December 2023
Our donations for December went to Sterling Middle School. Sterling is a Title 1, 5th -8th grade school with 325 students. Many families face financial hardships and typically rely on the Sterling Staff to provide basic supplies for students. Principal Lynn Lane was our speaker.
November 2023
Our November project supported 22VA, which is a group of talented veteran artists who want to help other veterans express themselves through visual and creative arts. 22VA is named for the 22 American veterans who take their own lives every day. Veteran suicide is more than double the rate for the civilian population. Michael Ragan, the founder of 22VA, was our speaker. Michael brought some of the veterans’ artwork for us to view.
September 2023
Our donations for September went to The Sugar Plum Project which is a family mission that started 12 years ago. Speaker Terry Taylor and her family became aware of a critical need for children to have their own bed. For many children this will be the first bed they have to call their own. The Friendship House holds an event in December where the families receive a twin bed and pillow for their children. There are a variety of sheets and blankets available, and the children get to choose what they prefer. The Sugar Plum Project has provided more than 1100 beds over the years. The Sugar Plum Project shares love with these families as well as beds.
July 2023
This summer our donations will be helping EP!C which has been serving people with cognitive differences and their families since 1950. EP!C continues to offer the highest standard of support and care. They are committed to helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at all levels to achieve their goals and live their lives to the fullest. They offer a range of programs and services to provide EP!C individuals with the educational, residential, employment, and clinical resources they need. By empowering participants to live their best life, they enrich their lives, the lives of their family members, and larger Central and Southern Illinois communities.
April 2023
Our donations for April went to Peoria Community Against Violence and CEO Becky Rossman was our speaker. PCAV’s mission is to strengthen our community by providing support, safety, and services to our community members directly impacted by violence. PCAV has a nationally certified crisis response team that responds to homicides and critical incidents involving violence to mitigate trauma. They help with crisis funding for hotels, rental assistance, clothing, food, and toiletries when families are displaced or in danger, assistance with employment, GEDs, basic needs, and whatever else the family needs.
February 2023
Our February project was Boys to Men Empowerment. The director Tre Thompson was our speaker. Tre said the mission of Boys to Men Empowerment is to create a positive environment for young men to empower, enrich, and expose them to different opportunities that will expand their mindset and help shape them into the young men they were created to be. Tre feels the most important core value is exposure. He strongly believes that a young man will become what he is exposed to in life. If all a young man sees is violence, gang banging, drugs, alcohol, etc. those are the type of things that he will engage in. Boys to Men Empowerment wants to expose them to different opportunities that will give them a different perspective on life and really set them up for success.