From the beginning of the summer to the present, remarkable progress has been made on the construction of the Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education. The building is expected to be completed in May 2015 with an anticipated opening for the fall semester.
“This facility and its programs and services will be so important to many who bravely served our country,” AHS Dean Tanya Gallagher said. “As the building takes shape, it motivates us to work even harder to encourage individuals, corporations, and foundations to help us fully realize the vision for the center.”
New Director
Dr. Kyle Kostelecky
Dr. Kyle Kostelecky has joined the College of Applied Health Sciences as the inaugural director for the Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education. He has worked to improve the lives of families for nearly 35 years. His efforts have focused on military families, intergenerational relationships, life span development, long-term marital relationships, and adolescent development.
Prior to his current position, Dr. Kostelecky was the first national project leader for eXtension’s Military Families Learning Network, a Legacy Lead Institution as part of the DoD/USDA Military Partnership. He has also held faculty positions at Iowa State University, where he was responsible for intergenerational programming and education; the University of Wyoming, where he led the professional child development program; the University of Northern Iowa, where he developed and directed the undergraduate gerontology major; and the University of Arizona South Sierra Vista, where he coordinated the family studies program.
A Certified Family Life Educator with the National Council on Family Relations, Dr. Kostelecky served in the U.S. Navy as a member of the Chaplain Corps on an aircraft carrier. He later provided medical support for a tank battalion after becoming a Medical Service Corps Officer in the US Army.
Event Engages Western Illini
The College of Applied Health Sciences hosted a gala event in support of the center on October 8 in San Francisco. The "Celebration of Heroes" fundraiser reached an Illini audience of individuals who expressed interest in supporting the center. Speakers included Illinois alumnus Lieutenant Colonel Matt Shortal, a former Marine Corps representative to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and U.S. Army veteran Eric Swenson, a graduate research assistant in the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Eric served in Iraq, earning an Army Commendation Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and an Iraq Campaign Medal.
Kyle Kostelecky, Tanya Gallagher, Krista Kimme, and Eric Swenson at the San Francisco fundraiser.
Through his presentation and by engaging attendees before and after the program, Eric shared his view of the Center while providing a firsthand perspective of life as a student veteran. This included the culture shock of transitioning to campus life, as well as the challenges of returning to the classroom and of finding meaning in a new mission outside the military. Eric also talked about the value veterans bring with them – their selflessness, dedication to duty, and toughness – that can make them leaders on campus and beyond. Although it will take time to build authentic relationships with donors, Eric facilitated a dialogue with a largely civilian audience to communicate how their investment in student veterans will reap larger social dividends.
About the center
The Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education will be a state-of-the-art facility offering comprehensive, integrated educational support services to veterans with a range of disabilities while they pursue academic degrees at the University of Illinois. The center will work with veterans and their families on health and life skills and offer rehabilitation services, family and benefits counseling, and career and employment services.
Residential suites are designed to house veterans with severe disabilities who require assistance with the performance of daily living tasks. They will be equipped with a remote-controlled SureHands ceiling lift system to provide mobility to all areas of the suite, sensor-controlled switches throughout the room, and doors that open and lock with a security door scanner. Features such as accessible elevators and lower dining hall counter heights will create an inviting, friendly environment.
Support our veterans
Support the Chez Family Foundation Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education.