PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2022

LEGACY AND RETIREMENT For the past 32 years, Easterseals has held a Tribute Dinner each September to recognize its most dedicated contributors. This year, Thompson and his wife will be honored. While they were “a bit reluctant” at first, the Thompsons now see it “as a great opportunity to celebrate the company, but also an opportunity to publicly pass the baton,” he said. “It’s not necessarily closing a chapter, but launching Easterseals into what’s next.” “His legacy is leaving behind the best run not-for-profit entity … in central Illinois,” said Michael. “It’s going to be very difficult to replace that. He’s tireless … just a great leader, a great person.” “We think his legacy is one of inclusion and optimism,” added Fay. “One of the things I like to tell people is that the families that come to Easterseals, we know that we’re different fromeveryone else and it can feel very isolating. And there’s a lot of judgment out there. “We’ve never felt judged for who we weren’t that day we walked through the doors the first time,” Fay said. “We felt loved for who we were in the process of becoming. For me that comes from the top. You feel it the moment you walk in the door. He is so optimistic for the future of every single child there. There is nothing that those kids can’t do in his mind.” As he prepares to exit, Thompson remains as passionate about the mission as ever, but he insists “it’s really about perseverance … Quite frankly, I just stayed at it. There’s a lesson for everybody.” Meanwhile, he and Mo will continue to stay at it for central Illinois’ children in some form. “We’re kind of anxious,” he said, “to see what the Lord has for us next.”

The Thompson family

Easterseals now focuses on an annual Community Rally, a week filled with events to support its mission and vision. The latter is about embracing a community that is “enriched by the diverse contributions of children who, from their very entrance into this world, are 100%includedand 100%empowered.” Phi l anthropy i s about more than raising money. Philanthropy, Thompson said, comes down to being a lover of humankind. “Ultimately, it’s about helpingpeopledo something they feel (is) important in their heart,” then assisting them in finding “the right vehicle tomake…ameasurable impact on someone’s life,” he said. “Central Illinois, Peoria in particular, has been a remarkably generous community.” “He is able to get other people passionate about his vision, and in doing so he’s been able to expand services,” said Daphne Fay. “There’s no child left behind at Easterseals Central Illinois.” A COVID-19 PIVOT InNovember 2019, Easterseals held its Century Ball to celebrate its centennial year and launch its biggest fundraising campaign in three decades. Major improvements from the $11.5 million campaign were to include expanding the organization’s autism services; launching innovative efforts like The Alex Program, a first-in-the region cerebral visual impairment

program; leveraging more technology enabled care; growing the endowment; and investing in best-in-class facilities. The latter includes upgrades in Peoria and Bloomington, including completion of the new YMCA on the campus of OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center, to which Easterseals clients will enjoy full access. “This collaboration with the Y is unprecedented and I believe it will be a model for the nation,” Thompson said. The COVID-19 pandemic almost knocked all of that “off the rails. … But it was because of the campaign that we were able to continue to serve our families,” said Thompson. While in-person services came to an abrupt halt during COVID, Easterseals set up telehealth therapy services. Within weeks, the agency was seeing 72% of its clients. “As devastating as the pandemic has been, it forced us to do other things … that typically would have taken years,” Thompson said. “Telehealth will continue to be a tool in our toolbox. A lot of innovative things occurred.” The duration of the fundraising effort was extended and now is expected to wrap up by this fall. “It’s very important to me that we successfully conclude the Centennial Campaign,” Thompson said. “I want to check that box before I go.”

Lisa Coon is a Peoria native who had a long career in the newspaper industry before moving into marketing and communications

58 JULY 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE