Community Impact Fund Volunteers - Heart of Illinois United Way

Each year, approximately 75 local Community Impact Fund volunteers, with more than 500 years of combined experience, spend more than 5,000 hours determining grant funding for the local health and human care programs and initiatives funded by the Heart of Illinois United Way.

2021 Solution Council

Kylene M. Anthony
Caterpillar

Darrin A. Autry
Morton Community Bank

Erik Christian, Chair
HR Fit, LLC

Monica Hendrickson
Peoria City/County Health Department

Jon Neidy
Bradley University

Sid P. Ruckriegel
SERVUS, Inc.

Karen Stecher
SourceAmerica

2021 Panel Volunteers

Ken Anderson
CEFCU

Kevin J. Anderson
PNC

Kylene M. Anthony
Caterpillar

Darrin A. Autry Morton
Community Bank

Anthony Beiermann
First Mid Bank & Trust

Rick D. Bentley
CEFCU

Emylee Bitner
CEFCU

Cheryl Bockhold-Sloan
General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport

Anne Bowman
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Paula Burgess
OSF HealthCare

Amanda B. Campbell
Davis & Campbell LLC

Maria Chambers
OSF HealthCare

Amy G. Ciota
Caterpillar

Connie L. Colvin
Community Volunteer

Samantha Conrad
PNC

Janelle H. Conway
OSF HealthCare

Paul Crusen
Wells Fargo Commercial Banking

Paula A. Dixon
Holmes Murphy & Associates

Jill Dodaro
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Elizabeth A. Doye
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Tiana Ellis
Morgan Stanley

Paul E. Flynn
IBEW Local #34

Bradley S. Foster
Caterpillar

Crystal K. Garrett
Caterpillar

Richard Gentry
Community Volunteer

Christy Haeffele
Bradley University

Glen Harris
Caterpillar

Monica Hendrickson
Peoria City/County Health Department

Nicholas Herzel
Pearl Companies

Erika C. Kempf
Caterpillar

Alan Kenworthy
Caterpillar

Bernard J. Koch
River City Construction, LLC

Cliff Laine
Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.

Ty Livingston
City of East Peoria

Yvonne Long
Hawk-Attollo LLC

Beth A. Martin
Illinois Mutual

Terra McVey
Caterpillar

Steve Montez
Community Volunteer

Erick Mueller
The F&M Bank

Katie Mueller
CEFCU

Jeanette Murray
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Jon C. Neidy
Bradley University

Alana Parm
Morton Community Bank

Stacy Peterson
City of Peoria

Julie Regan
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Richard L. Riggins
The F&M Bank

Steven A. Rolinitis
Caterpillar

Nikki Romain
ART Inc.

Sid P. Ruckriegel
SERVUS, Inc.

Heather J. Russo
Illinois Mutual

Thomas D. Schlink
The F&M Bank

Anne Schutt
Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.

Erin T Selvey
Caterpillar

Dr. Eileen A. Setti
UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois

Sally P. Snyder
PNC

Christina Stear
PNC

Karen Stecher
SourceAmerica

Pam Tomka
Community Volunteer

Michael Tomlinson
Caterpillar

Andrea Tortora
Community Volunteer

Clay Unes
Morton Community Bank

Donna S. Varda
TADA Cognitive Solutions, LLC

Jennifer Weaver
RSM US LLP

Evan Webber
RLI

Scott Weistart
The F&M Bank

Emily H. Wilburn
Illinois Mutual

Ben Wright
Bradley University

Grant Reviewers

Community Impact Fund volunteers constantly evaluate local health and human care data and program metrics to assess how well critical needs are being met. We make sure we have reliable information and situational awareness so we have a better understanding of resource allocations. By helping United Way “look under the hood” of local programs, the process allows us to adjust how we invest the community’s donations as times and situations change.

– Monica Hendrickson, Peoria City/County Health Department and United Way Board Member

As a new Heart of Illinois United Way board member and co-founder of a new nonprofit, I am in a very unique position to see how vital funding is from both perspectives-the grantor and the grantee. Being a new grant reviewer, it is a very exciting opportunity to see the different programs and concepts that organizations are bringing forth to better our community and I know firsthand the impact these funds will have on the organizations and their ability to fulfill their goals and initiatives. My responsibilities as an Executive Director are unlimited, and yet I still find time to volunteer my time and services to United Way because I realize the significant importance of this organization.

– Nikki Romain, ART Inc.

Just like when we depend on a stockbroker for expertise in navigating the daily ups and downs of the market, the Heart of Illinois United Way does the same for the community’s philanthropic investments in our Community Impact Fund. Through a data driven process, our grant reviewers evaluate local, critical health and human care trends and apply this ongoing research to invest donations strategically and with the best return on investment to our donors.

– Erik J. Christian, Vice Chair-Community Investment, Heart of Illinois United Way Board of Directors

I’ve been a United Way grant reviewer since shortly after I moved to Peoria decades ago. It continues to inspire me because of the generosity of our community to help those in need, the ability to see firsthand the commitment of each United Way agency to meet the needs, and the careful process to assess funding by a diverse panel of community volunteers. As an engineer by profession, I appreciate the data-driven local social service needs assessment which is regularly updated to drive the outcome-based deliberations by the grant reviewers within each issue area. As a donor myself, I appreciate how the review process assures the Community Impact Fund efficiently prioritizes support for a broad variety of important programs. Many programs provide critical service, without fanfare, to our Peoria area friends and neighbors, to make this a better place to live for everyone.

– Alan Kenworthy, Caterpillar

MENU

2021 Solution Council

2021 Panel Volunteers