Two Southern Ill. agencies to merge | Business

(KFVS) - Two Southern Illinois social service agencies announced they have voted to merge their agencies.

John Markley, CEO of The H Group in West Frankfort, Ill. and Karen Freitag, Executive Director of SIRSS in Carbondale, Ill., jointly announced the merger of their staff, funders and community leadership.

"I am pleased our Boards recognized the opportunities posed by this merger," said Markley. "They believe, as do I, that merging our two strong, financially stable agencies will result in a larger, talent-rich agency that will greatly benefit our respective clients and communities."

According to Karen Freitag, Executive Director of SIRSS, this merger ensures that the Southern Illinois communities currently served by The H Group and SIRSS will continue to receive the breadth of services needed.

Both The H Group and the SIRSS grew out of the same organization over 50 years ago, so the merger, effective July 1 of this year, now reunifies the two agencies. The merged agency, which will keep the name of The H Group, will represent the combined primary service of Jackson, Franklin and Williamson Counties, with some services provided beyond those three counties.

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