Did you know someone counts on Catholic Charities for help every 30 seconds?  For many years, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago has served the poor and most vulnerable of Cook and Lake Counties.  Without Catholic Charities, many of these people would have nowhere else to go.  Yet, in spite of the overwhelming need for support, Catholic Charities is currently owed more than $25 million by the State of Illinois – and the number continues to grow by at least $2 million every month.  Why?  After many months of negotiations, Illinois legislators still haven’t been able to pass our state budget.  The resulting budget stalemate has now tied up the funding that would have gone to Catholic Charities as well as so many other agencies.

Please let our legislators know you want an end to this budget stalemate so the funds can be released.  Your advocacy is needed on behalf of over one million clients helped by Catholic Charities, and those who will require assistance in the future.  If you do not know the name of your state senator or state representative, you can telephone the State Board of Elections at (217) 782-4141 or go to www.elections.il.gov and click on “New District/Official Search.”  You can also find additional information as well as a sample advocacy letter on the homepage of www.CatholicCharities.net.  Thank you for helping those who need it the most.