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When Jane* contacted Life Span, she had already obtained a civil order of protection against her abusive husband, which should have prevented him from contacting her and their shared daughter. After constant contact through emails and mail, Jane had tried numerous times to report these violations of the order of protection to the police. Because Jane and her husband were living separately in different towns, both police departments sent her away, citing that the other department should handle the arrest.

Dejected, Jane came to Life Span. By the time she reached a Life Span advocate, her abuser had already contacted her over 20 times. With pressure from our advocate, the Assistant State’s Attorney filed criminal charges, and the police arrested Jane’s abuser for violating the order of protection. The case resulted in a plea acceptance of regular drug screenings and a 2-year plenary order of protection. Jane told us this action has been “a huge relief,” and “she doesn’t know what she would have done without our help.”

*In order to protect the confidentiality and safety of our clients, Life Span does not list the real names or photos of our clients. 

Life Span recently held client open houses at both our Downtown Chicago and Des Plaines Offices. Clients toured our offices, met staff, and learned about the array of Life Span programs available to them: family law, immigration law, counseling, advocacy, sexual assault, human trafficking, and prevention. “I was very happy with how many clients attended and the sense of community created,” said Life Span Executive Director Amy Fox, “Our model is to provide a wide range of services to a survivor, and the Open Houses were a great way to show this.”

“I learned so much about what Life Span has to offer. And I enjoyed meeting others in my situation.”   In both downtown and Des Plaines, clients toured Life Span, met direct services staff, and ended their evening with light snacks in our conference rooms.and new friendships were made.   One Life Span client said “I learned so much about what Life Span has to offer. And I enjoyed meeting others in my situation.”

We celebrate the many strong women who have shaped Life Span, with your support. We have been uplifting and empowering survivors of domestic violence in the Chicago area for 46 years.

Our story officially begins in 1978, when, Life Span began by a group called “The Founding Mothers” and our first office was opened in Des Plaines. The Founding Mothers hosted support groups for survivors, ran a 24/7 crisis helpline, and advocated for better implementation of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act.

Throughout the 1980’s we developed creative ways of supporting the work we do. In 1982 we sold the “Community Cuisine” cookbook, which featured recipes from our staff and clients. In 1987, we held our first Sport-a-thon and challenged individuals to walk/bike 18 kilometers to raise awareness of the fact that a woman was abused every 18 seconds in the United States during that year.

In 1991, Life Span’s then Executive Director Leslie Landis expanded our services through the opening of the Center for Legal Services & Advocacy. By 1995, we opened an office in Chicago’s Loop, not far from the downtown Chicago courthouse, to keep up with the need for aid in the city of Chicago. We continued to launch a variety of new projects throughout the 90’s, including the Children’s Program and Immigration Project in 1998. We officially began representing sexual assault cases in 2005.

In our 46 year history we have been led by three executive directors, all women. Our current Executive Director, Amy Fox, leads the fight for all genders who survive domestic and sexual violence. Most recently, she joined other strong women in Chicago to announce the Women’s Right to Privacy Initiative. This initiative would keep court case files containing women’s reproductive health information safe and private.

Our Board of Directors, 81% women, have followed in the footsteps of our Founding Mothers. And with your support, together we will fight to end gender-based violence.

Life Span’s Board of Directors offered Amy Fox the position of Executive Director and she accepted!

Amy joined Life Span in 1998, served as Life Span’s Deputy Executive Director since 2014, and was our Interim Executive Director beginning January 1.

A practicing attorney, Amy has represented survivors of domestic violence in court and has led Life Span efforts in every facet imaginable, including human resources, fundraising, governmental audits, and financial reporting.

Amy chairs the Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence, and she is also on the faculty of Judson University where she teaches law and ethics in human services, advocacy and social justice. A native of Michigan and a graduate of Loyola Law School, Amy is a parent to two boys, and enjoys “hiking with my family through every forest preserve trail I can find…and a good laugh.”