In the News – December 2016 Edition
#GivingTuesday – You Did It!
Children’s Home + Aid donors came through in a big way on #GivingTuesday! More than 80 donors made gifts totaling $23,000 in support of children and families across Illinois. Thanks to the $15,000 matching gift that provided by longtime donor and volunteer Shirley Tolbert, you helped us raise $38,000 in one day! Thank you to everyone who contributed, shared the campaign on social media or just sent good wishes our way – you are part of giving our children and families help, hope and opportunity, we couldn’t have done it without you.
Children’s Home + Aid Adoption on Cover of The Chicago Tribune
A happy ending made possible by Children’s Home + Aid made headlines this Thanksgiving on the front page of the Chicago Tribune. The story highlighted foster parents, now adoptive parents, Roger Farquharson and Joe Grissom, who have been clients of Children’s Home + Aid for many years. This loving couple officially welcomed 3-year-old Kiel and 5-year-old sister, Asia into their home on November 18, the day before National Adoption Day.
For Grissom and Farquharson, the journey toward the family they have today began more than three years ago, when Grissom got a life-changing call from Children’s Home and Aid, a licensed adoption agency in Chicago the couple worked with to become foster parents and ultimately adopt. He was told a 3-week-old infant needed a home. They weren’t expecting a baby, but Farquharson secretly had hoped for one. Kiel arrived at their home nearly two weeks later.
Click here to read the full article.
Regional Spotlight: Stuff the Bus, Another Amazing Year!
For more than a decade, Connect Transit and members of the Bloomington-Normal community have helped Children’s Home + Aid Crisis Nursery make a difference in the lives of local babies and children in crisis. And 2016 was no different! 
This year, 204 volunteers and countless other supporters donated more than 430 hours of their time, talent and resources to “stuff the bus” full of basic necessities for children ages 6 and under. A record-breaking 6,362 items — including clothes, blankets, infant formula, baby bottles, pacifiers, diapers, baby wipes and toys — were donated during the 14th annual campaign that ran Nov. 28 through Dec. 3.
Many of the families who use our Crisis Nursery are homeless or fleeing from violence. They come to us with little to nothing. Having items from Stuff the Bus allows Children’s Home + Aid to get them the necessities they need to care for their children. Thank you to all our Stuff the Bus supporters, you continue to amaze us with your generosity and holiday spirit!
Read More
Press Coverage | Crisis Nursery | About Our Central Region
PS: Stay tuned in January for a recap of all our holiday happenings across the state. We have so much to be thankful for this year, and so much to look forward to in 2017! If you haven’t yet had a chance to make your 2016 gift, or want to do more, please click here to visit our donate page and help make a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.