Guardian Angel Impact Fund

The Guardian Angel Residential Program for Youth serves boys, age 6-18, who have experienced significant abuse, neglect or sexual abuse, and are exhibiting emotional, behavioral or mental health issues that require 24-hour services to be provided in a safe, supportive living environment.

Guardian Angel Home has a storied history of serving children in need for nearly two centuries. It was originally an orphanage home for children and opened its doors in 1848 in Metamora, Illinois.  In 1970, as orphanages were being phased out, Guardian Angel Home was transformed into a residential treatment center for boys and girls who were abused and neglected, sexually abused, and wards of the state of Illinois.  In 2016, Guardian Angel Home moved to its present-day campus in Morton, Illinois, due to the need for a larger building.

Currently, Guardian Angel Home is a 16-bed, all-male, residential treatment facility licensed for boys between the ages of 6-18.  The goal is to provide comprehensive intensive treatment services which will allow the youth to return to family, a relative family member, a community foster family home or independent living.

Morton Academy is a school for boys that reside at Guardian Angel home. Guardian Angel home is a residential facility for boys that is operated by the Center for Youth and Family Solutions with a contract from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Morton Academy became part of the Morton Consolidated Unit School District 709 in 2016. The District’s goal is to provide a balanced, varied school curriculum designed to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of students from diverse backgrounds. 

In 2019, Morton couple, Sam and Tracy Heer took note of a Morton Academy boy who had made the Morton Junior High Basketball team, as did the Heer’s son, Sam Jr.  Throughout the season, as team members were told to bring money for things like a “shooting shirt” or for a meal on the way to an away game, the Heers realized the Morton Academy boy didn’t have parents to ask for money, so the Heers would often pay for his activity fees.

The Heers began to think of a way they could help other Morton Academy boys now and into the future by establishing an endowment fund that would generate annual grant money to help fund incidental sports/activity expenses of Morton Academy students.  Sam contacted the Morton Community Foundation and worked with Executive Director, Scott Witzig to establish the Guardian Angel Impact Fund, an endowed component fund of the Morton Community Foundation. 

The Heers made a tax-deductible donation to the MCF to establish the fund, ensuring a permanent source of funding for generations to come.The Purpose Statement of the fund states that the fund will provide annual grants to support direct and indirect costs of residents of Guardian Angel Home incurred by participating in extra-curricular activities through Morton Community Unit School District 709 (“MCUSD 709”) schools, Morton Park District, or other venues as directed by administrators of Guardian Angel Home.The purpose of the Fund will be accomplished through such things as fees, travel expenses, equipment purchases and other costs related to Guardian Angel Home residents participating in MCUSD 709 sports and/or academic extracurricular activities, Morton Park District activities & camps, activities related to the culinary, visual, and performing arts, and other recreational activities publicly offered to Morton youths that would otherwise be unavailable to such residents due to cost, as determined by the staff of Guardian Angel Home.

If you would like to help us grow this endowment to create more and larger grants to help students at Guardian Angel Home, you can make a tax deductible donation to this endowment fund by clicking the button below for online donations. Or, you can mail a check to 135 S First Avenue, Morton, IL 61550. Make the check out to MCF with a note on the Memo line saying, “Guardian Angel Impact Fund”.