2017 Governor's Hometown Awards

​​​Join Hands ESL is comprised of more than 100 volunteers which aims to break the cycle of generational poverty and by doing so they advocate to empower East Saint Louis citizens. Through the advocacy project a member is placed inside of a school, to a teacher, where they help identify students who maybe struggling, or even social and emotional issues. Whenever an issue arises they work alongside the parent and teacher to fulfill that child's need. Whether it be helping a parent get their child extra services, or just

Step Ladder Tutoring Program has targeted middle school (ages 12-14) special education, borderline, and struggling general education students needing academic assistance as the main focus. The Step Ladder Tutoring Program utilizes the experience and expertise of certified middle school teachers as site coordinators, plus a network of community volunteers, peers, high school, college students and AmeriCorps members as tutors. During the 2014-2015 school term, all eighth grade students participating in the Step Ladder Tutoring program got promoted to the ninth grade. 75% of students improved skill mastery in core subject areas of math and reading and 80% of students improved attendance rates and their attitude toward school and learning.

When the House of Neighborly Service (HNS) formed in 2015, the primary goal was for all of the various community organizations and church groups to come together and more efficiently and effectively provide help to the community. One of their first services was to manage the City of Waterloo telephone helpline. People are able to call this line for anything and everything that they may need assistance with in their lives; such as: paying rent, finding a job, needing food, a car repair, domestic abuse, just to name a few. The help line turned into a huge asset, leaving volunteers wanting to do more. The group began to work with the local food bank, eventually transforming a city-owned garage into an Emergency Food Pantry to supplement the existing pantry. Other community needs are being met to include summer feeding and career readiness for community members.

In late 2013, a group of local bicycle advocates met to brainstorm ideas on how best to improve the Lake Charleston trail system. In early 2014, the trail system consisted of approximately 2 miles of single track trails around the Lake Charleston area. With the support of the City of Charleston, volunteers and private partnerships, in 2014 a team of volunteers and public works personnel began the

Collinsville residents Pat and Leonard Reitz came up with the idea for this project in 2015 to honor Collinsville military veterans. They partnered with the City of Collinsville to display banners throughout the Uptown area in the City. The project focused on creating banners for local veterans and to have them displayed for the community to learn about, remember, and honor our local military

The goal of the project was to build a baseball field for Frontier Community College (FCC) and community to utilize. The venue has become one of the finest junior college baseball fields in Southern Illinois. Both college and community games have been played on the field. The project, however, has accomplished so much more. The way the Fairfield community came together in support of the project was nothing less than amazing and inspiring. The spirit of

On November 16, 2016, the town of Canton and County of Fulton was changed in an instant. The town was rocked by a gas explosion that destroyed 1 building and damaged 66 other buildings. Two other buildings were left uninhabitable and 6 apartment buildings were evacuated. The explosion was felt as far away as 1 mile and quickly reached all of the major news networks, including nationwide. The explosion occurred in the very heart of the community and affected the main business center. In addition to

Galesburg Heart & Soul project is a resident-driven community revitalization effort developed and tested by the Orton Family Foundation. Its objective is to allow residents to voice what they value most about their hometown to build a stronger and healthier community. The process collected the input of residents from different walks of life and builds an action plan to guide all stakeholders to develop a healthier and more economically vibrant community for all. It teaches residents how best to engage their community.

Beverly Farm Foundation is a loving, caring home for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, providing each individual quality of life with opportunities and challenges within each individual’s functional capabilities. Beverly Farm Foundation offers 400 job opportunities to the community enable them to continue to provide a loving and caring home for the residents. 130 volunteers are a huge part of day to day life at Beverly Farm Foundation as well. Three major fund raisers are held each year, to help cover the

A steering committee of volunteers from Lanark First Brethren Church who previously were involved in service project trips out of town began to sense the need of a more local, neighbor-helping-neighbor type of program in and around Lanark. Thus, Workation 2016 was created-to invite volunteers to share vacation time working to help friends and neighbors. These projects were simple maintenance, safety upgrades, landscaping, clean-up type projects

LaSalle County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers in 2016 trained 103 police officers from ten different departments throughout LaSalle and other surrounding counties regarding opioid overdose. The Opioid Overdose 101 classes are two hours long and include all of the necessary elements provided by both approval agencies and a hands-on portion. After the course and test, officers can begin carrying the nasal naloxone, which counteracts an opioid overdose-a national epidemic. Less than one month after the first class had been taught, the program had its first save using the nasal naloxone.

The Martin Luther King Center provides the Kids Invested in Natural Growth (KING) Program for youth ages 6-18. The program provides a variety of activities to provide safe and enriching activities and promote academic success. Activities include homework help, sports and recreation, service learning, mentoring, life skills, and character development. The program reaches approximately 1,200 youth

Mobile Eye-VIPS is a volunteer group structured, trained, equipped, and uniformed under the guidance of the police department. During the project period, the group averaged 40 volunteers and met its goal to supplement emergency services with a professional self-sustaining group. The group was primarily utilized for supplementing patrol efforts for major events; parades, festivals, and firework displays. The group was also summoned for emergency assistance during fires, traffic crashes, and search and rescue efforts.