For over eighteen years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as President of the Heart of Illinois United Way. When I originally accepted this opportunity and moved my family to central Illinois, I had no idea how rewarding it would be, both professionally and personally, to serve in this position. Over the years, with an exceptional team of volunteers and staff, we have collectively transformed our organization from a fundraiser to a community problem solver, identifying and addressing the most critical health and human care needs in our community.

I cannot begin to express my sincere appreciation for all the dedicated and compassionate volunteers, wise and committed Board members, caring and knowledgeable community partners, generous and thoughtful donors, and the opportunity to work with the best United Way staff team in the country.

On August 31, I will retire to spend more time with my wonderful wife Karen and provide this organization the opportunity to hire a new servant leader. This person will continue to work collaboratively with business, labor, civic, and community leaders to positively impact the quality of life for residents in central Illinois.

In the meantime, a very talented search committee has been recruited that will identify and hire an exceptional candidate to serve as your next President. While proud of our past accomplishments, with your continued engagement, generosity and support, I am very excited about the future success of our United Way.

Michael D. Stephan
President, Heart of Illinois United Way

Peoria, IL

After 18 years working devotedly as a President of the Heart of Illinois United Way, Michael Stephan will retire the end of August 2018.

“I cannot begin to express my sincere appreciation for all of the dedicated and compassionate volunteers, wise and committed board members, caring and knowledgeable community partners, generous and thoughtful donors, and the opportunity to work with the best United Way staff team in the country. While proud of our many accomplishments these past 18 years, with the community’s continued engagement, generosity and support, I am very excited about the future success of the Heart of Illinois United Way,” Stephan said. Continue reading →

The Heart of Illinois United Way hosted a Poverty Simulation on March 15 at Dream Center Peoria. More than 100 volunteers and participants were a part of this learning tool to help people understand the reality of living in poverty.

During the simulation, participants role-played the lives of low-income families including TANF recipients, people with disabilities, senior citizens on social security, etc. These participants had to work with volunteers representing various agencies and services to meet their basic needs on a limited monthly budget over the course of four, separate 15-minute sessions that each represented one week of a month living in poverty. Continue reading →