Connect Child and Family

08/30/2026

❤️

It also means cheering loudly for Lara Collier tonight in Gillette Stadium as we celebrate her incredible impact as a single mom 💙

Learn more about Lara’s foster care journey here ahead of her celebration on the ESPN app at 7 p.m. EST 📲 https://bananasfoster.org/inspire/the-collier-family/
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08/25/2026

We asked our staff what their walk up song is. What’s yours?

08/24/2026

Congratulations to our team
members, and their new roles!! 🥳

We are so excited to introduce Aubrey as our thrift store manager and Baylee as our assistant store manager.

Both of these ladies have worked hard, shown up for our team, and continue to make such a positive impact. We’re so thankful to have them and can’t wait to see all they accomplish in their new roles!

Join us in congratulating Aubrey & Baylee! 🎉

08/19/2026

Celebrate Braydon Donhardt, our new Training Coordinator!

Braydon's new role will help onboard new hires, coordinate ongoing staff training, and strengthen the organization's internal training systems.

Drop a congratulatory message below to celebrate Braydon with us!!

08/17/2026

We've hired a licensed social worker to bring local counseling services for children and families to our community. This expands access to professional, compassionate care right here at home. Details on services and how to connect coming soon.

Let's meet the wonderful ToniSue Chatfield!

ToniSue is a first‑generation college graduate committed to advancing youth and family well‑being through trauma‑informed practice, policy advocacy, and community engagement. ToniSue graduated with her Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University in 2025 and completes her last internship hours this week for her Master of Social Work, from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign with a concentration in children, youth, and family services.

She is a member of Phi Alpha, Tri Alpha, & Tau Sigma honor societies, The National Society of Leadership and Success, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Her experience spans crisis hotline work supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking; residential youth care; legislative internships with State Senator Jil Tracy and Representative Norine Hammond; and work in youth court‑diversion services, conducting assessments and supporting youth and families. She has also served twice as an NASW lobby leader at the Illinois State Capitol and held multiple leadership roles at WIU. ToniSue has done many years of mentorship with first generation college students preparing for college through highschool programs, and mentorship with other social work students at WIU.

Now transitioning into her next professional role, she is actively pursuing her LSW and preparing for her LCSW, continuing her commitment to advocacy, youth empowerment, and trauma‑informed practice.

08/12/2026

Happy Birthday on the 11th, Aubrey! Your energy, kindness, and hard work light up our team!

08/08/2026

Spend a day with us at the Global Leadership Summit!!

Thank you to the Leadership Network Int for such an amazing conference!! Our staff enjoyed the conference!!

07/31/2026

🥁DRUMROLL PLEASE🥁
We have a winner of our final July giveaway! Christian and Lindsi Bias generously donated in our 24-hour challenge and their family has been drawn as our winner!
The Bias Family will receive:
⭐ A Limited Edition Connect 250 Sweatshirt
⭐ A FREE event rental in our brand-new multi-purpose space once renovations are complete!
Thank you to everyone who entered and continues to support Connect Child & Family Solutions. Your encouragement is helping us create a place where families can connect, heal, and grow.

07/30/2026

Sometimes, the hardest part isn't starting over.

It's everything that comes after.

Years ago, we helped a mom move into what she hoped would be a fresh start. As we carried her belongings into her new apartment, she quietly shared her next obstacle:

There was no laundry.

She had fought for a safe place. She had found an apartment she could afford. She was doing everything she could to bring her children back home.

The apartment wasn't perfect, but it represented hope. Safety. A future.

And yet, something as ordinary as washing clothes suddenly became one more mountain to climb.

We still think about that day.

Because when life is already full of impossible decisions, why should clean clothes be one more burden?

That's why our newly renovated Connect space will include free laundry access for anyone involved in the foster care system.

We can't wait to see a parent start a load of laundry, then walk to the room next door to spend uninterrupted time with their children during a visit. Maybe they'll pause to switch the laundry together or fold warm towels side by side—simple moments that feel wonderfully ordinary.

Sometimes, supporting families doesn't mean solving everything.

Sometimes it means making just one thing easier.

❤️ Thank you to everyone who joined our $5 donation challenge this week! We'll announce the winner soon.

If you'd like to help create more moments like these, you can support the project at bit.ly/250campaign.

07/28/2026

They weren't licensed foster parents. They weren't planning to grow their families.

But, for two local families, when children in their own extended family needed a safe place to go this week, they said yes anyway.

The calls they received didn't come at a convenient time. They interrupted vacations, back-to-school plans, childcare arrangements, budgets, and daily life. Because when a child needs a home, the chaos doesn't wait.

At Connect, we receive those calls too.

Our role isn't to ask families to do the impossible. It's to make saying "yes" just a little easier.

That's why we keep our cupboards stocked. Why we offer clothing, essentials, meals, and support. Why we'll welcome families into our space—or bring the support directly to their doorstep if that's what they need most.

For the next 24 hours, we're asking you to help us say "yes."

A $5 donation helps ensure that when the next unexpected call comes, a family won't have to face it alone.

As a thank-you, every $5 donated in the next 24 hours will be entered to win your choice of an exclusive Connect 250 shirt and a free rental of our newly renovated space once it's complete.

Because sometimes the smallest gift helps a family through one of the biggest moments of their lives.

Donate here: bit.ly/250campaign