I recently googled “nonprofits in Tazewell County” and was astonished at the search results. If you had to guess how many nonprofit/tax-exempt organizations were registered in our county, what would you predict? 75? 100? 250? The answer turned out to be an eye-popping 836 entities!
A quick scan of the list reveals a wide variety of organizations, clubs and social welfare organizations. The list contains 4-H clubs, veterans’ posts, social clubs, PTOs and many more. The dictionary definition of a nonprofit is “an organization that uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission.” All of these entities have a purpose and a mission, and we consider many to be partners with Tazewell County in achieving our mission.
Instead of talking about all 836 listed, I wanted to highlight four organizations that Tazewell County either supports financially or whose mission line up with ours in helping people.
The first organization is We Care, which provides transportation for the elderly and handicapped who reside primarily in the unincorporated portions of our county. Although Tazewell County provides no direct funding to We Care, we are the pass-through organization for its funding from the federal government. This service helps people in need get to doctor appointments, go grocery shopping, make dialysis treatments and get to their jobs at little or no cost. Without this valuable means of transportation, many people would have no way of getting to important appointments or would have to alter their lives even more dramatically. In addition, We Care maintains a food bank to meet other needs.
Another critical partnership is our relationship with the Tazewell County Resource Center. TCRC has a motto of “Caring for Special People… Birth to Seniors.” They provide a wide array of programs and services that benefit persons with developmental disabilities and visual impairments. Under the outstanding leadership of Jamie Durdel, TCRC seeks to promote independence, increase self-sufficiency, and strengthen individuals and families through its programs and services. One example of the services they provide are manufacturing and assembly services for businesses that contract with their Tremont facility. As an aside, they also provide custodial services for several Tazewell County buildings, as well as employment for their clients.
The next nonprofit that Tazewell County invests in is the Heartland Community Health Clinic, based in Peoria. Although none of the clinics are based in the county, many of the over 20,000 patients they serve daily come from our side of the river. Their goal is to provide access to high-quality, affordable comprehensive healthcare to clients in medically underserved areas. This federally designated community health center is a nonprofit that truly is a partnership of the hospitals, physicians, medical school, local governments and the many volunteers who give of their time.
Lastly, Tazewell County makes a significant investment in The Center for the Prevention of Abuse. Unfortunately, abuse is far too common in our region, and The Center provides a safe refuge and many resources to the victims and their families. Its mission is “to help all people—women, men and children—live free from violence and abuse.” The investments of Tazewell County help provide a facility in our county where victims can go to feel safe and learn what they can do to stop the cycle of violence.
Our partnerships with these organizations demonstrate how we can work together as good citizens to help fill some of the many needs we have in Tazewell County. We are grateful to have so many nonprofits that help make our community a better place to live. iBi
