5 Nonprofits To Get Behind In The Springfield Area

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Nonprofit groups are keystone community organizations in the Springfield area. Fortunately, there is no shortage of organizations to volunteer or get behind financially, and that need your help.

Here are five outstanding nonprofit groups you should know about in the Springfield area:

1. Mercy Communities is a Springfield-based not-for-profit that is dedicated to addressing the issue of homelessness by providing housing and support services to local women who struggle with permanent housing and who also may have children who are at risk. Mercy Communities was founded in 1999 and since then, has served more than 1,400 clients and has grown from offering homes in 10 different housing units in 1999 to 30 in 2022. In 2022 alone, the organization housed 55 mothers and 101 children. In addition to housing, the organization provides counseling and life skill sessions to improve the lives of local women and mothers.

2. Operation Snowball is an international youth program that provides leadership skills to local students, empowering them to grow through prevention education, community advocacy programs, and leadership development that helps them to have a positive impact on their communities. Founded in 1977 in Rockford, Operation Snowball became a not-for-profit organization in 1989 and is funded in part or in whole by the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery program. The program works through a student-adult partnering system and uses the powerful energy and influence of youth to create a peer support system.

3. The Hope School provides community-based, early, and intensive therapy for area children who are on the autism spectrum and that also suffer from other developmental disabilities. Founded in 1957 in Springfield, the Hope School opened to help children with developmental disabilities reach their full potential. Hope School uses new educational methods to educate as well as treat and care for children on the autism spectrum. The organization also works with local families to provide support and resources for families with children that live with developmental disabilities.

4. The Central Illinois Food Bank partners with agencies across Central Illinois to provide food and groceries to Springfield-area families that struggle with food insecurity. The Food Bank offers a number of services, including working with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois and the Springfield Urban League to operate Kids Clubs at various locations around Springfield during the school year. The Food Bank also operates a retail store donation program that allows local restaurants and area grocery stores to donate food that, in turn, can be provided to local residents and families who may not know where their next meal is coming from.

5. Girls On The Run Of Central Illinois is part of an international not-for-profit organization that helps local girls and young women to cope with longstanding gender stereotypes and other cultural challenges that can be detrimental to their emotional and physical health. The program places girls into small groups that work with volunteer coaches who help to inspire girls of all ability levels and help them to develop strength and confidence through dynamic interactive lessons and physical activity.

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