Gateway Family Services of Illinois

08/15/2026

Here’s the latest from our pasture as of August 15th at 12:20pm. All of our equines are safe & enjoying some time in the indoor arena.

08/15/2026

Are you looking for an incredible learning experience this fall? Imagine Banff Alberta Canada at the stunning Banff Springs Hotel, rich learning, connection & time to regulate our own nervous systems.

Did we mention that Dr Bruce Perry will be in person presenting as well?

https://reg.eventmobi.com/2026PathwaystoPreventionSymposium/pages/speakers

08/15/2026

The natural world has always shown us how to heal.

But we get busy. Showing up for everyone else — clients, families, staff — often means the rhythms that restore us get pushed aside. Rest. Connection. Nature. The things that actually regulate us get treated as optional. The healing rhythms get disrupted.

That's the tension the Pathways to Prevention Symposium is built around.

This October, I'm honored to join Dr. Bruce D. Perry, Myra Sack, and Meghan Ward as a Pre-Conference speaker at the Pathways to Prevention Symposium, hosted by Hull Services in Banff, Alberta. The Pre-Conference is built to help you identify the ways to restore, embrace, and incorporate those healing rhythms — both personally and professionally.

Pre-Conference — Oct 26
Symposium — Oct 26–29, Banff Springs Hotel

The pre-conference and symposium will help you leave with more than tools — the content will teach you the concepts of rhythm, regulation, and connection, and the format will allow you to experience them for yourself.

Register now — spots for the Pre-Conference are limited. https://na2.hubs.ly/H07cmNS0

This October, we invite you to pause with us — to step away, restore, and reconnect with the rhythms that make you who you are, so you can keep showing up fully for yourself and for others.

08/13/2026

🏆 Gateway Family Services of Illinois is proud to be named a 2026 EQUUS Foundation Guardian, earning the Guardian Seal of Transparency for our commitment to open, accountable equine care practices. Our horses' comfort and dignity are paramount to the healing work we do. 🐴

Learn more: https://na2.hubs.ly/H079vfB0

08/12/2026

🐴 EVERY ARTIST IS A WINNER! 🎨

We hosted a Facebook Live to share the news, and now we get to make it official here: after seeing every single submission to our Drawing Competition, we knew there was no way to pick just one "winner" per category. Every artist who shared their horse, donkey, or mule masterpiece with us is a winner in our book. 🏆

So instead of narrowing it down, every participant is going home with a brand new Gateway Family Services t-shirt — and they're the very first people to wear our new design! 👕✨
"Where relationships change everything."

Swipe through to see each incredible artist and their work, spanning ages 7 to 88. Thank you for sharing your talent and creativity with our Gateway family. We are so proud of every one of you. 💛

08/11/2026

Today we are joined by artist, Levi, who came up with the horse drawing contest this summer. We are grateful for all of the participation--from our youngest at 7 years of age, to our most seasoned artist who is 88 years young! Thank you for all of the love and support.

⚠️This amazing project stirred another idea for us, and we would like to invite YOU to participate. For Christmas in the Barn last year, we created our own coloring book with pictures from our very own herd. This year, we would like to invite you to submit photos of our horses to be voted upon and included in the coloring book. Please stay tuned for more details to come!

08/11/2026

Life may look like it's going back to normal. But is your body and mind still catching up?

If you're still feeling on edge, having trouble sleeping, or finding it hard to concentrate after a tragedy — you're not alone, and there's nothing wrong with you.

In my second blog in this series, I go a little deeper into what's actually happening in our brains and bodies after experiencing a traumatic event — drawing on the work of Dr. Bruce Perry and the Neurosequential Model — and why the same systems built to keep us safe can leave us feeling like something's misfiring.

I believe the more we understand our own reactions, the better we can support those around us — our kids, students, teammates, & one another.

🌐 Read it here: https://www.gatewayfamilyservices.org/post/responding-to-local-tragedy-part-2

08/09/2026

My heart sank as I signed onto social media yesterday and read about the tragedy in our community — a young adult's life lost, and so many of our junior high students and their families impacted.

This morning I wrote the first in a short series about how events like this affect our brains and bodies, and why so many more of us are touched by this than you might expect — the students on the bus, their classmates, parents, and neighbors alike.

This isn't meant to replace professional support. It's meant to help our community understand what we're carrying right now, and why.

My heart sank as I signed onto social media yesterday and read about the tragedy that took place in our community.

08/08/2026

Have you ever experienced something so incredible you struggled to put it into words? That's where I'm at with my trip to Montana.

I'm still gathering my thoughts before I share the full story, but I wanted to invite you in for a taste of the beauty in the meantime.

So much to share — including some exciting things that came out of this trip. Stay tuned. 🏔️

08/06/2026

🐴 VOTE NOW: 6th-8th Grade! 🎨

🐴 Voting is open! We've got six age categories this year — K-1st, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th, and 18+. Each category gets its own post, so after you vote here, hop over and check out the other age brackets too — there's so much talent to see! 🎨

Wow. Just wow. Our 6th-8th grade entries are seriously impressive this year — the talent in this category made picking a winner alone feel impossible. Help us out and vote for your favorite! 🙌🎨

How to vote: Comment the entry letter of your favorite below!

Voting is open all week — winner announced on Monday, August 10th. 🏆