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Gateway Family Services Of Illinois

Gateway Family Services of Illinois empowers families through mental health support, education, and community resources, fostering healing and resilience for individuals facing emotional and psychological challenges.

Fall In Friday is a free, weekly equine-assisted support group for veterans &mdash; no referrals, no prior authorizations, no waitlists. Just show up. Your gift keeps it that way. The problem: Veterans who need help the most are often stopped before they start.The system that&#39;s supposed to serve our veterans is layered with barriers &mdash; referrals, prior authorizations, insurance verification, waiting lists, intake paperwork, and eligibility reviews. Every one of those barriers gives someone a reason to give up before they ever walk through a door. For a veteran already struggling with isolation, trauma, or thoughts of suicide, that red tape isn&#39;t an inconvenience. It&#39;s a wall. Fall In Friday removes every single one of those barriers. No referral. No insurance. No paperwork. No waiting. Just a barn, a horse, a circle of veterans who understand, and a team that shows up every week &mdash; rain or shine. &quot;It&#39;s the best part of my week.&quot;One year ago, he had nothing left. The weight of what he&#39;d carried &mdash; the isolation, the sleepless nights, the feeling that no one could possibly understand &mdash; had pushed him to a place where he didn&#39;t see a way forward. Suicide felt like the only door left.Then someone told him about Fall In Friday.He wasn&#39;t asked for a referral. He didn&#39;t need prior authorization or referral. He just showed up &mdash; and found a horse who didn&#39;t need an explanation, and a circle of veterans who already understood.That was a year ago. Today, he plans his vacations around it.&quot;It&#39;s what keeps me going each week. It&#39;s the best part of my week. It&#39;s the only time I feel I can truly relax.&quot;He knows that every Friday, without fail, there is a group of people who get it &mdash; who will sit with him no matter what he&#39;s carrying. His equine partner. His fellow veterans. A place that asks nothing of him except that he show up. What it costs to keep the barn open. Fall In Friday is free for every veteran who walks through the gate. But it isn&#39;t free to run. Every session costs approximately $1,050 &mdash; covering our clinical team, support staff, equine professional, and the food that makes every Friday feel like a community.&nbsp; Here&#39;s what goes into every Fall In Friday:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">10 Professional Staff &mdash; $950</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Food and supplies &mdash; ~$80</li></ul>Fall In Friday runs 48 weeks a year. That&#39;s $50,400 raised entirely through community support &mdash; people like you who believe our veterans deserve access to healing without having to fight for it.&nbsp;What happens without you?Without consistent community support, Fall In Friday doesn&#39;t happen. The barn stays closed. The circle doesn&#39;t form. And a veteran who was planning to show up &mdash; who maybe adjusted his whole week around it &mdash; has nowhere to go. For some veterans, that Friday is the thing keeping them here. We don&#39;t say that lightly.&nbsp; Gateway Family Services of Illinois is a trauma-informed, equine-assisted mental health nonprofit based in Potomac, IL. We serve veterans, children, families, and individuals across East Central Illinois &mdash; in English and Spanish. <div data-state="closed" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div> <div fr-original-style="height: 0px;" style="height: 0px; line-height: 1.5; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div><div data-chat-input-container="true" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><div data-state="closed" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div><div fr-original-style="width: 20px; height: 20px; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;" style="width: 20px; height: 20px; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div><div data-alert-band-wrapper="true" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div><div data-testid="voice-audio-visualizer" fr-original-style="width: 150%; aspect-ratio: 4 / 1; opacity: 0;" style="width: 150%; aspect-ratio: 4 / 1; opacity: 0; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"> </div></div>

Fall In Friday is a free, weekly equine-assisted support group for veterans — no referrals, no prior authorizations, no waitlists. Just show up. Your gift keeps it that way.The problem: Veterans who need help the most are often stopped before they start.The system that's supposed to serve our veterans is layered with barriers — referrals, prior authorizations, insurance verification, waiting lists, intake paperwork, and eligibility reviews. Every one of those barriers gives someone a reason to give up before they ever walk through a door.For a veteran already struggling with isolation, trauma, or thoughts of suicide, that red tape isn't an inconvenience. It's a wall.Fall In Friday removes every single one of those barriers. No referral. No insurance. No paperwork. No waiting. Just a barn, a horse, a circle of veterans who understand, and a team that shows up every week — rain or shine."It's the best part of my week."One year ago, he had nothing left. The weight of what he'd carried — the isolation, the sleepless nights, the feeling that no one could possibly understand — had pushed him to a place where he didn't see a way forward. Suicide felt like the only door left.Then someone told him about Fall In Friday.He wasn't asked for a referral. He didn't need prior authorization or referral. He just showed up — and found a horse who didn't need an explanation, and a circle of veterans who already understood.That was a year ago. Today, he plans his vacations around it."It's what keeps me going each week. It's the best part of my week. It's the only time I feel I can truly relax."He knows that every Friday, without fail, there is a group of people who get it — who will sit with him no matter what he's carrying. His equine partner. His fellow veterans. A place that asks nothing of him except that he show up.What it costs to keep the barn open. Fall In Friday is free for every veteran who walks through the gate. But it isn't free to run. Every session costs approximately $1,050 — covering our clinical team, support staff, equine professional, and the food that makes every Friday feel like a community. Here's what goes into every Fall In Friday:10 Professional Staff — $950Food and supplies — ~$80Fall In Friday runs 48 weeks a year. That's $50,400 raised entirely through community support — people like you who believe our veterans deserve access to healing without having to fight for it. What happens without you?Without consistent community support, Fall In Friday doesn't happen. The barn stays closed. The circle doesn't form. And a veteran who was planning to show up — who maybe adjusted his whole week around it — has nowhere to go. For some veterans, that Friday is the thing keeping them here. We don't say that lightly. Gateway Family Services of Illinois is a trauma-informed, equine-assisted mental health nonprofit based in Potomac, IL. We serve veterans, children, families, and individuals across East Central Illinois — in English and Spanish.

Every veteran deserves a place to fall in — no red tape required.

Join us for an unforgettable evening inspired by a tradition rooted in community and connection &mdash; reimagined in the lush, meaningful color of green. This is a night of celebration, community, and compassion, where every detail at your table tells a story &mdash; and yours could win.This ticket confirms your seat at one of the most anticipated evenings of the year. Your host will be your guide &mdash; communication about the event, including text message clues in the days leading up to September 5th, will be shared through them as you track down the secret location together.Venue &amp; seating &mdash; Gateway provides the venue, tables, and chairs. Doors open at 5:00 pm for table setup. Catered dinner &mdash; A delicious meal served for all guests. Live music &mdash; An evening soundtrack to set the mood. Secret location reveal &mdash; Text clues delivered to your host in the week leading up to the event.No linens are provided &mdash; and that&#39;s the point. Each table is responsible for bringing all decorations, tableware, and linens. Think of it as your group&#39;s chance to create something unforgettable in green.Table decoration competition &mdash; two awards up for grabs:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Most extravagant: Go all out. Spare nothing.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Most unique: Surprise us. Think beyond the obvious.</li></ul>Why it mattersGreen is the color of mental health awareness &mdash; and F&ecirc;te en Vert is an evening dedicated to what that means in practice. Your registration directly supports compassionate care for individuals and families across our community. Every ticket helps ensure that finances are never a barrier to healing. Want to make an even greater impact?Consider becoming a F&ecirc;te en Vert sponsor. For as little as $750, your business or organization can be recognized as an official Gateway sponsor &mdash; with your name on centerpieces, recognition on our website and social media, and more. Sponsorship opportunities are available at The Advocate ($750), The Restorer ($1,000), and The Healer ($2,500) levels.Contact us at <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:michael@gatewayfamilyservices.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">michael@gatewayfamilyservices.org</a> to discuss a sponsorship that fits you! Healing happens in relationship. No one in Central Illinois should have to find it alone. Gateway Family Services of Illinois is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Fete en Vert 2026

This Christmas, you can give a gift that never stops giving.Come to the barn. Experience the hope, joy, and peace the season was always meant to bring &mdash; and leave knowing your presence helped heal a child, restore a family, and strengthen our community all year long.Hope begins here.Free. Open to all.✨ Over 1 million Christmas lights 🐴 Meet our horses &amp; donkey 🎄 60+ hand-crafted displays ☕ Hot cocoa &amp; cookies 🏆 Silent auction 🧩 Sensory-sensitive session available &mdash; <a fr-original-style="" href="https://form.123formbuilder.com/6779964/sensory-sensitive-christmas-registration-2026" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">RSVP here</a>📅 Join us this December: Tue Dec 1st &mdash; Sponsor Only Event Wed Dec 2nd &mdash; Open to Public, 5&ndash;8pm Thu Dec 3rd &mdash; Open to Public, 5&ndash;8pm Fri Dec 4th &mdash; Open to Public, 5&ndash;8pm Sat Dec 5th &mdash; Sensory-Sensitive Session, 10am&ndash;2pm (RSVP required) Sat Dec 5th &mdash; Open to Public, 4&ndash;8pm📍 7757 US HWY 136, Potomac, IL 61865 🌐 christmasinthebarn.orgBenefiting Gateway Family Services of Illinois &amp; Hooves of Hope

Christmas in the Barn 2026--Hope Begins Here

Welcome to Christmas in the Barn Silent Auction 🎄🐴 Your bids help ensure individuals and families can access trauma-focused care with horses, EMDR, art, play, sandtray, and nature-based therapy regardless of their ability to pay. Every item you win supports real sessions for children, teens, adults, and veterans in Central Illinois who are working to heal in safe, trusted relationships at Gateway Family Services of Illinois.

Gateway Family Services Of Illinois

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Fete en Vert 2026

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Christmas in the Barn 2026--Hope Begins Here

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Christmas in the Barn Silent Auction

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Every veteran deserves a place to fall in — no red tape required.

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