About Blue Sky Inn

Mission

Blue Sky Inn is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that provides creative, recreational and educational activities to at-risk youth in Chicago. All of our work is carried out by trained, committed volunteers, and takes place in homeless shelters, and community centers.

Staff

Lisa Thompson is the founder and Executive Director of Blue Sky Inn. Lisa has worked as a Sexual Assault Advocate for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, the Director of the Do Right Foundation, a Development Officer at Children's Memorial Hospital, and the Director of Development for The Village Foundation. She is also trained as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and has taught with After School Matters.

Community Partners

Blue Sky Inn has established partnerships with some of the most respected, progressive providers of services to homeless and at-risk youth in Chicago. Our work would not be possible without their support. The following is a list of local nonprofit organizations with which we have relationships:

• The Night Ministry provides outreach services for homeless youth and operates two youth shelters, one of which was the original site of eXpressions in 2003.
• The Broadway Youth Center (BYC) is a program of Howard Brown Health Center that offers case management, counseling, medical services and testing to LGBT youth under the age of 24. BYC has been home to two weekly sessions of eXpressions since 2005, and began hosting our Job Club in May 2007.
• Teen Living Programs offers emergency shelter and comprehensive transitional support to homeless youth. Blue Sky Inn began holding eXpressions sessions at TLP in 2006.

As part of our ongoing effort to expand our presence in the community and learn from the work of other service providers and youth advocates, Blue Sky Inn also works with the following organizations:

• Center on Halsted
• Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
• Lakeview Action Coalition

After considerable debate, the single-sided ponytail was selected as the official hairstyle of Blue Sky Inn. Modeled by Lisa Thompson (right), and styled by one of our program participants.