Riverbend Family Ministries Asks for Community Support at Biggest Fundraiser of the Year
Our Daily Show With CJ Nasello: Ft. RFM, Living After Grief, and More!
GODFREY/WOOD RIVER - Riverbend Family Ministries does a lot to help those in need, and now they’re asking for the community’s support at their upcoming banquet.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at The Commons at Lewis and Clark Community College, RFM will host their annual “Building a Better Tomorrow” banquet featuring speakers, a catered meal, silent auction and more. The goal, explained Executive Director Christy Schult and Development Director Rachael Craddick, is to bring people together to help their neighbors.
“It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Craddick said. “It brings together over 300 people from our community. That includes our donors, our volunteers, business leaders, elected officials. It’s a really special night to just celebrate our mission and the lives that we’re able to transform because of the many people that show up for us and show up that night. That impact really lasts year-round.”
This year’s featured speaker is Christine Haley, the Chief Homelessness Officer with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. Schult and Craddick hope “her perspective will really shine some light on the broader work to address homelessness” throughout the state.
Tickets to attend the banquet are free, but guests are required to RSVP. To RSVP and reserve your seat, click here.
Sponsorships allow RFM to offer this free event, and any leftover sponsorship dollars go toward their programs. Every penny raised that night from donations will go to the Client Services Department.
Craddick and Schult thanked presenting sponsor Atomic Pinball for their support, as well as the many other local businesses who have stepped up to sponsor the event. Several businesses also contributed to their “Best of the 618” silent auction. RFM is grateful for this support.
“That’s really what RFM is all about: bringing different groups together and figuring out what our strengths are and not recreating the wheel,” Craddick said. “There’s power in numbers and it’s a ripple effect that none of us can do on our own, so it’s a really powerful representation of the work that goes on every single day.”
As Schult adapts to her new role as RFM’s executive director, she is proud of what the organization does to support people experiencing homelessness, those at risk of becoming unhoused, and others who need help. She thanked RFM’s founder, Tammy Iskarous, for her work to create the nonprofit and added that they will continue “rocking and rolling” as they work to support those in need.
“Not until you actually get into the heart of this in a nonprofit like this, of this magnitude, do you actually see the true meaning and the people for who they are and what they need,” Schult added. “It’s starting to get a little deeper than what I even thought it would. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
For more information about Riverbend Family Ministries, including how to receive or give assistance, visit their official website. To learn more about sponsoring or RSVPing for the banquet on Sept. 17, click here.
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
