The Daily Dose of Doing Good: Our Journey Together

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "The Daily Dose of Doing Good"! Buckle up, because we’re about to take you on a whirlwind tour of what we’ve been up to these past two weeks—with a sprinkle of humor and a whole lot of heart.

Last week, we swapped our comfy shoes for our advocacy boots and headed to Springfield. We spent a couple of days charming the socks off our legislators, including Senators Terri Bryant and Jason Plummer, as well as Representatives Blaine Wilhour, Dave Severin, and Charlie Meier. Picture this: serious policy discussions sprinkled with a bit of our signature charm. We even got to enjoy a Ski with Representative Meier!

While we discussed many important issues with all of them, we had a particularly in-depth conversation about education with Representative Severin. He runs a summer reading program that could beautifully complement our United Way Readers program, and we explored how we could collaborate to boost literacy in our communities.

Our conversation with Representative Meier was also extremely impactful. He is working hard with BCMW and Marion County on several important projects. One key effort is his push to secure an elevator for their facility, which would significantly improve accessibility. He’s also been instrumental in revitalizing Project Bread, a critical program that had been shut down due to state funding issues. Thanks to Representative Meier’s leadership, Project Bread is back up and running—delivering not only food to seniors, but also providing consistent wellness check-ins.

We also discussed the Southern Illinois Regional Public Safety Training Facility grant that we’ve written as part of the Mike Bost project. This important initiative was brought up in conversations with all of our state representatives and senators during our visit. The facility would provide critical training infrastructure for first responders, firefighters, and public safety officials in our region. We are currently recruiting letters of support from community members and stakeholders to strengthen our application.

Our conversation with Senator Bryant was also impactful. Senator Bryant is doing a lot of work not only for the state of Illinois but also for those around the world. Her leadership and dedication to public service extend beyond local borders, demonstrating a commitment to making a difference on a global scale.

Last week, to celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, we partnered with Cusumano & Sons here in Mt. Vernon and delivered 1,000 pounds of fresh strawberries to teachers within our United Way Readers program. It was a sweet way to show our gratitude and remind them just how valued they are.

Fast forward to this week: I hit the road to St. Louis for some top-notch marketing training. Spoiler alert: it was so inspiring it led to the birth of this very blog. Who knew that a little marketing magic could spark such creativity?

Thursday, we took the stage as the host at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, sharing the scoop on all our programs and how we’re making waves in the community. We received lots of great responses—it’s always fun to hear from our neighbors and see how impressed they are with the work we’re doing.

And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve been busy writing many grants to bring even more goodness to our community. One of those grants is for downtown Wi-Fi connectivity, thanks to T-Mobile. Imagine a downtown where everyone’s connected—not just to Wi-Fi, but to each other. We’re also cooking up a few other grant projects, keeping the momentum going!

The Regional Office of Education shared that all of the kindergarten students within the ROE received a gift for graduation. These gifts were made possible through our United We Give program, in collaboration with the Walgreens Distribution Center. It’s a small gesture with a big impact—celebrating our youngest learners and supporting them as they step into the next chapter.

In between all this, we’ve been making the rounds at various Chamber events, chatting up a storm, and getting the lowdown on the issues that matter most to our neighbors. We’re on a mission, folks—to make doing good as contagious as laughter.

Stay tuned for more adventures, more stories, and more ways you can join us in making a difference. Until next time, keep doing good and spreading those positive vibes!