Peoria Pundit

I just got back from the press conference at Peoria City Hall, in which three major Peoria institutions were thanked for their big contributions to Peoria Promise.

Now, I am a HUGE fan of Peoria Promise, which is a charity that is trying to pay for the college education of everyone who graduates from a public high school in the city of Peoria. Did you know that if every single husehold in Peoria donated just $25, Peoria Promise would meet it’s fundraising goal of $1 million dollars? There’s a link at the bottom of this page to make a donation.

But I have to note that these three institution — Illinois American Water Company, Waste Management and Methodist Medical Center — might, just might, not be motiviated entirely by altruism.

All are often standing before the Peoria City Council asking for decisions to be made in their favor.

IAWC manages the city’s water works and every ten five years the city has the option to buy it back, something IAWC doesn’t want to happen. Waste Management has the franchise to pick up the city’s trash, an arrangement that comes up for renewal every once in a while. And Methodist Medical Center, like Peoria’s other hospitals, often needs the city’s approval to expand their facilities.

Call me a cynic, but I don’t think I am out of line when I suggest that perhaps one of the reasons these organizations made these contributions is that they want the donations be in the back of people’s minds when there’s a decision to be made.

It’s also a possibility that these donations were motivated entirely by a desire to help improve the educational opportunities for Peoria’s young people. I could also win the lottery, and hand Peoria Promise a million dollars myself. It could happen.

Most people are not fools. This includes the 11 people who service on the Peoria City Council. And I hope that the 11 people who service on the council can thank these folks for their many gifts to the community, then put their feelings of gratitude away and decisions base entirely on what is fair for the residents of the city of Peoria.

(Press Release)

PEORIA PROMISE FOUNDATION HIRES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Peoria Promise Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of Tara Gerstner as the organization’s first Executive Director effective October 1st.

Tara brings a strong marketing and leadership background in both corporate and nonprofit management to this position. She has led the revitalization of established programs and has experience in the creation and implementation of both marketing and development programs. She has a number of honors from past assignments and is consistently recognized for her intelligence, passion, and energy.

Tara is a native of Chester, IL and comes to Peoria with her husband, Dr. Greg Gerstner, and their two young children. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001 and obtained an MBA in marketing from University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004.

“We are very excited and fortunate to have Tara as our new Executive Director. She will significantly increase awareness about Peoria Promise in the community and increase the much needed community investment and support we need to grow and be successful”, says Mayor Jim Ardis, President of the Peoria Promise Foundation Board of Directors.

Ken Zika, Treasurer of the Peoria Promise Foundation Board of Directors, states, “The hiring of Tara demonstrates the Peoria Promise Foundation’s commitment to the future opportunities of this remarkable program which provides stimulating economic growth potential to Peoria and its residents.”

For more information on the Peoria Promise Foundation please visit www.peoriapromise.com.