BELLEVILLE – Caritas Family Solutions, the largest foster care provider in Southern Illinois, is seeking adults willing to open their hearts and homes to become foster parents.
On January 29 at 10:00 a.m., Caritas will be hosting a foster parent recruitment event in-person at The Post Commons located at 300 Alby Street in Alton, Illinois. This open house event will provide an opportunity to learn more about becoming a foster parent, ask questions and connect with other foster parents and Caritas staff members.
Caritas CEO Gary Huelsmann said his agency currently serves approximately 2,300 foster children annually and the need for more foster parents has never been greater.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of children who have experienced abuse and neglect coming into foster care, and those children need loving, safe homes to go to while we help the families resolve whatever issues they are facing,” said Huelsmann. “The process of becoming a foster parent can seem intimidating and people often have a lot of questions. Our goal is to let people know that we are here to support them and that they will be making a tremendous difference in the lives of young people. It can also be an incredibly rewarding journey for the foster parents themselves.”
Huelsmann added that foster parents need to be at least 21 years of age and can come from diverse backgrounds, cultures and points in life. Some may be grandparents, divorced, single without children or in a committed partnership. No registration is needed to attend this event. Those interested can come in person to The Post Commons on January 29 or join virtually via Zoom using the meeting ID: 868 8918 4334 and passcode: 875989.
About Caritas Family Solutions:
Founded in 1947, Caritas Family Solutions strengthens the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families in order to create healthy relationships, loving homes and strong communities. Caritas provides services across Southern Illinois from offices located in Belleville, Carterville, Mount Vernon, Olney, East Alton, Alton, Highland, Sparta, and Effingham. For additional information, visit www.caritasfamilysolutions.org.
