Chicago North Shore Moms is so excited to introduce you to a truly inspiring community member making lives better every day. Erin Ryan is the CEO of Shore Community Services, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Originally from a small town in Kansas, Erin’s journey has taken her around the globe, visiting over 35 countries and experiencing diverse cultures. Her calm and collected nature, coupled with a deep sense of empathy and high character, has been instrumental in her professional and personal life. Erin and her husband adopted their twins from Bulgaria three years ago, and their family now thrives in Skokie. With a background in social work and public health, Erin continues to advocate for full inclusion and support for individuals with developmental disabilities, making her an exemplary leader and a true beacon of kindness and dedication in her community. Get to know more about Erin’s family journey, how Shore is helping adults with developmental disabilities thrive, future plans for Shore to expand services to children and how you can get involved in this worthy cause. Welcome, Erin!
Hi Erin! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi! I’m Erin Ryan, the CEO of Shore Community Services, a nonprofit with a mission to is to improve the quality of life for persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities through educational, residential, vocational and related programs provided with community integrated supports and services. I grew up in a small town in Kansas (Marysville), and moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Kansas. I had travelled a bit, and really wanted to live in a bigger city with all it has to offer. Chicago felt accessible to me, as I could easily get “home” in a day’s drive or a short flight. I figured I would get some job experience and then move for graduate school, but I ended up attending UIC. After over 20 years on the far northside (mostly Rogers Park), I’ve now lived in the Chicago area longer than anywhere else. A little over a year ago, our family moved to Skokie (just a bit west from our old city neighborhood), and we love it!
And your wonderful and amazing children… tell us about your adoption story.
Adoption means a lot to our family. My husband and I both grew up with adopted siblings, so we knew right away that we wanted to build a family through adoption. Three years ago, we brought our twins home from Bulgaria after a four year “paper pregnancy.” Our kiddos just turned 11 and attend East Prairie Elementary School. As twins, they are each other’s best friends, and also beginning to explore their individual interests and identities, which is fun to see. Both are really kind, beautiful souls and I will always feel lucky and proud to be their mom!
Our daughter loves gymnastics, art, and has been exploring theater this summer at camp – she’s a natural performer! Our son plays baseball with the Little League District 12 Challengers and has been working on improving his swimming this summer, as well as making new friends at camp. He has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and moderate intellectual/developmental disability, and I learn so much about resilience every day, watching him navigate many physical, cognitive, and social challenges, as well as from his sister, who is his best friend and advocate, embodying the empathy and inclusion that helps kids like him thrive.
What are one or two fun or interesting facts to know about you?
I’ve travelled a lot. My husband and I met and started our family a bit later into adulthood, so I spent my 20s and 30s spending all my disposable income on travel! I’ve seen at least 35 countries, and my favorites are definitely off the beaten path – India, Uganda, Morocco, Turkey, and more!
My second fun fact is that my husband, Ryan, and I actually “met” years before we met. While I was working as a volunteer coordinator at a shelter in Lincoln Park, he was one of our best volunteers. I must have called and emailed him regularly, but we don’t remember meeting face to face. We even gave him the “volunteer of the year” award in 2001, but he didn’t show to the event. Fourteen years later, we were living in the same neighborhood and working in the same field, and showed up to the same community meeting. I followed up by email and the next time we met up, we realized the connection. It was a great way to kick off a conversation that is still going today!
Did travel change the way you view the world at large and your world per se?
Travelling definitely gave me an expanded view of the world and shaped my career choices. I went to graduate school twice, for social work and public health, to better understand how to tackle some of the big issues in society. There I found an affinity for working alongside those often forgotten or left behind. I spent the front half of my career working to find solutions to homelessness. Now, I work to advocate for full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in community life.
Your experiences are so unique and profound. Do you have a life mantra you can share with us for a touch of inspo?
I’ve had different mantras at different stages of my life. In this season, I find myself most often returning to a screen print I have hanging in my home office space…it reads “burn brighter, not out.” I’m still working on that elusive “balance,” but have learned that it’s more of an ebb and flow than a steady 50/50, and that modeling rest and self-care is one of the greatest skills we can teach our kids in this overstimulated world. It’s definitely a work in progress!
The soundtrack to your life is….
…ever-changing! This summer, with an 11-year-old-daughter at home, our soundtrack involves a lot of Taylor Swift! (but let’s be honest, we all love her). I gravitate toward either super catchy empowerment songs (i.e. Meghan Trainor’s “I want to thank ME!”), mellow and moody (I love slowed-down covers of classics), or Broadway showtunes. The key is that whatever I’m listening to should be SING-ABLE!
What are your favorite local places, spaces and eats to frequent?
We’re still exploring, but some of our favorite finds so far have been:
To Eat/Drink/Caffeinate: Pequod’s (Morton Grove), Alexander’s (Skokie), Curt’s Café (Evanston), Will’s Place (Skokie), Akai Hana (Wilmette), NY Bagel & Bialy (Lincolnwood), Wholly Frijoles (Lincolnwood), Kneads & Wants (Skokie), Sweet Reserve Bakery (Skokie), Soul Good Coffee (Skokie)
Date Night: Torino (Wilmette), Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre (Evanston), Sketchbook (Evanston or Skokie), Libertad (Skokie)
Great list! Aside from a meal from one of these restaurants, what gets you through a tough day?
I try to take a long walk each night with our dog, Layla, which is my time to think, plan for the next day, or just unwind with a good audiobook or playlist. After a particularly hard day, I try to remember to take an extra-long walk, listen to music, snuggle with kids or pets, or simply get to bed earlier to “reset.”
Let’s get down to business. Please introduce your endeavor as the CEO of Shore Community Services.
I started at Shore Community Services as the CEO in February 2024. Since 1951, Shore’s mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities through educational, residential, vocational, and other related programs provided with community integrated supports and services. The history and mission of Shore Community Services resonates deeply with me and my family’s experience to help my kids achieve their full potential, especially in the face of challenges.
What was the impetus behind starting a nonprofit with a focus that improves the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities?
73 years ago, Lois and Thomas Lloyd, who were local residents of Evanston, had a daughter named Patty. Patty was born with a condition that significantly affected her development, and the Lloyds were advised at the time to place their daughter in a state institution. Tom and Lois believed Patty deserved to live at home with them, and that she deserved an education and to enjoy activities that all kids enjoy. At the time (late 1940s), there were no schools in Illinois that served children with intellectual or other developmental disabilities. So, Lois started a school program for Patty and for other children like her in her basement. The school grew and evolved and eventually incorporated into the Evanston school district, as the state began developing public school services for kids with disabilities. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975, Shore continued to fill an education gap, as those early school programs and protections for students had certain thresholds and criteria that continued to leave some kids with more serious disabilities behind. We began to focus then on building programs that would follow students throughout their lives as they got older and entered the workforce and needed more options in adulthood.
What are a few ways in which Shore Community Services is able to provide support?
Today, Shore has an array of services for people with different levels of support needs. There are two different daytime programs, one focused on vocational training called True North – Find Your Path, which offers job exploration and career coaching, job readiness training, and a supported employment program, placing individuals with developmental disabilities into jobs in the community. Our job coaches then provide on-site services to help them adjust to the work environment. We have a second community day program that is focused on those who have more support needs, called Life in Motion. It offers recreation and therapeutic activities to help maintain skills as people get older. Shore also operates a variety of small-group residential programs, with different levels of support for independent living. Lastly, we offer home based support, to provide extra support and guidance to the entire family with minor or adult children with I/DD at home, to help navigate resources as their child grows.
Where have you been most successful at breaking down barriers?
My leadership is focused on building strong collaboration across teams. The work of nonprofits, and particularly human services, is hard already, so working in silos is only going to make it harder. To succeed, we really need to work together. I know it sounds cliché, but where I’ve been most successful is at breaking down barriers, bringing people together, and asking a lot of questions to clarify the “why” in order to align on the “what.” Getting things done is important, but how they get done matters, too. I see my job as a facilitator and a synthesizer, to assess what is serving us well and what needs to be shed to allow for new approaches. In an organization like Shore that has seven decades of deep history and expertise, there is a strong foundation and deep roots to nurture, while also continuously seeking a broader reach and ways to adapt to changing funding landscapes and client service needs.
You have a deep understanding of the multi-layer, complex barriers faced by people experiencing poverty. How does this understanding influence your approach to developing programs at Shore?
My career as a non-profit leader has been focused on building strong organizations and systems to serve people experiencing complex issues like homelessness and lack of access to healthcare. The intersection of disability, race, and poverty is well-documented. In the United States, around 17% of children under 18 have developmental disabilities, and 20–25% of families receiving welfare have a child or adult with a developmental disability.
At Shore, we serve over 300 individuals each year. Participants come from 18 communities, with the largest representation from Skokie, Evanston and Chicago. Ninety percent of those served are low income, relying on social security disability income, and half are people of color, often with an immigration experience as well. This means that in our efforts to navigate complex systems like housing, medical care, and more, we need a holistic perspective that considers the health, cultural, legal, and economic needs of each person we serve.
Beyond the individual level, an intersectional perspective allows Shore to advocate on the local and state levels for policies that will benefit our clients and their families, including removing barriers to employment and housing, increasing financial and other support to families, strengthening the workforce, creating paths to civic engagement, and more.
Developing state-of-the-art, person-centered programs is one of your passions. How do you ensure that the voices and needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are incorporated into the design and evaluation of Shore’s programs?
Our society has historically underestimated what people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities can do. Since until relatively recently, kids and adults with developmental disabilities were separated from mainstream services, and this population has been out of sight. We are gaining more understanding and accommodations throughout our lives for different learning styles and sensory needs, but we still have a long way to go. The individuals that we serve have interests, skills and abilities that sometimes need to be nurtured. And the best way to do that is to promote inclusion in all aspects of life from educational opportunities, community living, recreational activities, and employment and hobbies. Our programs strive to do this and we will continue to add more meaningful choices and opportunities for individuals, with their input.
Another way that we can center the voices of individuals with developmental disabilities is to engage their families and loved ones in different ways. Developmental disabilities are more common than you might realize. Recent estimates in the US show that about one in six children aged ages three to 17 have one or more developmental disabilities. Those kids are going to grow into adults who need lifelong support. It’s very likely that you or someone close to you loves someone with a developmental disability and needs help to navigate services. Listening to the needs of families is imperative for Shore as we continue to grow and adapt our services.
What strategies have you found most effective in securing funding and ensuring financial stability for Shore?
From our founding to today, Shore is still very much a community-driven response, and we depend on community support. State funding covers only a portion of our expenses. Like any non-profit, we rely on private donations and partnerships to continue to grow our services. We have a proactive community outreach strategy to keep introducing and re-introducing ourselves to the community, and an engaged board that serves as ambassadors for the mission as well.
We are accountable to our government funders, private donors, and individuals and families served, to steward funds responsibly and in a way that makes real community impact. We take this responsibility seriously. Combined with a strong mission, sound fundraising practices, and solid programming to back it all up, at the end of the day, financial stability comes from robust business practices. Even with a lean administrative team, we ensure ethical practices and engage in continuous learning. We’ve been strategic about balancing operational expenses with building equity, reducing debt, and making short- and long-term investments. These practices meant that during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when some of our programs were temporarily closed and revenue sources were lost, we were able to maintain staffing and operations that kept everyone safe and cared for.
How do our readers become involved in attending events, donating or volunteering?
Please check out our website at www.ShoreServices.org, and follow us on social media. On our website, you can learn more about Shore, about the needs of people with developmental disabilities, and make a donation. You can also inquire about volunteer opportunities for yourself or for your company, or introduce us to a potential partnership. We really want to hear from everyone, and we are grateful for all support we receive.
What’s on the horizon for Shore?
I hope to continue to adapt and evolve our services as individual needs change. This means adding more clinical services, such as art therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health supports, into our programming.
Another thing that I’m hoping to build more support around is programming for families with younger children. Although school programs are more robust than ever, as a parent of a child with a developmental disability myself, I know there is a need for more support for parents and siblings, and for out of school experiences that can help our kids navigate the world, explore their interests and celebrate their many gifts.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or Shore?
Yes! We are always looking for caring and dedicated staff to join our team. Our open positions are listed on our website, and range from direct service to administrative roles. If you have a heart for caring for people with disabilities and helping them achieve their goals, and want to build inclusive communities where everyone can thrive, we want to hear from you!