Sampling of Our Projects

Resilient Youth

In Spring 2023, United Way of Will County received SAMHSA funding to provide all students in Will County with the Resilient Youth social-emotional learning program, in which teachers help students increase their resiliency through learning and using coping mechanisms.

Resilient Youth

Drs. Hannah Klein & Spencer Campbell are leading the evaluation of the initiative which began implementation in schools in December 2023.

Multicultural Leadership Academy

The Multicultural Leadership Academy of Will County is a collaboration between Lewis University, Family Bridges, and Spanish Community Center. Founded in November 2018, the Academy is a program for nonprofit and public sector leaders to engage in multicultural leadership in Will County

Multicultural Leadership Academy

The purpose of the Multicultural Leadership Academy is to bring together and train emerging leaders to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities that our diverse suburbs face in the nonprofit sector. Through the academy, they will form a strong network that can call upon each other to continue making Will County a great place for all to live.

After the Peanut Summer STEAM Camp

After the Peanut is a non-profit that provides after school and summer STEAM education, to host their STEAM summer camp at Lewis this year.

Summer Steam Camp

Summer STEAM Camp will energize your child and immerse them into engaging, innovative and forward thinking STEAM experiences.  Choose from 10 unique STEAM weekly topics! Each week offers hands-on, real world, active STEAM activities for ages 9-17 years old. Our Summer STEAM Camp will be hosted at the state of the art Lewis University where your child will soar to new heights! 

Lewis University Community Schools Consortium

The ‘Lewis University Community Schools Consortium’ (LUCSC) – funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Full-Service Community Schools grant – is a campus-wide initiative that partners with schools and community agencies to embrace the ‘community schools’ strategy. LUCSC integrates knowledge and skills from Lewis University and numerous community agencies to offer activities and services aimed at increasing well-being so that local school communities can thrive.

LUCSC Website

Valley View School District

Faculty Partner Dr. Emily Shayman serves as program evaluator for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers in Valley View School District, working to provide both formative and summative data that leads to continuous improvement. This programming is currently run across 5 school sites within the VVSD district, with more than 250 families currently participating. This project also provides professional development and family workshops on topics based on the interest and needs that arise from the data. 

Firearm Safe Storage

Dr. Hannah Klein works with a team of students to conduct research in partnership and with insights from the Illinois Chapter of Be SMART. Since 2023, Dr. Klein and her students have conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups with community members. Findings have been shared at numerous conferences and community meetings. For more information and to see some of the research results, click here.