Central Illinois Program

Arts Illiana, Terre Haute, IN, $10,000
To create a mechanism that helps eliminate barriers for youth to have access to community-based arts events, art lessons and interesting art educational opportunities.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Illinois Capital Region, Springfield, $3,160
To purchase educational materials dealing with sexual abuse, ADHD and life skills that will be provided to parents, children and volunteers newly enrolled in the BBBS program.

Catholic Charities of Coles Douglas and Edgar Counties, Mattoon, $2,000
To purchase school supplies and backpacks for their back-to-school program.

Mid Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charleston, $28,120
To expand their services by 25% by December 2009.

Center for Women in Transition, Champaign, $15,000
To hire a staff person to train homeless women to work in their new consignment store.  This training will improve their resumes, credit rating, self-worth and retail skills to better enable them to achieve self-sufficiency.

Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County, Decatur, $1,500
To hire a researcher and analyst to present a training for their Board of Directors, the Early Childhood Education Consortium and the Community Education Planning Committee at a community-engagement event to analyze the kindergarten readiness project.

Junior Achievement of East Central Illinois, Decatur, $10,000
To create 40 new Junior Achievement programs in classrooms in Coles County – 20 in Mattoon and 20 in Charleston.

Mattoon Community Unit District #2, Mattoon, $25,000
To support the district initiative to make all schools “professional learning communities” which are collaborative communities that learn how to continuously improve student learning.

Christian County YMCA, Taylorville, $10,165 to create the PLAY program (Positive Lifestyles and Activities for Youth) in order to be proactive in the battle against childhood obesity by offering area families a comprehensive educational opportunity.

Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center's Women & Children FIRST Dental Program, Mattoon, $30,000
To assist with costs to develop a business plan for expanding the Women & Children First Dental Program into a mobile oral health program for East Central Illinois.

Nokomis Public Library, Nokomis, $6,000
To assist with costs to renovate an area of the library to accommodate the Lap-Sit program, a weekly program for pre-school children and their families who visit the library with their teacher and for other activities for young children.

Charleston Carnegie Public Library, Charleston, $8,775
To purchase archive software and train staff to use it.

Coles County CASA, Charleston, $5,000
To update and improve office equipment and to construct a Website for community awareness and recruiting new advocates.

Marshall Area Youth Network, Marshall, approved $14,725
To support the creation of a part-time Project Coordinator position.

Mattoon Area Community Foundation (MACF), Mattoon, $14,200
To hire a part-time Program Officer dedicated to completing Communityworks Phase II requirements (a grant through the Grand Victoria Foundation), a joint project of the MACF and the Effingham County Community Foundation to address the issues of childcare, workforce development and land use and protection.

Arthur Public Library, Arthur, IL $11,500
To purchase five laptops and two spinner shelves to improve space usage.

Helen Matthes Library, Effingham, IL on behalf of a six-member consortium, $19,500
To purchase a one year license to the Recorded Books e-Audiobooks databases for each library which would include adult and children’s audiobooks as well as one MP3 player for each library.

Newman Regional Library District, Newman, IL $7,500
To support bookmobile library services to five townships in Edgar and Douglas Counties that currently have no library service.

Paris Carnegie Library, Paris, IL $2,430
To assist with costs related to automating library functions.

Readers’ Bridge NFP, Toledo, IL $1,500
To provide non-resident library cards in Coles, Cumberland and Effingham counties.