Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (Illinois DCFS) will host a tent at the 2024 Du Quoin State Fair, aiming to engage families and share information about its programs and services. The tent, located on the Midway, will provide visitors with insights into transforming children's lives through foster care, adoption, or guardianship. Agency recruiters will be available to discuss employment opportunities and accept applications for positions within DCFS. Additionally, free gun locks will be distributed to promote child safety in homes with firearms.

Aligned with the fair's theme "It's Showtime," visitors can walk a red carpet and take photos in front of a superhero-themed backdrop. The tent will also feature games and an activity area where children can create their own superhero masks.

On August 24, DCFS will host the 39th annual Foster and Adoptive Family Picnic, welcoming hundreds of foster, adoptive, and guardianship families. The event includes a picnic lunch provided by the Illinois Elks Association along with discounted parking, admission, and carnival ride wristbands.

"The Du Quoin State Fair is a perfect place for families to enjoy a day of fun and make memories that will last a lifetime," said Illinois DCFS Director Heidi E. Mueller. "This year our theme is ‘Be a child's superhero. Transform a child's life,’ speaks to the soul of our agency's mission."

The Du Quoin State Fair runs from August 23 through September 2. More information about Illinois DCFS can be found at dcfs.illinois.gov.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), celebrating its 60th anniversary as the nation's first cabinet-level child welfare agency, focuses on protecting children from abuse or neglect through reports received by the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-2873 (1-800-25-ABUSE) or via childabuse.illinois.gov (non-emergency). DCFS aims to keep children safe by strengthening families with various services while striving to reunite children with their families when removal from home is necessary. In cases where reunification is not possible (less than 4% of cases), DCFS pursues guardianship or fictive kin as primary options.

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