2022 Neighborhood House Annual Report

1020 S. Matthew St. Peoria, IL 61603

Ph. 309-674-1131

Fax 309-674-1896

Neighborhood House would like to recognize departing board members Pat Ferrell, Lillie Landon, Jeff Madden, Carrie McCarty, Landon Parker and Dave Schaab for their years of outstanding service to Neighborhood House and our community.

Neighborhood House looks forward to welcoming new incoming board members LaKeisha Faggett, David Aduama Jackson, Jill Jackson, LaTrina Leary, Samantha Ulrich, Mandar Pattekar, Michael Riley, Derek Roemer, Janette Summerville. Thank you for sharing our passion for our community. Welcome to the team!

Board of Directors

Kevin Day – Chair

Scott Strubhar – Vice Chair

Emily Wilburn – Secretary

Brooke Miller – Treasurer

Tony Dodaro

Pat Ferrell

Steve Gatton

Mark Joseph

John Kaiser

Rob Kalbfus

Roberta Koscielski

Lille Landon

Jeff Madden

Carrie McCarty

Judy Oakford

Landon Parker

Diane Roe

Dave Schaab

John Sutherland

Kiran Kuman Velpula

Emeritus Board Members

Mr. Dave Auer

Mr. John Sahn

Mr. Ken Hinrichs

Sen. George Shadid (Ret.)

Mr. Hank Jorgensen

Ms. Nancy Swords

Mrs. Alice Kieser

Mr. Robert Williamson

Staff

Julie Bonar – President/CEO

Bryna Ryan – Chief Operating Officer

Alex Cheesman – Human Resources Director

Shane Parker – Business Director

Amanda Rassi – Development Director

Betsy Bladel – Education & Development Liaison

Jim Schwindenhammer – Finance Associate

Christine Bonds – Finance Associate

Katrina Rogers – Meals on Wheels Director

Amanda McCoy – Meals on Wheels Assistant

Ericka Ivory – Adult Services Director

Walter Leaper – Adult Education Assistant

Patrick Randall – Youth Services Director

Cara Domaszewicz – Community Impact Director

Annette Stahl – Kitchen Director

Debi Legaspi – Executive Assistant

Jennell Jackson – Administrative Assistant/ Receptionist

Julie Bonar President/CEO

New Leadership, Same Mission

It is our mission here at Neighborhood House to serve our community no matter the circumstances. We were all challenged with this in new ways during the COVID pandemic and continued to be throughout internal transitions we faced within our own organization. We are proud to have been able to continue to provide services to our community despite the hurdles we faced.

We are thrilled to announce that Neighborhood House has welcomed a new president/CEO, Julie Bonar. Julie brings a wealth of leadership experience and a shared passion for supporting the community.

“I could not be more eager to accept the position as President/CEO to this well-established organization that consists of a talented team and long history of dedicated donors and nonprofit partners,” says Bonar. “My goal in leading Neighborhood House is to continue the 125-year tradition of community impact through the life-changing programs.”

Prior to coming to Neighborhood House, Julie has been an educator within the Peoria 150 School District since November 2018, after moving to Peoria from the Washington D.C. area. Most recently, she taught Business Education at the Knoxville Center for Student Success (KCSS). Previous to moving to Peoria, Julie served as the Director of Religious Education at St. Joseph's Church in Pomfret, Maryland. For over ten years, she served as the Director of Chapter and Member Resources for DECA, Inc – a student organization with more than 200,000 members.

Julie holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Philadelphia University and a Master’s of Education from Bowling Green State University.

Our Neighborhood House team is excited to have Julie on board and is motivated to be working towards a common mission-focused goal of service to our community. She will be an incredible asset to our organization as we continue to provide programs that benefit the community.

OUR MISSION:

To provide a safe environment, resources, and education to empower our community to reach their fullest potential through all life-stages.

Programs Through the Years

Programs at a Glance

Strengthening Community & Impacting Lives for 125 Years

Since Neighborhood House was established in 1896, we have been meeting the needs of the community by providing people education and resources to empower them to be successful through all life stages.

Our founders were progressive thinkers and established programs, services and taught trade skills to meet the needs of the immigrant community at the turn of the century.

For 125 years Neighborhood House has been changing the landscape of the Peoria area and impacting lives for countless families and individuals. Today, Neighborhood House continues the progressive thinking of our founders by providing ever changing services to best meet the needs of the community.

Thank you for your support of Neighborhood House and our life-changing programs. It is because of YOU and your support that we are able to continue our 125-year tradition of making a difference for so many right here in our own community.

Unfortunately, the situation with COVID-19 limited our ability to celebrate such an accomplishment in a typical way. However, we aren’t letting that deter us. In lieu of an in-person anniversary event, we pursued the completion of a History Wall project that will allow us to pay proper tribute to our founders and the legacy of community support they created.

As part of this project and 125th Anniversary celebration, we offered our supporters the opportunity to continue to be a part of our history of community impact by joining our new Donor Societies. Each tier of our Donor Societies offered donors a small token of appreciation and community impact directly supported by their chosen level. In addition to supporting our programs, our donors also helped fund the completion of our history wall project, allowing us to pay tribute to our 125-year history and help usher in the next 125 years of community service.

A.S. Oakford was instrumental in establishing Neighborhood House as a vital Peoria organization.

Feeding Our Community

FOOD PANTRY AND SUNDAY MEALS

Food insecurity grew rapidly during the pandemic and unfortunately has continued to grow with sky rocketing cost of living prices. Here at Neighborhood House we are passionate about ensuring no one is going hungry and are pleased to provide our twice monthly Food Pantry and weekly Sunday Meal programs to support those in our community who face food insecurity.

We were fortunate to have dedicated volunteers like Sandy and Phil Anton who consistently support our Food Pantry program by volunteering every week. Sandy was recently recognized for her outstanding work with the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Food Network.

Congratulations, Sandy! Thank you for sharing your volunteerism with Neighborhood House and your continued support of our programs.

You can volunteer to support these vital community programs. To learn more or to support this program, please contact Cara Domaszewicz, 309-674-1131 ext. 243, carad@nhpeoria.org

Nutritious Meal Delivery for Seniors

MEALS ON WHEELS

Neighborhood House is honored to have been delivering meals to homebound senior citizens since the 1970s. This home delivered meal service is essential to provide for the nutritional well-being of the seniors we serve and often the last service needed to help keep them independent in their own homes.

However, Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal delivery service, the social contact is just as important. Many of our seniors are isolated and report that often the only person they see daily is our delivery driver. Our drivers do an outstanding job developing relationships with our seniors to ensure they are able to spot changes in behavior and sometimes even health.

Some of our drivers go above and beyond to support our seniors and make their dietary restrictions a little more fun. One of our long time Meals on Wheels delivery drivers, Mike Walters, takes time to draw fun daily cartoons depicting his client’s vegetable restrictions. She has shared it is the highlight of her day and has even made a scrapbook of the cartoons. We are so grateful for Mike’s commitment to our program and the seniors on his route. Meals on Wheels truly is so much more than a meal. We have an amazing team of Meals on Wheels drivers who with your support help ensure those in need are provided for.

Meal Delivery for Pets

CRITTERS MEALS ON WHEELS

Neighborhood House delivers over 212,500 home-delivered meals annually to homebound seniors. Many seniors on the program have a pet that is extremely important to them.

Neighborhood House knows the important role the pet serves in the life of the homebound senior who lives alone. Studies have also indicated the ever present loyalty of a pet reduces stress, physical suffering, enhances self-esteem and, most importantly, combats loneliness and emotional isolation.

When delivering meals we discovered our seniors were sharing their meals with their pet if they didn’t have pet food, causing the pet and the owner to not receive proper nutrition. With this in mind, we initiated the Critter Meals on Wheels program. Through this program, participants are able to eat their lunch and we provide pet food for their animal. At the present time, we are delivering supplemental pet food to over 100 pets. With support and donations we have received from individuals, as well as continued support from community partners like PetSmart, we have been able to supply our seniors’ furry friends throughout

Donations

Thank You for Supporting Neighborhood House

Your support is essential to our mission of providing a safe environment, resources, and education to empower our community to reach their fullest potential through all life stages. Every act of kindness helps us continue providing services through our many community support programs. Because of you, we are able to provide daily nutritious meals for local senior citizens and children. We also provide a safe place to be after school for elementary school students, and have helped numerous adults through our adult education services.

Every donation, regardless of size, helps us make a difference in the lives of those in need.

Giving is easy, convenient and secure. Your one-time gift or monthly recurring gift guarantees that our community will benefit from your generosity throughout the year.

Neighborhood House offers a variety of ways to donate. We are sure we have an option that is just right for you! Please contact Amanda Rassi, amandar@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 246, to discuss giving options that work best for you.

SHOPPING TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY

Did you know you can support Neighborhood House through your regular shopping at no additional cost to you?

Many corporate organizations have charitable giving that donates a percentage of your spending to the charity of your choosing at no additional cost to you. Programs like Kroger Community Rewards & Amazon Smile donate millions of dollars annually to local charities designated by their customers. As a non-profit, Neighborhood House qualifies and we would be thrilled if you would consider adding us as the beneficiary of these free charitable programs.

Set up is quick, simple and there is no additional cost to you. Visit the websites below for step-by-step instructions.

Helping the Community through Neighborhood House

Many of our community support programs rely on volunteers and donations. Thank you for your support. It is because of YOU that we are able to hold true to our mission and continue making a difference in the lives of so many right here in our community.

Neighborhood House is always interested in people who want to help their community and provides multiple opportunities through various programs at different times of the year.

Holiday Programs: Coat Giveaway

Santa for Seniors

Angel Tree Family Sponsors

Other ways to get involved at Neighborhood House: Food Pantry Helpers

Kitchen Helpers

Yard Work & Landscaping (Spring through Fall)

Indoor Organization Projects

Adult Education Tutors

We need passionate people like you to help make our dream of a well-cared for community come true. Will you join us?

Please visit our website and fill out our easy to use volunteer form if you are interested in helping at Neighborhood House, www.nhpeoria.org or call 309-674-1131 for more information.

Your contributions are making an impact! Follow us on social media to see the difference your volunteering and donations are making in the lives of our community.

@NeighborhoodHousePeoria www.nhpeoria.org

Volunteer Opportunities

Adult Education

Our adult learners are on site again and we are thrilled to see them working towards their goals through our adult programming, including literacy and GED. These educational programs will also help reduce barriers for our clients seeking employment. Several of our clients are working hard to achieve their goals and we are seeing them succeed.

We are proud to report we have had our first GED Graduate!

We are beyond thrilled for our graduating student and are eager to support more students as they work to reach their goals as well. Neighborhood House is happy to provide these free programs to our clients; however, we need your help to do it. Our adult education program needs volunteers to teach and tutor our students. All that is necessary is your willingness and time. We will equip you with the tools needed through our tutor training and support you every step of the way.

If you are interested in learning more please contact, Ericka Ivory, erickai@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 239.

Financial Empowerment and Employment Services

In the past few years, Neighborhood House has faced many changes and challenges. In keeping true to our founders’ adaptive roots, we strive to meet the needs of the community by adapting our services while also best utilizing our limited resources.

Our Financial Empowerment & Employment Services (FEE) program is a perfect example of this. This service remains a need for some in the community, however we found our primary participants of this program were our students within our Adult Education program. In addition, we also discovered other organizations in the area providing similar services.

In an effort to not duplicate services and best accommodate our client’s needs, we have merged these two programs. Weaving Financial Literacy curriculum into our existing Adult Education classrooms. We have also added an Adult Education Program Assistant to assist our students with applying for employment and coordinating with partner agency for any additional resources needed.

Supporting Youth Youth Services

AFTER SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS

Neighborhood House is proud to offer year-round support to area youth and families through our After-School and Summer Programs. These programs provide educational support, fun activities, a daily hot meal and a safe place for our youth each weekday. However, the support goes far beyond those important tangible supports.

Our youth staff recently shared a story of a young student who was struggling with difficult situations beyond their control after being taken from their mother, separated from their siblings and placed into temporary foster care. Facing so many new changes, new programs, and schools, our student began feeling lost and alone. This student felt safe with Neighborhood House staff to confide their feelings and shared they were experiencing teasing at school due to their lower reading skills and inability to sound out words. Our amazing staff stepped in and began offering additional educational support to our student as well as emotional support. Staff gave the student journal time and more individual one-on-one time to talk about their feelings and all they were experiencing. We are thrilled to see vast improvement as this student has increased their reading by two grade levels in less than 6 months! Each day we see more of this student’s personality shinning brighter as their confidence grows and they feel more comfortable with their own feelings.

This is why we do what we do here at Neighborhood House! Your continued support enables us to support more children and families in this way.

Fundraising

RAGBRAI 2021

With all the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we had been unable to host our traditional in-person fundraisers to support our life-changing programs. However, after a year-long break due to COVID, we were excited to once again be able to participate in our newest event, RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), July 25-31, 2021.

This annual, week-long event challenges cyclists to travel a 426-mile state-wide route across Iowa. Our 2021 Neighborhood House team consisted of seven riders, each taking on the challenge of fundraising on our behalf prior to and during the event.

Thank you to our entire Neighborhood House team for all your efforts! You did an amazing job battling the weather, terrain and every obstacle this course threw at you. You not only pedaled 426 miles but you helped us make a BIG impact for our community and our programs by raising $30,000!

Thank you to all who supported our riders this year! Even without pedaling, you are helping support Neighborhood House and making a difference for so many in our community. We are grateful for your support and commitment to our community.

We are excited for another great year of fundraising for our programs. If you are interested in learning more or joining/sponsoring our RAGBRAI team, please contact Amanda Rassiamandar@nhpeoria.org, 309-674-1131 ext. 246.

Saddle Up 2021

As part of our mission we strive to provide a safe environment for our community. With the ever-changing situation and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 last summer, we made the difficult decision to cancel our 2021 Saddle Up fundraiser. While it saddened us to cancel another in-person fundraiser for our programs, we remained committed to providing a safe environment for our community.

Our team worked diligently on alternative fundraising opportunities to help prevent the negative impact this loss of revenue would potentially have on our community services. Through this diligence our team was able to ensure none of our clients saw their services waiver. We are grateful for their efforts and to all of our donors, volunteers and community partners who remained committed to supporting us and our programs. Your support ensured we were able to continue to provide for the needs of the community.

We knew the time would come, when we would once again be able to support our programs and each other in such a way. Thankfully that time has come and we are thrilled to be hosting in-person fundraisers again. We hope you will make plans to join us as we work to raise funds and awareness for our life-changing community programs.

To learn more about our upcoming events, visit our website www.nhpeoria.org/events.

Fundraising

Fundraising

Cooking Up Funds through Food Fight!

What a fun filled event! It was so incredible to have everyone together again for the good of Neighborhood House and for our first in-person fundraiser since 2020. Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored and donated to Food Fight. We greatly appreciate all your support! Together we raised $50,000, which will definitely make a big impact for our programs!

Our 10 competing chefs were given quite the challenge by using every item in our mystery bags to create a dish that would wow our judges in just 45 minutes. This year’s mystery bags included: skirt steak, calamari, grapes, Cool Ranch Doritos and string cheese.

The talent of our competing chefs never ceases to amaze us. Even with those ingredients, they created amazing dishes.

Congratulations to our Food Fight winners!

1st Place - Joe Gresham, The Cookery

2nd Place - Golda Ewalt, OSF

3rd Place - Seth Colvin, Suite Fire Bar & Grille

People’s Choice - Jeff Madden, Kemp 208

Thank you to all 10 of our competing chefs for donating your time, talent and even treasure by donating so many amazing auction items. Your participation made this event possible and helped us raise awareness and funds for our vital community meal programs.

We are so thankful for all of your support and hope you will mark your calendar to join us again next year for our 9th Annual Food Fight, Thursday, February 23, 2023!

the Years

FEED • EDUCATE • EMPOWER

1020 S. Matthew St. Peoria, IL 61603

Ph. 309-674-1131 Fax 309-674-1896

WE BELIEVE:

That all lives are enriched by participation in a compassionate and supportive • community.

That the enduring strength of our Neighborhood Community relies on • cultivating a spirit of neighborliness and mutual respect among diverse populations.

That Neighborhood House should work to bring groups and individuals together • as an inclusive community.

That families require lifelines of support and benefit from community services • and programs responsive to their needs.

That children and teens should have a safe environment for their development • in order to foster positive social interactions.

That seniors, including the homebound elderly, need and deserve to be valued • as individuals who are important to the fabric of community life.

That an effective settlement house must continually evolve and adapt to the • ever changing needs of its community.