Our Daily Show! Ft. JCH Foundation, Caritas, & River Dragons!
ALTON/BELLEVILLE/GLEN CARBON/HIGHLAND – Caritas Family Solutions offers services for youth in foster care, adults with developmental disabilities, and other community members who could use support.
With locations in Alton, Belleville, Glen Carbon and Highland, Caritas is dedicated to providing resources for Riverbend residents and families across Illinois. CEO Gary Huelsmann noted that the organization needs support to continue their work, and he hopes people join their Caritas Day virtual fundraiser on July 31, 2026, where donations will be matched up to four times.
“It really does take a village to take care of folks. It’s always about collaboration and helping others,” Huelsmann said. “It’s not a light touch. It’s not like we provide a meal and that’s it. It’s foster care and residential services and even supportive services with homes and group homes where people live. It’s really having that intensity that is needed in order to make a long-term impact.”
Caritas offers foster care services, but they also work in the preventative space. The team engages with at-risk families and has several programs that aim to keep families intact.
Huelsmann noted that prevention is a newer focus, but it’s proving to be effective. Five years ago, Caritas had 1,700 children in foster care. This year, they have closer to 1,100. By supporting families, they are able to keep kids out of care.
“It’s better to prevent traumas than it is to treat traumas,” Huelsmann explained. “We’re very active in the preventative space, and we think that’s a much better way and less traumatizing to families and children.”
Caritas is also focused on reunification. About 68% of the children in their care are reunited with their families.
In addition to the foster care and prevention programs, Caritas offers behavioral health support, including a residential option for kids in foster care and outpatient services. They also have emergency shelter options for kids who are and aren’t in foster care, as well as a program for pregnant or parenting kids in foster care.
Beyond their work with kids, Caritas offers several community services, including a residential home and day options for adults with developmental disabilities. They also have an assisted living facility for low-income seniors and a supportive housing option for adults with chronic mental illness.
All of these services aim to support the community. Approximately 6,500 individuals are served by Caritas each year.
Huelsmann is proud of the work they do, but he emphasized that they can’t do it without the help of the community. They rely heavily on government funding, grants and donations.
Caritas hosts several golf tournaments, trivia nights, and other traditional fundraisers every year, but they are currently gearing up for Caritas Day, which celebrates the organization’s 79th birthday on July 31. You can donate online that day, and your donation will be matched four times. This is a major way to contribute to the Caritas mission.
“What it means is more care for more people. We’re intervening more often. We’re making a difference in people’s lives,” Huelsmann said. “There’s a lot of different ways that you can support the mission that we have to create those loving homes and those healthy relationships and those strong communities that we all desire.”
For more information about Caritas Family Solutions, including how to give or receive assistance, visit their official website.
