non profit organizations

Wooden It Be Lovely is a non-profit program that provides transitional employment and housing to women healing from lives of poverty, addiction and abuse. They are raffling off The Little House of Hope located at 1729 Dial Court in Springfield. The house was remodeled by women in the program and community volunteers. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to support women survivors as well as purchasing a larger house for their transitional housing program. Wooden It Be Lovely Founder and Executive Director Margaret Ann Jessup and Board Co-Chair Jen DeJong spoke to Community Voices about the process of remodeling the house, the skills the ladies involved learned, and the response from the community. More information and raffle ticket information can be found here.

MERCY Communities is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an open house on Oct. 11 from 4-7:00 p.m. at MERCY’s Administrative Office at 1344 N. 5th St. in Springfield. Executive Director Amy Voils and Board Member Sister Marilyn Jean Runkel spoke to Community Voices about the organization and its roots with the Dominican Sisters in Springfield. They also shared how transitional and permanent housing reduces homelessness and leads to independent living.To learn more visit: https://www.mercycommunities.org/

Jason Frazier is the CEO and president of MindsEye Radio. He spoke to Community Voices about MindsEye’s mission to create an inclusive community by translating vision into audio for those who are blind or visually impaired.

Dr. Aimee Daily is the new president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network. She is also a Springfield native. She spoke to Community Voices about her personal experiences which led her to Children’s Miracle Network. She also explained how local donations and rounding up at the checkout benefits HSHS St. John's Children's Hospital in Springfield.

The Faith Coalition for the Common Good is a non-profit with 35 institutional members that include faith congregations, nonprofit, and union labor organizations. They come together to address the injustices of racism and poverty in Springfield and Central Illinois. The Executive Director of the Faith Coalition Tyshianna Bankhead along with Dr. Brandon Derman, Environmental Justice Taskforce Chair, spoke to Community Voices about the mission of the Faith Coalition, inequities in the community, and issues surrounding rent in the state of Illinois. They also discuss their upcoming spring Gala on April 11.

A Corporation for Public Broadcasting spokesperson says they've referred WTVP's case to their inspector general for further review.

Community anger and anxiety about WTVP's direction boiled over during the public comment section of the station's regular board meeting Tuesday.

The chairman of WTVP's board of directors said the Peoria public television station is not considering an imminent shutdown when the board meets on Tuesday.

Both the Illinois attorney general's office and Peoria Police Department are now asking questions about the "questionable, improper, or unauthorized" spending at WTVP.

Pamela Salela is the coordinator of the Central Illinois Nonprofit Resource Center. She spoke to Community Voices about the database available for non profits to use that allows them to search numerous grant opportunities. She also shared how she helps strengthen nonprofits by providing workshops to develop a variety of skills, including grant writing and fundraising skills. Originally aired October 17. 2022.