(WAND)- The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Child Support Division is partnering with the local United Way organizations to celebrate Child Support Awareness Month.
The two will host a donation drive to support their critical efforts in the communities they serve and getting the word out about free services for custodial parents and children in families where they are not living with their parents.
Donations can be made by visiting the campaigns website.
Several donation drives will be held regionally, HFS has regional Child Support offices in Aurora, Champaign, Chicago, Collinsville, Joliet, Marion, Peoria, and Rockford.
Each office will be partnering with a local United Way branch that provides career and community-based family-building services.
"This year, we're pleased to mark Child Support Awareness Month by partnering with United Way branches across the state to raise funds to support their critical mission in each of the communities they serve," Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson said. "At HFS, our mission is to work together to create better health outcomes and financial well-being for the customers we serve, while keeping equity central to what we do. Our missions align and we hope these local partnerships help us all to connect the families we often jointly serve with opportunities in their communities."
Donors will be asked for their zip code, which will direct the funds they contribute to a local branch of the United Way. The donation website will be live through Sept. 10.
"United Way is excited about working with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services' on this multifaceted donation drive because as an organization United Way has always been focused on supporting our neighbors in their time of need by connecting families to basic need services such as food, healthcare, and educational supports"Â said Sean Garrett, president and CEO of United Way of Metro Chicago.
HFS is also in the midst of a 12-week social media campaign to raise awareness of the free child-support-related services the Child Support Division provides across the state in honor of Child Support Awareness Month.Â
August is the designated month because it marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Child Support Enforcement Program in Section IV-D of the Social Security Act in 1975.
In Illinois, HFS provides child support services to more than 408,000 families; services include helping parents establish paternity, establishing fair child support orders, and enforcing them when necessary.Â
Last year to mark Child Support Awareness Month, HFS teamed up with Feeding America to support Illinois families during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by contributing to local food banks.
In years past, HFS' Child Support Division has marked Child Support Awareness Month with several service projects, including book and school supplies drives.
