PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2022

B U S I N E S S N E W S

IN BRIEF

AND THE PRIZE GOES TO … The Peoria Historical Society has received a $5,000 grant from Illinois Humanities to be used for general operating expenses, including collection and exhibitionneeds. IllinoisHumanities is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Comcast announced that it has awarded the George Washington Carver Community Center in Peoria a $40,000 Lift Zone Opportunity Fund grant supporting digital skills training at the organization’s Lift Zone, which Comcast opened in January 2021. Lift Zones areWi-Fi-connected safe spaces where children can get online to do schoolwork and adults can learn new digital skills and access services. The Carver Center is one of more than 1,000 Lift Zones throughout the country.

HIRES AND RETIRES

RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS

Illinois Prairie District Public Library honored longtime staff member Peggy Bockler with a farewell open house on Sept. 30 at the IPDPL Me t amor a b r a nch .

The Galva Arts Council in Galva has received a multi-year Levitt AMP Grant Award of $90,000 in matching funds to

present a free outdoor music series at Wiley Park from 2023 to 2025. The grant is from the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a social impact funder supporting nonprofits nationwide at the intersection of music and public spaces.

Bockler grew up in Metamora and began working as a “shelver” for IPDPL in 2007. Over the ensuing 15 years she advanced to circulationmanager for the Metamora branch of the library system.

CLIMBING THE LADDER Kayla Hollowell has been promoted to director of studio operations and production crew at WTVP PBS. ELECTIONS AND SELECTIONS The American Red Cross of Illinois has announced seven new members of the Central Illinois chapter’s board of directors. The chapter welcomes Tim Gronewold as chairman of the board, along with Emily Geerts , Lindsey Birkel , Jennifer Junis , Tim Bassett , Swaksha Kallepalli and Jacob Weinberg as board members.

For the second consecutive year, the Illinois News Broadcasters Association named WCBU the Best Radio Small Market Radio Station in Illinois in its annual Crystal Microphone awards. WCBU’s Joe Deacon was honored as the Best Small Market Radio Reporter. Peoria native and National Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome will be honored on Nov. 11 with the 2022 Living Legend Award from the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Thome played 22 MLB seasons and smashed 612 home runs (the eighth most ever), 2,328 hits and 1,699 runs batted in (RBI), with a .276 batting average. From 1991 to 2012 he played for six MLB teams, the majority of his years with the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians).

The 57th Annual Cattle Auction to benefit Children’s Home Association of Illinois raised $283,000 on Sept. 9 at Weaver Angus Farm. Nearly 400 guests enjoyed dinner by Mission BBQ, a live auction, music and dancing. The only cattle auctioned was a life-size plastic cow by local artist Andrè Petty .

120 NOVEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE