“Darkness has many faces; anger, hatred, loneliness, despair, frustration, depression, hostility, low self esteem, discouragement... And, like nature itself, kids will not prosper in darkness…”

“For kids to change, we need to change the way we work with them. We need to encourage them and give them hope. We need to help them see the light!”

J. Cederlund 1999

Our Story in one short paragraph . . .

One person had an idea and the dialogue went something like this~

“Let’s build a place with animals instead of TV, teamwork instead of frustration, tolerance instead of hatred, and fresh air instead of concrete walls. Let’s build a place where animals and fresh air and sunshine can improve and rebuild kids lives. Let’s build a barn that’s full of sunlight… Let’s call it the Light Center!” And just that simply, the Light Center became a reality~

Did it sound like a lofty idea? Yes. And does it work? Absolutely!

On May 28, 2000; seventy eight generous volunteers gave up their Memorial Day weekend to build the Light Center barn in one day! To date, over one thousand kids have come through its doors. Today, the Light Center sees over 200 kids a year.

History

The Light Center was formed in the winter of 1999, just outside the rural town of Union, Illinois. Union is located 50 miles west of O’Hare International airport; 20 minutes west of Crystal Lake and 20 minutes east of Rockford. TLC Facility

The Light Center barn is located in the midst of the Reil-C-Farm, a family owned property of founder, Janet Cederlund. The heated, year-round barn is a foundation owned facility and houses the 32 animals used in its animal-assisted program. Nearby Paddock Hills Equestrian Center additionally hosts some of the Light Center programs in its 22,000 sq. ft. indoor arena.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------back to top