Its specific purpose was to provide life-changing opportunities to men struggling with drug addictions. The first program was Harvey House, located in a renovated motel in Harvey.
The founders hoped that by the grace of God, Harvey House could become a source of love and comfort to all those who walked in.
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Within two years of its founding, Restoration Ministries started a Food Pantry and partnered with Greater Chicago Food Depository. This was the beginning of a new path for our organization, furthering our commitment to God’s message. By 1992, Project Intercept, our Youth Development Program, was offering Harvey youth opportunities to grow academically, physically, and spiritually. The next five years would introduce the opening of our Harvey Thrift Store and the Tabitha House program, plus the Christmas Toy Store, and Community Block Party. In just ten years, Restoration Ministries had blossomed into something beyond its original intention—and that was only the beginning.
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Over the next decade, we continued to respond to the needs of our community, seeking to improve and expand Restoration Ministries in new ways. We increased our outreach to at-risk youth with the addition of programs such as the Homework Help and Tutoring Program, Summer Day Camp, and the Bread for the Head Reading Program. We started the Harvey Boxing Club and the Sullivan Arts Center in the old Harvey Police garage. We also opened our flagship thrift store in South Holland, which became a source of job training and employment for our Harvey House and Tabitha House residents.
Thousands of people have ownership in our cause and have built Restoration Ministries to where it is today. The time and generosity of our friends was most evident in one of our proudest achievements: In 2009, we built a new 25,000 sq. ft. building to replace the old motel. This allowed us to bring the Harvey House, the After-School Program, the Food Pantry, and our administrative offices all under one roof. It also gave us an opportunity to truly demonstrate the glory of God to our community and to represent His love in a facility dedicated to His message.
Over the years, we continued to expand and enhance our programs. We moved our Tabitha House Program to a beautiful home in South Holland. In 2017, we created a Community Garden down the street from our main facility. That same year, our founder and CEO, Dr. John Sullivan passed away after a short illness. With our dedicated staff members, we were able to continue Dr. Sullivan’s vision and our mission: “To restore hope to people, while bringing lasting change to the community.”
Annually more than 6,000 people are served by our wonderful staff and volunteers. People of all different backgrounds, with their own stories and their own unique struggles, have been impacted by our programs and by God’s message, and they have found a meaningful purpose in their lives.
But the work is not done. Tomorrow is a new day, and our mission of service continues.