Every child deserves a safe person, a safe place, and a safe community.
The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children is an all-volunteer foundation that bridges the gap for abused, abandoned and neglected kids across Southern Illinois — with no state or federal funding, and no overhead standing between your donation and a child in crisis.
We fill the gap other funding can't reach.
Founded in 1999 by former U.S. Congressman Glenn Poshard and his wife Jo, the Foundation was built on one idea: when an agency hits a wall — a child needs a crib, a car seat, a counseling session, a bed of their own — we say yes, fast, with no red tape. We're housed at John A. Logan College, run entirely by volunteers, and take no state or federal grant dollars.
When agencies hit a wall
Car seats, beds, clothing, school supplies, and trauma counseling — funded directly when no other resource will cover it.
A Christmas under the tree
Every December, thousands of new toys and gifts reach hundreds of identified abused, abandoned and neglected children.
Pantries & scholarships
Annual grants to area food pantries and scholarships for students who overcame childhood adversity to attend SIU Carbondale.
Vigilance can't stop at the end of April.
Child abuse exists year-round in Southern Illinois. Each spring, the Foundation distributes grants to dozens of local agencies to mark Prevention Month — and reminds the region that the work continues every other month, too.
"It has been our mission for twenty-six years to help the abandoned, neglected and abused children of Southern Illinois return to a more normal childhood." — Glenn Poshard, Co-Founder
Read the latest grant announcement
Your gift goes straight to a child in crisis.
No overhead. No middleman. Just the Foundation, John A. Logan College, and the kids of Southern Illinois.
Make a Donation