Peoria, IL- The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved the Distribution Committee’s recommendation to fund 23 grant proposals during the September 2011 funding cycle, granting in excess of $82,000.

“In an economy where every single charitable dollar is critically important, we are pleased to provide more than $82,000.00 in funding to 23 worthy organizations in Central Illinois”- Mark Roberts, CEO, Community Foundation of Central Illinois.

The following non-profit organizations received funding during the September 2011 Community Grants cycle:

The American Cancer Society, IL Division, Inc. was awarded $5000 for: Patient Navigation program from the Caterpillar Community Leadership Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

The American Red Cross was awarded $7150 for: Youth Education program from the Fontaine Earle Fund.

Bureau County Health and Wellness Clinic NFP, Inc. was awarded $5000 for: Primary Medical Services for Uninsured & Low Income clients from the Community Impact Fund.

The Center For Prevention of Abuse was awarded $2500 for: Making Our Shelter a Home: Protecting Victims of Violence from Bed Bugs from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

Central Illinois Youth Symphony was awarded $1050 for: Trumpet Masters Class & Clinics from the George A. Fulton Charitable Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Common Place, Inc. was awarded $5388 for: Soul Expression from the Robert W. Leu Family Charitable Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Crittenton Center was awarded $3700 for: High Reach Curriculum from the Pete and Mildred Donis Charitable Fund, the Cilcorp Education Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Easter Seals was awarded $4125 for: Care Coordination and Counseling Services-CIOAT from the Scott Heimdal Fund.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois was awarded $3000 for: Automated External Defibrilators for Camp Tapawingo from the Thomas and Ellen Foster Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Heart of Illinois Harvest was awarded $1186 for: Transportation of Donated Food from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

Mental Health Association of Illinois Valley was awarded $2840 for: Mental Health Matters-Community Education program from the Whitney Grotts Endowment Fund.

Methodist Medical Center of Illinois was awarded $3700 for: Healthy Living from the Sandra and Richard Ullman Unrestricted Charitable Fund.

PARC was awarded $2554 for: Young Adults Educational program from the Mental Health Remembrance Leadership Fund, the Thomas and Ellen Foster Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Peoria Ballet was awarded $4000 for: Sugar Plum Dreams from the Russell F. & Eleanor Sikes Peters Performing Arts Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Peoria Promise Foundation was awarded $5000 for: Year 4 Funding from the Yeomans Fund.

Peoria Symphony Orchestra was awarded $5000 for: Educational Outreach for 2011-2012 Season from the Louis and Selma Neumiller Fund, the Mildred L. Arends Musical & Cultural Activities Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Special Olympics Illinois was awarded $1663 for: Young Athletes from the William L & Mary E. Kella Fund, the Marion & Warren Bohner Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

TEEN Challenge was awarded $656.28 for: Stay Sharp from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

University of Illinois Springfield was awarded $8855 for: UIS Conservation Academy from the CFCI Community Works Endowment Fund, the Stephen A. & Bonnie Gosselin Community Works Fund, and the Rinkenberger Community Works Fund.

Westminster Infant Care Center was awarded $2800 for: Transportation program from the Ross E. and Susan M. Canterbury Fund and the For the Family Fund.

Why Not Now? Inc was awarded $1700 for: A New Dock from the Louise Flora Howard Memorial Fund and the Marion and Warren Bohner Fund.

Women's Pregnancy Center was awarded $4200 for: Classes for Cribs program from the Caterpillar Community Leadership Fund.

YWCA of Pekin was awarded $1667 for: Living with Literature-Writing Our Stories program from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

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Editor’s Note: The Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) has served Central Illinois for more than 23 years. Formed in 1988 as the Peoria Area Community Foundation, CFCI supports positive initiatives and innovative approaches to addressing the changing needs of our region.

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois’ Mission:
To serve as a philanthropic resource committed to Connecting People Who Care with Causes That Matter.
www.communityfoundationci.org

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois Responds to Increased Demands on Local Food Banks, Announces $36,000 in Year-end Grants; Total Local Impact to Exceed $58,000.

PEORIA- In response to the increased demands on local food banks, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) announced today the distribution of $36,000 in year-end grants to help three local non-profit organizations provide food to needy children and families this holiday season. CFCI will make three $12,000 grants to benefit the Salvation Army Food Pantry, the Peoria Area Food Bank, and Midwest Food Bank. The grants are being made by CFCI from the RLI Corporate Fund.

Directors from each of the food banks took part in a news conference held at the Salvation Army’s Food Warehouse, communicating the impact these grants will have on their programs. Larry Herman, Director of the Midwest Food Bank said, “Midwest Food Bank is humbled by the investment that RLI is making into our local community. This funding will allow MFB to continue to sit at the table of those we serve and freely give food items that reap the most benefit. The impact will also benefit the growth of the Tender Mercies program, which offers high fiber and protein. Tender Mercies can feed a family of 4 for less than .50 cents and also bring a better variety of healthy choices to our offerings. Thank you RLI.”

“This grant will aid us greatly in continuing our efforts to combat “food insecurity” in our area, to make sure no-one goes hungry and provide us the ability to develop our newly formed programs”, stated McFarland A. Bragg II, President/CEO, Peoria Area Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc. “These funds will enable the food bank to concentrate on providing more nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables to our pantries. We are extremely grateful for the support we receive from community organizations, businesses and individuals. Thank you.”

“This news was definitely an answer to a prayer,” said Major Evie Diaz, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army. “In November, our food pantry provided over 9,900 meals- the most in any single month in well over 4 years.” “We are extremely grateful to RLI and its employees for their caring and compassion for those we serve.’ said Diaz. “What a wonderful gesture, especially at this time of year. We can’t thank RLI enough.”

In addition, the $12,000 grant to Peoria Area Food Bank specifically helps to meet the Our Children Are Hungry Challenge Grant Opportunity from the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF). ILCHF has committed to matching dollar for dollar, up to $15,000, any new dollars raised to provide food to children and their families through the winter months of December 2001 – March 2011. In addition, the employees of RLI, through their Holiday fundraising effort, recently contributed $7,631 to Peoria Area Food Bank, helping to meet, and exceed, the matching requirement for the ILCHF grant.

“The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is pleased to play a role in leveraging corporate, foundation, and private support to help meet the needs of hungry children and their families in our community”, said Mark Roberts, CFCI’s CEO. “We thank RLI for their outstanding corporate philanthropy in partnering with the Community Foundation to make these grants possible and the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation for developing the Our Children Are Hungry Challenge Grant Opportunity. Most especially, we say thank you to RLI’s employees for their overwhelming generosity in donating over $7600 to the Peoria Area Food Bank, helping to ensure our success in obtaining the ILCHF grant”.

“RLI established our fund with the Central Illinois Community Foundation to support worthy community initiatives”, said Jonathan E. Michael, CEO & President of RLI. “We are pleased that RLI’s employee and company efforts could come together with these grants to provide valuable support to those in need.”

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois Awards $5.1 Million in Charitable Support during the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year.

Peoria, IL- The Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) is pleased to announce that it awarded over $5.1 million in grants and scholarships to support charitable causes during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Mark Roberts, CFCI’s CEO, stated “at a time when every charitable dollar is critically important, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois is pleased to be able to positively impact the quality of life in our community. Above all else, we are grateful to our generous fund holders and other donors who work with CFCI to accomplish their philanthropic goals.”

The $5.1 million figure includes over $1.5 million granted from CFCI’s unrestricted, field of interest, and donor-advised funds, as well as more than $3.5 million distributed from The Depository. The Depository, commonly described as a “charitable checking account”, enables donors to easily make charitable gifts by donating appreciated securities.

The mission of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois is to serve as a philanthropic resource committed to Connecting People Who Care with Causes That Matter. Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create permanent charitable funds that help our community meet the challenges of changing times. The role of the foundation is to invest and administers these funds through community granting programs and individual or private giving.

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is overseen by a volunteer board of leading citizens and operated by professionals with expertise in identifying community needs and grantmaking.

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Editor’s Note: The Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) has served Central Illinois for over 22 years. Formed in 1988 as the Peoria Area Community Foundation, CFCI supports positive initiatives and innovative approaches to addressing the changing needs of our region.

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois’ Mission:
To serve as a philanthropic resource committed to Connecting People Who Care with Causes That Matter.

www.communityfoundationci.org