Mike Everett, the 2016 Hoot Gibson Honoree, with Tim Neuhauser
PEORIA – The Heart of Illinois United Way hosted its annual Kickoff Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Peoria Civic Center on Friday, September 9. The breakfast included a presentation by 2016 Campaign Co-Chairs, Tom Jenkins (Skyward Inc.) and Katie McCord Jenkins (Illinois Mutual); and a presentation by guest speaker, Adam Braun, author of The Promise of a Pencil.
To date, the 2016 Heart of Illinois United Way Campaign has raised $1,422,713 from Pacesetter Campaigns that 40 companies and organizations held this summer.
The breakfast was sponsored by Advanced Medical Transport of Central Illinois, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, and Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC.
Funds raised by this year’s campaign will support critical health and human care programs improving the quality of life for people in central Illinois. Grants are awarded to programs that achieve tangible results in addressing local education, income and health needs indentified in the Heart of Illinois United Way’s Peoria Area Community Assessment.
Following the morning’s kickoff breakfast, the United Way will host its 25th annual Day of Caring. Over the last month, and culminating on September 9, the 2016 Day of Caring volunteer effort has had a record breaking 1,858 volunteers providing more than 8,000 hours of work at our partner agencies throughout central Illinois. The Day of Caring event also includes an annual food drive. Over the last five years, the food drive has raised more than 290,000 pounds of food, providing more than 193,000 meals to people in need. Day of Caring was underwritten by PNC along with our food drive partner, Federal Companies.
The Heart of Illinois United Way brings together people from business, labor, government, health and human services to address our community’s needs. Money raised by the Heart of Illinois United Way campaign stays in our community funding programs and services in Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford counties helping more than 100,000 people each year.