Chad Pregracke is the founder and president of Living Lands and Waters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning up America's rivers. He is set to speak at an Earth Day celebration at the Hoogland Center for the Arts on April 18.

Cristian Leon-Vallejo is a student worker at NPR Illinois. He sat down with Community Voices co-host Vanessa Ferguson to practice his interviewing skills and find out what it's like as a host on Community Voices.

Live Action Role Playing (LARPing) is a type of role-playing game where participants physically embody their characters. Unlike tabletop role-playing games, players act out their characters' actions and interact with each other while pursuing goals in a fictional setting, which is represented by real-world environments.

Dr. Christopher McDowell is the Executive Associate Dean of SIU School of Medicine. He spoke to Community Voices about how he balances his practice in emergency medicine and his administrative duties. He also shared how SIU School of Medicine is working to make health care more accessible and why patients should come to the emergency room if they have a concern.

Angela Jackson is an award-winning poet, novelist, and playwright. She is also the fifth Illinois Poet Laureate. She spoke to Community Voices about her background in writing, the influence of poetry and song on social justice movements, and she explains some of her different works. Jackson also recited one of her poems called "The Smoke Queen." Read more about Angela and her work as Illinois Poet Laureate here.

Stephen Emmerich is the President of the Heart of Illinois Chapter of BetterInvesting, and Bobbie Kincaid is one of the non-profit’s directors. They spoke to Community Voices about their personal journeys to becoming knowledgeable investors. They explain how investment clubs have helped them and others understand the stock market and see earnings from their investments. They also shared the four key investment principles promoted by BetterInvesting, emphasizing that anyone can start investing with as little as the cost of a cup of coffee.

The Citizens Club of Springfield met in March 2025 to host a forum called "Building an Illinois State Fair for the Future."

Haley Wilson, founder of The Culture Experience LLC, and Molly Frey, owner of The Pasfield House, spoke to Community Voices to announce The Culture Experience's residency at the historic Pasfield House.

Ambassador Edward O’Donnell retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2007 after a 33-year career in foreign service. He spoke to Community Voices about his experiences serving in Latin America, German-speaking Europe and senior positions in Washington D.C. He also shared his insights on the Panama Canal, U.S. tariff strategies, the rise of antisemitism and more.

The Springfield Choral Society will hold a two-day musical festival on March 21-22 called “Songs for the Unsung.” Director of the Springfield Choral Society Jacobsen Woollen and Vice President of the Sangamon County Historical Society Linda Schneider spoke to Community Voices about the festival which will incorporate lesser known stories of women in Springfield’s history. For ticket information visit: https://www.springfieldchoralsociety.org/