The first woman to serve as Chairman of the Board of the Field Museum, Judy Block’s service was legendary across Chicago’s philanthropic organizations — but it was small children that gave Judy, who died in 2024, the most joy. She would have loved the little ones who explored Building Blocks on dedication day.
Judy’s children Margie Stineman and Flip Block, and their spouses Kevin Stineman and Susu Block, welcomed guests to Building Blocks at Family Focus’s South Shore Preschool Center — made possible through a legacy gift of their mother, who in 1968 joined the board of the Chicago Child Care Society, now merged with Family Focus. As with the other preschool center in Hyde Park, it is designed to engage children’s senses and furnish essential items such as tactile figures circling the walls of the room and comfort items like weighted blankets or rocking chairs. In Building Blocks’ private spaces, children can decompress and regulate so that they can return to the classroom focused and ready to learn.
Erin Walton, Family Focus’s Senior Vice President of External Relations, told us:
“Sensory Centers are not commonplace, particularly on the South Side, and costs can be prohibitive. I believe there is just one which is attached to a community pre-school. We serve 230 children from 6 weeks to five years in our centers, of which 10 to 12 percent are diagnosed as diverse learners. Judy wanted us to be inclusive in every way. Our sensory spaces are areas of calm or stimulation depending on the child’s needs. Lights are dimmable and there are other visual manipulatives to help children focus. Sounds can be reduced by buffers, colors are soft and soothing, and everything is at their eye level. They can be one-on-one spaces but are also large enough to accommodate small groups. Everything is designed so that the child can develop the tools they need to be learners in the classroom.”
“These Sensory Centers have been created by Judy Block’s legacy gift. I would urge everyone to consider giving a legacy to something you really love.”
Flip Block greeted guests at the ribbon cutting with his mother’s characteristic humor:
“I thought I would start off my remarks about my mother basing them on the weather today. If it were raining, I would say she is crying tears of joy. But on this sunny day I know that she is smiling down on all of us feeling so much happiness.”
Margie Stineman described her mother as “always passionate and strong, advocating deeply for the most vulnerable children.” Kevin Stineman added that “her gift is able to impact as many kids as possible, and her legacy continues.”
For more information about Building Blocks and Family Focus, visit family-focus.org.