Opportunities Abound at Clippers and Careers Event for East St. Louis Youth
In East St. Louis, more youth between ages 17 – 24 are finding themselves at risk of becoming homeless, and many others already don’t have a safe place to call home, lack a support network, and need access to basic resources. Our youth services in southern Illinois empower young people to transform their trajectories when […]
Fathers and Children: Building Blocks to Strengthen Families
Building LEGO, reading, playing sports, hide and seek, peekaboo, and even tickling are all examples of activities that foster creativity and closeness. In fact, research shows that playtime stimulates early brain development and improves a child’s communication, vocabulary, and language skills. Play also contributes to school readiness by helping children learn how to problem-solve, manage […]
The Ellen Constance Caring Spirit Award
In the summer of 2020, Children’s Home & Aid lost an extremely valuable member of our team. Ellen Constance, Director of Child Welfare in the Southern Region, passed away after a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer. Her loss is deeply felt by her family and friends and her colleagues who loved and respected […]
Needs Among Us
Pastor Rob Dyer and the members of First United Presbyterian Church of Belleville wanted a way to support families in their community who are going through a tough time. “We want to be part of the real transformation – not a temporary, quick fix,” says Pastor Rob Dyer, First Presbyterian’s senior pastor. The pastor and […]
Remembering Ellen Constance
Ellen Constance, Director of Child Welfare in the Southern Region, died on July 3 after a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer. Her loss is deeply felt by her family and friends and her colleagues who loved and respected her. Our grief is softened only by the knowledge of the difference she made […]
Making the Holiday Season Brighter in Southern Illinois
Children’s Home & Aid is so grateful for all of the support we received in our Southern Region this holiday season. Read below for all the details of our holiday events! In Metro East… Help for the Holidays – Over 300 families received gifts and monetary donations through our Help for the Holidays & 100 […]
A Case Manager-Client Reunion 18 Years in the Making
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. We are proud of our legacy of meeting the changing needs of vulnerable families throughout Illinois and inspired by the children and families we serve and their stories of resilience. […]
Building on a Family Legacy of Serving Children and Families
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. We are proud of our legacy of meeting the changing needs of vulnerable families throughout Illinois and inspired by the children and families we serve and their stories of resilience. […]
Looking back at 20 years of working with adoptive families
Throughout 2018, we are celebrating 135 years of meeting every child, every family, where their need is greatest. Doing whatever it takes so children and families can thrive. We are proud of our legacy of meeting the changing needs of vulnerable families throughout Illinois and inspired by the children and families we serve and their stories of resilience. […]
How Elizabeth Became the Mom Her Son Deserves
Elizabeth treasures the bond she’s developed with her son, 3-year-old Connor. “He’s my motivation for everything,” the young mom admits. But the relationship needed assistance to nurture and grow. “If I hadn’t received help from Children’s Home + Aid’s Stronger Beginnings for Families program, I don’t know where I’d be today,” she acknowledges. Recovering from […]
Reframing Human Services Workshop
On August 17, the Southern Region of Children’s Home + Aid hosted a workshop provided by National Human Services Assembly. During the workshop, Bridget Gavaghan, National Human Services Assembly Consultant, engaged key leaders across the Metro East human services sector in a four hour conversation on reframing how we talk about human services. The workshop focused on […]
Meet Taylor: Children’s Home & Aid Intern Turned Outreach Worker
Taylor Dichsen, a former Children’s Home & Aid intern, enjoyed her experience so much that she joined the team as a part-time Outreach Worker for Youth Services. Taylor began her Youth Services Internship at Children’s Home & Aid while working towards her Bachelor of Social Work degree. She was initially drawn to the internship because of her […]
Homeless and Hopeless
At 15-years-old, Kiara was hopeless and homeless. After her father suffered a medical emergency that left him in a coma, both her mother and grandmother turned her away. With nowhere to go, Kiara was referred to Children’s Home + Aid’s Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services (CCBYS) program, which provides crisis intervention services. The crisis worker […]
State Senator Schimpf Visit
On February 20, we welcomed State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) to the Lighthouse Learning Center in Cahokia. Sen. Schimpf spent nearly two hours at the Center discussing the importance of early childhood services with our staff. During the visit, Sen. Schimpf shared quite a lot about himself and how he came into office. A former U.S. […]
