he has a script that I was able to put together with the information I had that can help him on the interview. If you would like me to add more to the script, please reply to the email where I am requesting the information needed. Nick's goal is to work independently, so he can interview independently at times. We had a staffing with DRS and the coach said she would go to his interviews and trainings. Now she is going against what she said at the DRS staffing. She doesn't understand how to work with people who have an intellectual disability. The things she's doing are appropriate at a regular employment agency. Maybe she'll have to show him how to use LinkedIn as the next step? She's working for the wrong type of job agency. I know it's difficult with job searching right now the way the economy is going, but she needs to know that these clients need extra help. I don't think she knows what she's doing. I am very disappointed. Now I'm stuck taking Nick for this interview. How do I explain that the job coach isn't available today and if I tell him that a coach will be there to help train him if he is going to consider hiring him. Then there's no coach. Another incident that doesn't make sense. Nick had an interview with Burlington Thursday 7/17/25. I got a reminder text in the afternoon of the 16th and at 9 pm received a very disturbing email from them, closing with a rejection: "Hi Nicholas. Due to unforeseen circumstances, your upcoming interview was cancelled and we are therefore no longer able to move you forward in the recruiting process. Please reach out to your recruiter for additional details." I emailed the department with a screenshot copy of this text and still waiting for a response. If you're working with DRS there's other reliable agencies available to help.

I've been working with Clearbrook for two years now, and love it. From what I've heard there is a…read morehuge turnover rate in the positions higher than mines, but I'm guessing that stems from personal life experiences outside of the job itself. I will never know, but me, myself loves working with Clearbrook, because it's very flexible as a full-time student + it is very rewarding working with adults with disabilities. Rewarding as in learning more about them, and what makes them unique! My client in particular has autism, and I work with him inside of his own home as an SLA (Supported Living Assistant). Working as an SLA, you get a chance to become part of their normal lives, and fully understand about that client in particular, as far as learning fully about them good and bad. Working in this field you have to have patience, and understanding. If you do not then I would advise you to work elsewhere. I enjoy it, and I'm very open to working as a full-time employee with this company once I graduate; even though my degree is something totally different from what opportunities this company offers.

http://www.bridgecommunities.org/ They provide transitional housing for people in the process of…read morebecoming self-sufficient. One of the goals is to keep the children in their same school, because bouncing from place to place is detrimental to kids' academic progress. They are taking part in the Sleep Out for the Homeless this November. Great great GREAT people. Give them your time and $$ - it's worth it.

Bridge communities are the best at helping people change their lives. The organization was…read moreestablished to help those that are need of shelter; however they do so much more. Between the time you call to inquire about the program until the time you successfully graduate from the program you will feel the professionalism, compassion and love. If entered into the program they will partner you with people who will help you with your career, finances, budgeting, education, health and so much more. The amount of volunteers that go out of their way to help others in need are amazing! I highly recommend this program if you need help or want to volunteer and be part of an dynamic organization that is making a difference.