A new community staple, Will’s Place, is Dance Marathon’s 2023-2024 beneficiary. A nonprofit cafe located in Downtown Skokie, Will’s Place has a mission of giving people with disabilities jobs and vocational skills.

Will’s Place celebrated its grand opening this past July, with hundreds of people lined up around the block to try various handcrafted sandwiches and salads. 

Joan Hallagan’s son Will (who the restaurant is named after) is a former Niles West student and attended the D219 Bridges program. However, public education ends for anybody with disabilities at 22 years old. 15 percent of the population struggles with disabilities, but 82 percent never get a job. So, Hallagen and her sister Cathy Maassen founded Will’s Place in 2022 to offer those with disabilities more opportunities.

“One of the things that [Will’s Place] is really proving is that this is a skilled group of people,” Hallagan said. “Just because somebody is disabled and it might take a little bit longer to do something, [our employees are] still quite capable and competent. It’s just as important to have a job that’s meaningful, and that makes you feel good and happy and to be a part of team as it is for everyone else.”

Though its only open for a few months, Will’s Place has already made a substantial impact on the community. Earlier this year, Dance Marathon voted Will’s Place to be the main beneficiary of the school year. 

“I think students liked the idea that it was local and that it benefited families and students in our community,” Dance Marathon sponsor Pankaj Sharma said. “The mission was inspiring and important to help young people with disabilities and give them increased opportunities.”

Over the past 20 years, Dance Marathon has raised over 1.2 million dollars for various charities. Dance Marathon plans to spend lots of time at Will’s Place this year to help support the restaurant. Both Dance Marathon and Will’s Place are thrilled to be working together this year.

“Even someone as young as a high schooler can make a difference and a change, a positive change,” Hallagan said. “So, we are so excited to work with Dance Marathon in any way we can. And I think that it’s cool because we’re close.”

Junior Sobia Shethwala is an executive on Dance Marathon.

“I love how warm and welcoming [Will’s Place’s] environment is,” Shethwala said. “You can see just how much the community cares about [their employees] from the crowd they had on their opening day. They are so creative with their events and getting families involved, and the food is phenomenal.” 

So far, Will’s Place has employed 17 young adults with disabilities, providing a positive, fun working environment.

“Learning how to make food, learning how to make sandwiches, giving them to people, making people happy, those are the things I like doing the most.” Will’s Place employee Julia said. “[Will’s Place] is a place where things are positive and happy and kind, [and the] people are kind. It’s really great.”

Will’s Place has a busy year ahead of them. They will be hosting social nights every other Friday, from 6:30-8pm, with open mic nights, games, dancing and pizza. They plan to start a basketball team with their employees to compete against the D219 Special Olympics team, as well as several other activities. 

Dance Marathon will continue to host many events throughout the school year to raise money for Will’s Place, like the thrift store, the 5k, and trivia night, among others, all leading up to the famous “Night Of” in May. 

You can support Will’s Place by attending Dance Marathon events, dining in at Will’s Place, or donating here.

With contributions from Reed Larson-Erf, NSN journalist.