Congratulations to our 2023 McCord Philanthropists of the Year, Ron and Michelle Carrothers, who have been leadership donors and active volunteers for the Heart of Illinois United Way for more than 20 years. Michelle has served as an allocation volunteer, board member, Power of the Purse chair, and co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet’s medical division. Ron served on the Success By 6 committee and has volunteered for many of our United Way events and partner agencies.

In addition to their support of United Way, Michelle has served our community through 40 years of service at OSF and numerous other nonprofit boards. Ron, who is a retired teacher and basketball coach with more than 30 years of experience has always worked to give back to the community through his career and teaching.

“We feel extremely blessed to have been able to live and serve in the Peoria area these past 45 years. They want to thank all of you for your support of the United Way and pray that, together, we continue to touch and enrich people’s lives,” Carrothers said.

Established in 2007, the Heart of Illinois United Way’s Philanthropist of the Year award recognizes members of the Tocqueville Society who are committed to the health and well-being of central Illinois. The award honors individuals for their leadership, dedication, and inspiration – thereby creating a lasting impact on the quality of life in our community.

In 2018, the United Way renamed this annual award as the McCord Philanthropists of the Year to recognize the legacy of my parents, Michel and Kay McCord and to honor my family’s long-standing support of central Illinois.

(L-R) Board Chair Robert Gates, Dr. Jon Neidy, President Jennifer Zammuto

Dr. Jon Neidy is the 2023 Hoot Gibson Award honoree for community volunteerism in support of the Heart of Illinois United Way.

Jon’s time with the HOI United Way began in 2006 with his service on a Fund Distribution Committee.  From developing outcome benchmarks, drafting applications and scoring rubrics, training partner agencies, and engaging follow HOIUW volunteers, Jon has been instrumental in the foundational work of the allocation process.  Jon’s commitment to HOIUW was elevated in 2022 as he joined the Solution Council and co-chairs the Education Impact Area.  In this role, Jon is currently leading a Fund Distribution Exploratory Committee to evaluate the HOIUW fund distribution process, determine if it sufficiently aligns with HOIUW strategic goals and objectives and community needs, and suggest improvements and/or process redesign as necessary.

Jon is a graduate of MacMurray College with Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a graduate of Bradley University with a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.  Education is one of Jon’s passions as he obtained his PH.D. in Higher Education Administration from Illinois State University.  Since 1998, Jon has had successful tenure with Bradley University holding various prestigious positions.  In October 2022, Jon accepted the position of VP of Student Success at Illinois Central College and to support students in all services, processes and systems at ICC; including outcomes assessment and improvement.

Jon’s approach to leadership and volunteering includes a profound belief in goal setting and the assessment of learning. He is adept at fostering a strong sense of community and presenting data in ways that help organizations change. He thinks of himself as a staff-engager, order-bringer, and experience-designer.  Jon not only shares his talents with United Way but has incorporated his strengths in community service work with Goodwill and Acorn Equality Fund – an LGBTQ+ scholarship and grant fund.

Most evident of Jon’s skills and talents is his ability to develop relationships with others.  Jon is a person you want in the room and on your team!  His active engagement, energy, and enthusiasm is having a lasting and positive impact on our community.

About the Hoot Gibson Award

Since 1985, the Heart of Illinois United Way has recognized a volunteer who spends countless hours working without fanfare to help others. Our annual Hoot Gibson Award is presented in memory of Horace J. “Hoot” Gibson, Jr. who pursued his goals in a quiet, determined matter, caring little if others knew of his accomplishments. In addition to serving on our health committee and as board secretary, Hoot’s hard work helped the Heart of Illinois United Way transition our allocation process to address prioritized needs. His leadership is the basis of how we continue to fund vital needs today.

This year marks our 10th anniversary of our partnership with Advanced Medical Transport of Central Illinois to provide 2-1-1 to people in need. Each year, more than 10,000 calls to 2-1-1 connect people to critical services to help them lead stable lives. And during times of crisis, such as the tornado in 2013 and the first year of the recent pandemic, 2-1-1 has stepped up to help people connect with services and resources when they don’t know where to turn. We celebrated with the AMT team at our Women United event on May 4.

For more information on our Heart of Illinois 2-1-1 service, visit hoi211.org

The Heart of Illinois United Way has proven time and again that we are built to support central Illinois in times like these. Through our Community Impact Fund, we are able to adapt to changing needs while providing a solid foundation of services year-round.

Each year, hundreds of local companies and organizations participate in our annual campaign. In 2022, there were eight new corporate gifts and 15 new employee campaigns; 19 corporate gifts increased by 10% or more and 36 organizations increased donations by 10% or more. Additionally, 12 of our 42 partner agencies increased their employee campaigns by 5% or more. In total, the 2022 Heart of Illinois United Way Campaign raised $9,003,424.

“To raise more than $9 million over the past year in a community the size of central Illinois is an incredible achievement. The Heart of Illinois United Way does not do this work alone. For a century, teams of nonprofits, volunteers, and donors have generously worked together to create sustainable impact on the education, financial stability, and health needs of central Illinois,” Dr. Keith Knepp, President of UnityPoint Health-Central Illinois and 2022 Campaign Chair, said.

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Kate Green, Executive Director of Home for All Continuum of Care

Home for All Continuum of Care, a part of the Heart of Illinois United Way, is preparing for temperatures to drop and the need for warmth and shelter to rise.

“Rather than being the boots on the ground, the direct service, we’re really focusing on looking at the data,” said executive director Kate Green. “Understanding from a system level what’s happening and then allocating resources to help meet the need.”

Continuum of Care maintains close relationships with many Peoria area nonprofits and service organizations, so those resources can take many forms.

“It really is the beauty of the Continuum of Care model. That we’re able to pull in all these different sectors,” said Green. “So whether it’s our actual funded providers who are doing emergency shelter, street outreach, permanent housing, all the way to our healthcare organizations, educational institutions, they all play a role in touching the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness.”

Go to www.WCBU.org to read more.

L-R, Jennifer Zammuto, President with Steve Montez and Bob Gates, Board Chair

Since 1985, the Heart of Illinois United Way has recognized a volunteer who spends countless hours working without fanfare to help others. Our annual Hoot Gibson Award is presented in memory of Horace J. “Hoot” Gibson, Jr. who pursued his goals in a quiet, determined matter, caring little if others knew of his accomplishments. In addition to serving on our health committee and as board secretary, Hoot’s hard work more than 40 years ago helped the Heart of Illinois United Way transition our allocation process to address prioritized needs. His leadership is the basis of how we continue to fund vital needs today.

Steve Montez, our 2022 Hoot Gibson honoree, has much in common with Hoot.

His volunteer support of our United Way began in 1985 on our fund distribution committee.

He left for a couple of years for graduate school, but came back in 1990, and served as a campaign ambassador. Since 1998, he as a volunteer grant reviewer for our Community Impact Fund and his support has helped us  strengthen families and enhance education opportunities for the people in central Illinois.

In 2019, he retired from a 35-year career as the Supervisor of Arts and Leisure Services with the Peoria Park District during which time his mission was to share his extensive experience and knowledge of building sustainable communities through quality recreation, supportive programming, and leisure opportunities.

During his career, Steve also served on the boards of several community groups including the Peoria Area Community Events (PACE), the Peoria Area Arts and Sciences Council, Arts Partners of Central Illinois, Peoria Players Theater, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, the Heart of Illinois Senior Olympics, and the Return to Pimiteoui Pow Wow. He also served on the Illinois Arts Council Granting Committee and currently works with the Community Foundation’s Community Needs granting committee.

Beyond these contributions, he also devoted much of his time to another volunteer activity that is dear to his heart – coaching young people including youth baseball, soccer, and wrestling. As you might suspect, he is a sports enthusiast, but his passion is to use athletics as a vehicle for building leadership skills in youth.

Steve has long considered the Heart of Illinois United Way to be a positive force for change and mentorship in our community. He attributes his growth as a community member and a co-worker to his experience with United Way.  Congratulations to Steve Montez!

L-R Jennifer Zammuto, President with Jen Johnson and Michael Zerneck from Freedom House Staff and Bob Gates, Board Chair

In 2007, the Heart of Illinois United Way created the United Way Partner Award that is presented annually to a United Way agency in recognition of their outstanding leadership, collaboration and engagement with the Heart of Illinois United Way.

In 2009, Jim and Katie Owens were presented with the Heart of Illinois United Way’s Philanthropist of the Year award at the Tocqueville Society reception. Over the years, Jim and Katie have provided outstanding volunteer leadership to the United Way and our partner agencies. They have served on our campaign cabinet, board of directors and several committees. To recognize them for their tremendous support, in 2009 the United Way Partner Award was renamed in their honor to be the Jim and Katie Owens Partner Award.

At the 2022 Heart of Illinois United Way’s annual meeting on August 3, Freedom House was presented with this year’s award.

Founded in 1983 as a walk-in shelter, Freedom House serves more than 800 clients and provides more than 4,000 nights of shelter annually, plus countless hours of medical and legal advocacy, counseling, prevention education, and professional training.

Under the guidance of Executive Director Michael Zerneck, the agency has become a strong supporter of our organization. Since 2018, the first year the agency received funding, they have successfully administered and achieved outcomes for services that focus on intervention and counseling for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

Over the last couple of years, the agency was a recipient of the Illinois COVID-19 Response Funds distributed by our United Way. Funds were used efficiently and effectively to provide emergency food and supplies, interim housing/emergency shelter, health and mental health care services, and direct financial assistance. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this agency provided strength and refuge for many individuals in the northern portion of our United Way’s service area.

With a mission to provide compassionate, confidential, free services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as awareness and prevention education, we were honored to present the 2022 Jim and Katie Owens Partner Award to Freedom House.