BELLEVILLE – Caritas Family Solutions is celebrating the 77th anniversary of its founding as an Illinois nonprofit human services agency on July 31. The agency serves more than 6,300 people, is the largest provider of foster care in the southern Illinois region and touches the lives of 1,700 foster children annually. The day, known as Caritas Day, is dedicated to raising awareness about the lives they touch through its programs and services.
The nonprofit also has other service lines which include pregnancy care for women experiencing homelessness, adoption, counseling, community family stabilization for families experiencing homelessness and independent living for adults with disabilities.
“Every year as we celebrate Caritas Day, our staff takes a moment to reflect on all of the lives our agency has touched,” said Caritas Family Solutions CEO Gary Huelsmann. “We are so proud of the growth and milestones we’ve achieved within the past year, like moving up on the list of the largest nonprofits in St. Louis once again. But behind the rankings is the work our agency does through our variety of programs to provide people with hope and compassion. We truly believe every life deserves love. We’ve continued to have tremendous growth where we see a need and we truly could not have the footprint we do without the support of our communities.”
In honor of its anniversary, the organization will also be hosting a 24-hour matching fundraising campaign to help the children and families they serve. The nonprofit’s sponsors will be matching $4 to every $1 donated, and the organization has a goal of raising $100,000.
“For every $1 you give, vulnerable children, pregnant mothers, families in crisis, senior citizens, and adults with intellectual disabilities will receive $4 in support,” said Chief Program Officer Hope Carbonaro. “Our matching campaign gives our awesome donors the unique opportunity to understand how their monetary support is used to make a difference. For example, $8 can help provide a safe and supportive home for a low-income senior at Caritas Assisted Living at Fox River for a day. This is a wonderful opportunity for our supporters to see their donation and impact go even further.”
If you are interested in donating on July 31, go to https://www.charidy.com/caritas. The matching campaign will take place for 24 hours between 2 p.m. on July 31 and 2 p.m. on August 1.
Founded in 1947, Caritas Family Solutions is a nonprofit social service agency whose mission is to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families in order to create healthy relationships, loving homes, and strong communities. Services include adoption, community family stabilization programs, foster care, counseling, residential treatment for children healing from abuse and/or neglect, independent living for adults with developmental disabilities (CILA), and assisted living. Caritas serves more than 6,300 individuals annually across Southern Illinois from offices located in Belleville, Carterville, Mount Vernon, Olney, Glen Carbon, Alton, and Effingham as well as satellite locations in Highland and Sparta. For additional information, visitwww.caritasfamilysolutions.org.
