Beatrice Bonner
Community Voices - Editor/ Co-HostBeatrice is the Community Voices Editor for NPR Illinois.
Reach Bea at communityvoices@nprillinois.org.
Previously, she was the Leadership Lived student worker for NPR Illinois during the 2017-2018 school year. Beatrice completed the Capital Honors Scholars Program majoring in communications at UIS in 2018.
Beatrice has acted as a multimedia consultant and co-host at Teen Talk Radio Theater in Chicago.
-
The Office of Engaged Learning (OEL) provides experiential learning opportunities to UIS students such as internships, study abroad, and more. New Director of OEL Dr. Jessica Flynn and Rob Weis Coordinator and Advisor for Engaged Learning and Partner Initiatives, spoke to Community Voices about what the departments provides to students and employers, innovation and changes to navigating internships, and about the Illinois Cooperative Work Study grant.
-
Reverend Doctor Bobbi Dykema is the pastor at the First Church of the Brethren in Springfield, Ill. She spoke to Community Voices about the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, as well as the preceding events in Springfield on August 4 and 5, which are sponsored by the Liturgical Arts Festival board and the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association.
-
Brady is the newest member of the NPR Illinois team as a sponsorship account executive alongside our very own Cory Pitt. Bea Bonner sat down with him to get to know more about why he decided to join us and his interests in music, animals, and the science of fermentation.
-
The Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event on the Korn Ferry Tour (26 total events on the tour), is conducted annually at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill. This tour is an opportunity for professional golfers who are competing and seeking to earn their PGA Tour card. Aimee Daily, Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of Memorial Health and Dr. Anna Richie, Medical Director of Memorial Urgent Cares, spoke to Community Voices about Memorial's involvement with the tour and the impact on the Springfield community. They also talk about the importance of health services they provide to the golfers and caddies.
-
Becky Williams is the pastor of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church and Mel Neilson is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist church. They are a part of a new initiative called The Morgan County Partnership for Unmet Needs which brings together churches in the Jacksonville community to meet the gap for those in need. The group was modeled after the Quincy Area Partnership for Unmet Needs. They spoke to Community Voices about what brought them to ministry and the process of how this new initiative will work. They also spoke about coming together with different churches and the importance of service.
-
Jonna Cooley is the Executive Director of the Phoenix Center, the LGBTQ Center located in Springfield, Ill. Jonna spoke to Community Voices about the history of the center and the services they provide. Jonna also discusses misconceptions of the LGBTQ community and how to become a better ally.
-
Ross Blakeman is the owner of Rosebud & Co., a flower and plant shop in Beardstown, Ill., and he brightens any room with his beautiful flower arrangements. He sat down with Editor and Co-host Bea Bonner to talk about his roots in business and affinity for flowers.
-
Melanie Holmes is an author from Illinois. Her new book 100 Things to do in Illinois Before You Die details some of the most interesting destinations in Illinois. She spoke to Community Voices about being a writer and gave insight on the importance of telling Illinois stories.
-
Rob Kerr is the director of the Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE) unit at the University of Illinois Springfield. This unit facilitates and develops innovative, short term, on-demand programming to help the educational needs of a variety of professionals. Rob spoke to Community Voices about the evolution of online learning and professional development courses offered by CAPE. He also gave information on five academic summer camps for high schoolers offered this year.
-
NPR Illinois hosted its first LISTEN session, a program designed to hear feedback about the media from unheard parts of the community. For this first session the Community Voices team visited Southeast High school to ask students what it's like to be a student today, how they find news and how the media can change to entice younger listeners. The program was created thanks to a donor through the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. If you have a group that would like to be heard, please email communityvoices@nprillinois.org.