As thousands of children in Illinois await adoption, one Barrington nonprofit is doing its part to find them permanent homes.
Let It Be Us operates out of a small office at 145 W. Main St. in Barrington, but it has big goals as it seeks to match children and teens with loving families.
Ten years ago, Barrington resident Susan McConnell founded the organization, which specializes in “innovative solutions for foster care and adoption.”
“I realized that there were a lot of children who were waiting and that there were a lot of families who wanted to be involved,” said McConnell, the organization’s executive director.
McConnell and members of the organization’s board of directors know firsthand about the adoption experience.
Three of McConnell’s four grown children are adopted.
Barrington resident Jim Haufschild, who is on the executive committee as treasurer, and wife Sally are the adoptive parents of 21-year-old Tracy, who was placed with them when she was 6 months old. Tracy now attends Illinois State University.
Another member of the Let It Be Us board, Tower Lakes resident Carolyne Osterhues, along with her husband Mark, are parents to five children.
In Illinois, according to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), there are 18,654 children in care, including 2,841 who have the goal of adoption.
During the last fiscal year, 2,184 Illinois children were adopted.
“We have seen over the past five years an increase in the number of hotline reports, in the number of cases being investigated, and then ultimately in the number of youth that are coming into care,” DCFS Director Heidi Mueller said.
Let It Be Us, which places children across the state for both foster care and adoption, works on about 100 cases per month. The group’s 2023 annual report boasts a database of more than 1,200 Illinois foster homes.
In 2023, the organization launched an emergency foster care program in partnership with Shelter Inc.
The group also has a contract with DCFS, helping the state agency recruit foster parents as well as provide one-on-one coaching from licensing specialists who aid prospective foster families navigating the system.
“They do great work for us,” Mueller said. “There really is a need for good, culturally responsive foster parents who can support the needs of our kids in care, and there is a national shortage of foster parents, so that role as a recruiter is critically important.”
Mueller said Let It Be Us is able to recruit Spanish-speaking homes and those where American Sign Language is understood.
Jim & Sally Haufschild at their home in Barrington
“The most satisfying part is seeing kids get in homes and seeing them get in the placement that is the best placement for them,” McConnell said.
Let It Be Us has a $1 million budget, receiving its funding through donations and grants.
“There is a misconception that children in the foster care system have a host of social, emotional and physical problems, but reality is they are strong, resilient warriors who simply want a safe, loving home,” Carolyne Osterhues said.
In 2002, when a friend suggested Osterhues and her husband consider becoming licensed foster parents, they were hesitant.
Over more than 20 years, they opened their home to 22 children, making it a permanent home for five: Kyle, 26; Colby, 24; Emily, 19; Lamar, 15; and Megan, 7.
“I was worried about getting too attached, but that’s exactly what these children need,” Osterhues said. “They need someone to show them what healthy love looks like.”
