O'Fallon Fire Department Brings Holiday Joy to Adults With Developmental Disabilities 

O'FALLON/BELLEVILLE - The holidays will be much more merry and bright for some adults with developmental disabilities, thanks to a generous donation of $1,200 from the O’Fallon Fire Department. This generous gift to Caritas Family Solutions’ Secret Santa program will ensure residents in the Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA) program have Christmas presents to open this year.

“My daughter works at Caritas, and she asked me to share a post on Facebook about the Secret Santa program,” said Brad White, Chief of the O’Fallon Fire Department. “I shared it with the 44 departments in the county, and as I looked into it more, I realized this is a program we need to support. We decided to donate to the CILA program because we have firefighters who have family members with special needs, both adults and kids. For our department, which is mostly made up of volunteers, it was just the natural thing to do to help people who need it.”

White says the O’Fallon Fire Department has supported Caritas for the last year, attending events and even donating toys and games to kids in need this past summer. With the holidays approaching, White says it’s the perfect time to lend another helping hand.

FREE 5-Year Labor Warranty

Shop Local

King Air Conditioning & Heating

Get This Deal →

“It’s Christmas, everybody deserves to have that day they can just celebrate and have a good time,” said White. “Most people are better off and more blessed than they realize, like having a roof over their head and worrying about eating too much during the holidays instead of how they’re going to afford their next meal. I don’t think enough people truly understand the enormous number of people in our area and nationwide who just need a helping hand. If you take a moment and look around, there’s an organization or group like Caritas out there that’s always looking to help people in need, and they need our support.”

The O’Fallon Fire Department is currently working with Caritas Family Solutions to organize an opportunity for foster children and adults with developmental disabilities to tour the station for a field trip, and the department will continue to support the nonprofit in the future. For more information about the Secret Santa program or to donate, visit our website: www.caritasfamilysolutions.org/secretsanta

Founded in 1947, Caritas Family Solutions is a nonprofit social service agency whose mission is to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families in order to create healthy relationships, loving homes, and strong communities. Services include adoption, foster care, intact families, counseling, residential treatment for children healing from abuse and/or neglect, youth emergency shelter, substance use treatment, independent living and employment services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (CILA), and mental health housing and supportive services. Caritas serves more than 6,500 individuals annually across Southern Illinois from offices located in Belleville, Carterville, Mount Vernon, Waterloo, Olney, Glen Carbon, Alton, and Effingham, as well as satellite locations in Highland and Sparta. For additional information, visit www.caritasfamilysolutions.org.

More like this:

Jaydon York Honored After Child Recovery in Shiloh

Yesterday

Gastroenterology Care in O’Fallon, IL., Expands With New Provider

Jun 15, 2026

Guilty Plea Filed In 'OFallon Woman’s 2023 Death

Jun 12, 2026

Woman Hospitalized After Gunfire Erupts At Residence

Jun 5, 2026

Construction Worker Dies After Shiloh Crash

5 days ago