Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonia Lindgaard.
Hi Sonia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Itasca Life Options is a Day Program Service Provider located in Grand Rapids, MN. We have been providing services to folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1965 when a group of parents banded together to provide opportunities for their children.
In 2014, Lisa Lassen took on the role of Executive Director and began to shift the way ILO provided services. With over 20 years of experience in Residential Services, Lisa has a passion for person-centered care, with an emphasis on high quality programing, programing spaces, and creative opportunities!
Since 2014, ILO has grown from 12 staff and 38 clients, to 45 staff and 90+ clients! We have multiple programing sites, a craft studio & store called Crafted by ILO, and our very own coffee shop- Dragonfly Coffee–where we employ our clients and create delicious made from scratch baked goods and coffee drinks. In 2024 we won a MOHR Choice Award for innovation for Dragonfly! Many of our participants make a great paycheck by selling art, working at Dragonfly, or in other various jobs around our community through our Employment Services program.
We’ve also begun to offer unique artistic opportunities– ILO Players, a multi-week drama class that culminates to a full fledged production, music, dance, and professional art classes.
Our latest venture is ILO GROW- a garden social enterprise that will not only provide a product for our community, but opportunity for our participants to learn new skills and earn a paycheck!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of our main passions is helping to remove the obstacles in the way of the individuals we serve. As some of the most discriminated against individuals, our desire is to help educate our community on the value and importance of people of all abilities.
We are entering a unique season of legislative funding (state and federal) for individuals with disabilities. We need our community to stand alongside us in making sure the rights and opportunities of folks with disabilities are not taken away. Please do a little research into some of the potential funding changes and join us in advocating for not cutting the budgets we have fought for!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At ILO, we consider our services to be innovated, inspiring, high quality and inclusive. We could simply put on a movie, make sure people were safe, and call it a day. Instead, we truly believe that every moment has the opportunity to be meaningful. From job coaching at a local business, to assisting someone with limited dexterity write their own name, we want our services to be filled with positivity, engagement, respect, and fun! Our goal will always be to empower people of all abilities by looking for or creating unique opportunities with a few barriers as possible.
When we started Dragonfly Coffee, we wanted an inclusive space with top notch offerings. We wanted our product and services to be an outward example of what we believe to be true about folks with disabilities- that they are capable of incredible things! We’d like to think we’ve become quite famous for our amazing scratch made bakery items, and that is a testament to our amazing employees.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
There is no greater joy in our field of work than seeing our participants thrive! One story that comes to mind is when we put on a dance performance after a 8-week class. One gentleman in particular was quite nervous about the class. He needed a lot of support from staff, not only with his gait, but with his self-esteem. By the end of the course, he had grown so much–not just in physical strength and endurance, but in his confidence. When standing backstage before the big show, our director asked him how he was feeling. His response? “I’m 76 years old and I’ve never been on a stage before…” It’s moments like that, that fuel our passion to continue to innovate and empower.
Community support also makes us so happy! We believe that our community and world will be a happier, more connected place to live when we facilitate more inclusion. We all belong and have something to contribute!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.itascalifeoptions.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRAFTEDbyILO/ and https://www.facebook.com/dragonflycoffeeGR/
