Education
School & supplies
Backpacks, notebooks, school clothes, tutoring support, and fees that let young people walk into class without being marked by their circumstances.
In Memory of Erin Davis Howell · Est. 2017
Helping children and families across southern Illinois.
A 501(c)(3) supporting organization providing sustainable funding for The Night's Shield Children's Shelter — the 24-hour emergency shelter and homeless youth programs that protect unhoused young people ages 11–23 across our 17-county region.
Why We Exist
The numbers behind every shelter bed.
1 in 10
young adults (18–25) experience homelessness in a year.
Many flee abuse, instability, or family rejection. In rural southern Illinois, the gap is widest.
17
counties of southern Illinois served by the partner shelter.
From West Frankfort to the southernmost tip of Illinois — a region where shelter beds are scarce.
Ages 11–23
range of homeless youth welcomed at the shelter.
Pregnant and parenting youth and LGBTQ+ youth are explicitly welcomed and supported.
Our Mission
Quiet, faithful funding for the work of sheltering children.
Erin's Night's Shield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization established in 2017 to provide sustainable, long-term funding for The Night's Shield Children's Shelter and its homeless youth programs — a 24-hour emergency shelter serving unhoused young people ages 11 to 23, including pregnant and parenting youth and LGBTQ+ youth, across 17 counties of southern Illinois.
Founded in loving memory of Erin Davis Howell, we raise funds through community events, sponsorship partnerships, and direct gifts so that the work entrusted to us — sheltering children, supporting parenting youth, and standing with families in crisis — can plan and serve with confidence for generations to come.
A gift to the foundation is, in its essence, an investment in possibility: the conviction that no child in our region should face a night without shelter. Every gift becomes a seed for community impact that endures long beyond the moment it is given.
Where Your Gift Goes
Daily needs. Lasting dignity.
Your support funds the daily essentials that turn a shelter bed into a place of dignity, safety, and possibility.
Daily care
Food, clothing & hygiene
Meals, seasonal clothing, toiletries, and the steady supply of basics that turn a shelter bed into a place of dignity and safety.
Stability
Medical & parenting
Medical co-pays, prescriptions, parenting classes for pregnant and parenting youth, and the wraparound support families need to stay safe.
Our Signature Event
Bocce Fun Day, Herrin, Illinois.
A day of friendly competition, food, raffle prizes, and fellowship — and the cornerstone of our annual fundraising.
Play. Sponsor. Show up.
Each fall we gather at the historic Herrin Bocce Courts for our signature fundraiser. Friendly, family-friendly, and the dollars raised at the courts translate directly into shelter beds, school supplies, and warm meals for unhoused youth.
Individual, team, court, and tournament sponsorships available each season. Contact the foundation for the next event date.
Generous Court Sponsors
Koerner Distributor, Inc.
R. Hendrick Construction
D&C Heating & Cooling
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
SIU Credit Union
Teddy's Sports Bar & Grill
Connor Co.
The Door Doctor
And the dozens of individual donors, raffle contributors, and volunteers who make every fall season possible.
Leadership
Volunteer board, local roots.
A small group of southern Illinois neighbors who believe no child should face homelessness alone.
Judy Davis
President & Founder
Judy established the foundation in 2017 in loving memory of her daughter, Erin Davis Howell. She brings decades of experience in homeless youth services and leads the foundation's fundraising, donor stewardship, and community partnerships.
Laurie Pugh
Vice President
Laurie helps lead the foundation's fundraising operations and is a long-time southern Illinois community advocate, with deep roots in the West Frankfort area.
Sara Bond
Director
Sara serves as Director on the foundation's board and oversees community partnerships, volunteer coordination, and event logistics for Bocce Fun Day.
Ways to Give
Every gift, large or small, builds the shield.
Six ways to support the foundation. Please reach out to discuss which best reflects your intentions.
Outright Gift
Cash, check, or appreciated securities. The simplest way to support the foundation. Make checks payable to Erin's Night's Shield Foundation.
Event Sponsorship
Sponsor a Bocce Fun Day court ($250), tournament ($1,000), or team ($500). Individual / business sponsorship from $150.
Bequest in Will
Name the foundation as a beneficiary in your will or living trust — a meaningful way to leave a lasting legacy of compassion.
IRA Charitable Rollover
Donors aged 70½+ may make a Qualified Charitable Distribution from a traditional IRA, satisfying RMDs while supporting our mission.
Donor-Advised Fund
If you maintain a DAF, recommend a grant to Erin's Night's Shield Foundation using our EIN 81-4410406.
Play or Volunteer
Register for Bocce Fun Day as a $30 individual or $120 team — or volunteer at registration, raffle, food service, or event setup.
Our Stewardship
Lean. Faithful. Verifiable.
Erin's Night's Shield Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Our annual Form 990-EZ filings are public record and may be verified through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search or ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer using our EIN 81-4410406.
We operate with the modesty appropriate to a small supporting organization: a lean administrative footprint, volunteer leadership, and a steady commitment to keeping costs low so that more of every gift reaches the children the mission is given to serve.
Foundation facts
Legal status501(c)(3) public charity
EIN81-4410406
IRS Pub 78Tax-deductible
NTEE classificationL41 — Homeless, Temp Shelter
Year established2017
PresidentJudy Davis
HeadquarteredWest Frankfort, Illinois
A child's future is built one safe night at a time.
Mail a check, sponsor a court, register a team, or simply share our work with someone who cares. Every gesture is part of the shield.
Reach Out TodayContact
Get in touch.
Erin's Night's Shield Foundation NFP
302 East Charles Street
West Frankfort, IL 62896
United States
For sponsorship inquiries, donation acknowledgement letters, or Bocce Fun Day registration questions, please contact Judy Davis. Checks should be made payable to Erin's Night's Shield Foundation.