CTF Illinois

It probably won't be much of a surprise to hear that what we're most thankful for is all of YOU! Whether you're part of our staff, an individual in our programming, a parent/guardian, a donor, an advocate, volunteer, or support our cause in any way thank you for being part of our Community that Transforms Futures 💖 Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictured below is Chris Kowalis, Sequoya Brown, Mark Goryl, and a VERY generous donation of $1,500 made to CTF from Lexus of Orland! These funds will be used to throw a holiday party for our individuals in December 🥳 We'd like to offer a huge thanks to our donors, as well as a special shout out to Sequoya for going above and beyond in making sure we can make the holidays magical for the folks we support!

After our new sidewalk was poured, Charles and Tony made their mark in the cement! Their handprints symbolize the relationship between our staff and the folks we support - forever working hard together, side by side with a lot of heart ❤️ Cheers to a bright future!

We kicked off the holiday season by celebrating the folks who play a major role in building Communities that Transform Futures. In order to properly recognize everyone throughout our statewide areas of service, we had the pleasure of hosting two events: one to celebrate our Chicagoland honorees and one to celebrate our Central Illinois honorees. Awards included Employee of the Year (Sally Albrecht and Michele Craig, Lorraine Barnes RISE Business Award (Terry Rodgers and Containers Plus), Making a Difference Award (Sandy Johnson), and CTF's Lifetime Impact Award, which we were honored to present to CTF's former CEO, Dennis Carpenter. Congratulations to all who were recognized! We're so grateful for your contributions in driving CTF's mission to empower the people we support to live the life they want to live.

Don't miss out on this great resource!

Thank you, Eastern Illinois University for hosting such a wonderful breakfast event! It was great to get to know some of folks from the communities CTF Illinois serves, and CEO Tony Barrett MBA, MA even had the chance to chat with Charleston's Mayor, Dr. Brandon Combs!

We're #hiring a new Direct Support Professional in Charleston, Illinois. Apply today or share this post with your network.

At midnight tonight, SNAP benefits will expire due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. That means 1.9 million Illinoisians will go without food, with 44% of the affected households having a resident with a disability, including CILA homes. In addition to the people we support experiencing food insecurity, many of the DSP's who provide supports to these folks are also affected. CTF Illinois is doing everything possible to gather resources for staff and residents alike to use during this crisis, including starting an emergency "blessings cabinet" in some of our program buildings and sharing important tools like the ones inked below. ➡️For Illinois Department of Human Services official SNAP updates and other resources: https://bit.ly/4oQ2KPt ➡️ Feeding Illinois interactive map to find free food programs in your area: https://bit.ly/4hCoXhr ➡️ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign community food map: https://bit.ly/3Wy7lJS Remember: Whether or not the loss of SNAP directly impacts you, we encourage you to share this post and contact to the White House to request the Trump Administration to fund November SNAP benefits and work with Congress to permanently reopen the government.

The people we support are at risk of losing access to food. On November 1st, 2025, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) will lose access to one of their most basic necessities when federal SNAP benefits are cut off due to the federal government shutdown. People with I/DD living in Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILAs) rely entirely on SNAP for their daily meals, as they do not have resources to purchase food without it. That means the most vulnerable members of our communities will face devastating food insecurity if we don't take immediate action. If you're seeing this post, that means you or someone you love cares about people with I/DD - and it also means you can help save them from going hungry on November 1st. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Help us call our state and federal Representatives and Senators to prioritize funding for SNAP so that all people who rely on this critical program are not harmed, and share this post to spread the word. You can find the contact information in the links below. Contact information for the US House of Representatives: https://lnkd.in/g49Spnpy Contact information for US Senators: https://lnkd.in/gAR69mbW Contact information for Illinois’ State Senators: https://lnkd.in/g4qV2SsR Contact information for Illinois’ State Representatives: https://lnkd.in/g9yKpzY9 Remember: We only have until November 1st, 2025 to save SNAP. Let's work together to keep people with I/DD safe.

We had a special guest today! State Representative Mary Gill stopped by for a tour of our RITA Day Program, where she said hello to some of the folks in our program and learned a little more about the important work we do. As always, program director Mary Muhlenfeld did a great job leading the tour, while CEO Tony Barrett MBA, MA and Director of Development, Elise Simcox helped answer questions and give a little more info about all that we do. During the tour, we also paid a visit to the Illinois Secretary of State DMV that is temporarily housed in our building, where we met with a few of its hardworking staff. Thanks for stopping by!