Madison County Catholic Charities "Help on the Move" Online Auction

Madison County Catholic Charities would like to recognize Al Womack for his continued support to our community by presenting him with the Father Quilligan Award

Father Quilligan was very active with Catholic Charities.  Many years of his priesthood were devoted to Catholic Charities and the children we served in Alton and the surrounding areas. He was always one to be the first in our community to step up to the plate and help those in need. He had a very compassionate heart and trusted in the Lord to guide him to do his will.  His example set high standards for Catholic Charities and in his honor, we present this award every year to an outstanding person or couple who has followed in his footsteps to make this a better community.

Al Womack has been a community leader and a tireless advocate for children in the Greater Alton Community for over 22 years.  A lifelong resident of Alton and a 1989 graduate from Alton High School, Al went on to receive his bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Central State University in Ohio where he also continued his stellar football career. 

In 1997, Al was named the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Alton and from that day forward “The Club” really took off.

With its main facility located at the Catholic Children’s Home, the Boys & Girls of Alton expanded its satellite presence throughout the city and over the next couple of decades provided critical after school programs for thousands of youth.  The Club’s core program areas include Character & Leadership Development, Education & Career Development, Health & Life Skills, The Arts, Sports and Fitness & Recreation. Under Al’s unending leadership, advocacy, fundraising and mentoring, countless children have been kept off the streets and been given positive guidance, structure, love and most of all, hope for the future.  The Club has served as a beacon of light for so many children living in poverty and otherwise disadvantaged circumstances. There are over 1300 kids who are currently active members of the Boys & Girls Club of Alton. This past year The Club has moved to its main facilities to a new location at 2512 Amelia Street in Alton.

Al’s community involvement has been extensive.  He has served on the Alton Education Foundation Board, the Madison-Bond Workforce Investment Act Board, Alton Memorial Hospital Community Benefits Committee, the Alton High Wall of Fame Committee and the Catholic Children’s Home Board.  Al has also volunteered his time at Beverly Farms, the American Diabetes Association and Godfrey Parks & Recreation.  Al has also served as an Assistant Football Coach at Alton High for 17 years.

In addition to receiving tonight’s Father Quilligan Community Service award from Catholic Charities, Al has also received the Elijah P. Lovejoy Human Rights Award, the S.I.U.E. Dr. Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award and the Illinois Association of Club Women Mentoring Award.

Madison County Catholic Charities would like to thank Al and congratulate him for his outstanding achievements and contributions to the community!

Madison County Catholic Charities would like to posthumously recognize David Harrison for his continued support to our community by presenting him with the Mary Alyce Beardslee Award       

Mary Alyce Beardslee was an employee with Catholic Charities, devoting many years of her life to the agency and the children we served through our adoption and foster care program in Granite City and the surrounding areas.  In honor of Mary Alyce, Catholic Charities presents this award every year to an outstanding person or couple who has followed in her footsteps to make this a better community.

For almost twenty years, David Harrison was tasked with assisting people experiencing homelessness in Madison County. He took that responsibility to heart, as those of you who worked with him can attest. He never lost sight of the mission, and he never became jaded toward the population he served.

As coordinator of Community Development’s homeless prevention program, he had full time duties managing grant money and a staff, but he was also involved in many other related activities, both local and regional. He was chairperson of the Continuum of Care or Madison County Partnership to End Homelessness, co-chair of the newly formed St. Louis Area Regional Commission on Homelessness (SLARCH), and a board member of the Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) and co-chair of its governance committee. Many of you know him from Point in Time counts, which often found him climbing around under underpasses on bitter nights in January, or Project Homeless Connect, providing one-stop services to the homeless. In 2018, the Good Samaritan House, for which he had served as board chairman, presented him with an award for his dedication and service to that organization. When he died suddenly last May, he was working with others to try to get Good Samaritan re-opened and also on the creation of overnight warming centers in Madison County for our extreme winter weather.

Last fall, SHPA created an award in his name, the David A. Harrison “Good, Better, Best” Award that will annually honor a member who embodies Dave’s leadership, humanitarianism, and public service. His wife and son have established a scholarship, the David A. Harrison Award, for the Social Work student most interested in homelessness issues at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Madison County Catholic Charities would like to sincerely thank David Harrison for going above and beyond for his community! 

Still today, staff talk about what they learned from him.  He had a genuine heart for helping others and his passion was contagious.  He continues to be greatly missed.