On February 22, Children’s Home & Aid staff and clients joined representatives from Walmart to celebrate a $40,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation with a check presentation at the Bloomington Crisis Nursery. The funding from the Walmart Foundation will support a child care worker at Children’s Home & Aid’s Bloomington Crisis Nursery and MotherHouse Crisis Nursery in Rockford.

“Children’s Home & Aid’s crisis nurseries are there for families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, providing child care and support services,” said Nancy Ronquillo, President & CEO of Children’s Home & Aid. “Community partners like Walmart help us ensure that we’ll continue to be there 24/7 to meet the needs of families in crisis.”

Children’s Home & Aid’s crisis nurseries provide care and support to low-income, at-risk families facing emergency situations. The program uses a two-pronged approach: the provision of crisis child care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the delivery of family support services that empower parents to resolve the issues that led to their need for crisis child care. In FY 2017, the Crisis Nursery in Bloomington had more than 2,700 admissions, while the MotherHouse Crisis Nursery in Rockford has 1,387.

Several parents who’ve utilized the Bloomington Crisis Nursery in times of need, including Cheranda Rogers, were on hand for the event.

“The Bloomington Crisis Nursery has quite literally been a life saver, caring for my son during this challenging time in our lives as I face health issues,” said Rogers. “Knowing that my son is in the great hands of the Crisis Nursery staff has allowed me to focus on getting better and to attend doctor appointments that I couldn’t make otherwise.”

We’re incredibly grateful to our community partners like Walmart for their support of our vital work. It was an honor to host representatives from Walmart at the Bloomington Crisis Nursery to celebrate this exciting announcement.

“We are proud to support organizations like Children’s Home & Aid, who make a vital impact in our communities,” said Michelle Neil, Co-Manager of the Walmart in Normal. “Everyone deserves to grow and thrive in a strong community and Children’s Home & Aid is bringing that hope right here to Bloomington.”