All applications are due by Wednesday, September 1.

Please join us in congratulating our very own Jeanette Wilson on being promoted to the role of Office Manager! She will be overseeing the Foundation’s operations, finances, and administrative functions, including financial accounting, budgeting, reporting, planning, internal controls, systems and operations, investment reporting, vendor and service provider relationship management, and personnel and benefits administration.

Congratulations to the 2021 Emerging Philanthropists Fund grant recipient:

Ellen Corbin is the Director of Accounting and Human Resources for the Greater Peoria Family YMCA and has been with the organization for five years. She attended Carl Sandburg College and the University of Illinois, Springfield with a Bachelor’s in Accounting. When time allows, she is a floral designer for Bloom in Washington, Illinois and has secured her Insurance Producer’s License for the Corbin Insurance Agency. Ellen sits on the board of directors for the Peoria Jaycees to help empower young people to create positive change in their community. She is also an active volunteer for Peoria’s Youth Mentoring organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters and is a new member of Women in Leadership.

Holly Edwin is a New Product Introduction Manager for Electrification at Caterpillar in the Remanufacturing division. Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, she graduated from Marquette University, majoring in mechanical engineering. Holly is passionate about supporting the people who spend their lives building a better world. She has devoted her 17-year career to the development and support of Caterpillar engines and dozers – machines that improve the world’s infrastructure, reduce worldwide emissions, and provide real, sustainable change for the community. In the community, Holly is a wife and mother of two children, volunteer at Midwest Food Bank and Wilder Waite Elementary, Board Member for Women in Leadership Central Illinois, STEM advocate through her work with Society of Women Engineers, and volunteer gardener at St. Jude Catholic Church. She was a recipient of Peoria Magazine’s 40 Leaders Under Forty award in 2020, and she won the Women in Leadership Central Illinois’ award for Outstanding New Member in 2021.

Anu Uddavolu is the Corporate Supply Chain Contract Administrator at OSF Healthcare System. She is a licensed attorney in the states of New Jersey & New York and worked as a litigator for five years before moving to Peoria. She received her B.A. from Purdue University and J.D. from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She is a culinary volunteer for Passage to India (Easterseals of Central Illinois), guest chef for Ronald McDonald House of Charities in Peoria, and was a recipient of Peoria Magazines' 40 Leaders under Forty Award in 2020. She is also Executive Team Member for AHA Go Red for Women, Youth Volunteer Program Coordinator for AICCP (Asian Indian Community Collaboration of Peoria), SAT Tutor and Board Member of IMA (Illinois Math Academy), GED Tutor at Neighborhood House of Peoria, VP of Mentoring at Peoria Women in Leadership and Co-Chair for Child & Youth Development Sub-Committee of Peoria Joint Commission on Racial Equity and Justice.

Erin Winstead received her Real Estate License in 2020 and is a realtor with RE/MAX Traders Unlimited. Her family moved to Peoria in 1996 and she graduated from Richwoods High School in 1999. After a few years of moving around, Erin has been settled in Peoria since 2010. She married her husband Ryan in 2018, and therefore might be more recognized by her maiden name of Borcherding. She is a member of Impact Peoria, a non-profit organization with the mission of volunteering for events put on by local charitable organizations. Erin serves as an event planning committee member for Central Illinois Friends and is a member of the East Bluff Community Center Board of Directors. She also enjoys volunteering for events put on by the Peoria Area Association of Realtors and RE/MAX Trader’s Unlimited Cares. Erin has a background in event planning, fundraising, and marketing, and she loves to serve her community.

Mae Gilliland Wright is the Executive Director at Big Picture Initiative and the Director of Business Development at Peoria Magazines. She holds a master’s degree and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Mae is also a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and consultant, and has a teaching background in the sciences and humanities. Mae currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Public Relations Association of Central Illinois and the City of Peoria's Public Arts Advisory Commission. In the past, she sat on the Board of Directors for ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, where she served as the Vice President and chaired the Sky Art Peoria committee. She also served on the Board of Directors of Acorn Equality Fund and ART, Inc., along with various other committees with area organizations like Align Peoria and the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. She is also a member of Americans for the Arts. In her spare time, Mae enjoys reading, volunteering for community organizations, gardening with her husband Jonathan, listening to music and catching up on podcasts.

Nominate a leader today! Nominations for the 28th annual class of Peoria Magazines' 40 Leaders Under Forty will be accepted throughout the month of August.

40 Leaders Under Forty is an annual celebration of emerging leaders in Greater Peoria. Through nominations submitted by the community, the region's rising young stars are honored each year at a prestigious community reception. Nominations must be received by 4:30pm on Friday, September 3, 2021. Late nominations will not be accepted. The 2021 award ceremony will take place on November 4, 2021. Click here to submit your nomination online, or to download the PDF form for printing and mailing.

The Caterpillar Foundation announced that gifts to community foundations are now eligible for their Matching Gifts Program. Caterpillar employees and retirees who choose to donate to our operating fund or other endowment funds can apply for a 1:1 match from the Caterpillar Foundation. Those who have donor-advised or Depository funds at CFCI and plan on donating to a specific charity can also apply for the match. Please visit the Caterpillar Foundation website by clicking here for detailed instructions on how to submit your match request. The Community Foundation of Central Illinois greatly appreciates your support. By working together, we will continue to improve the quality of life throughout central Illinois.

3625 North Sheridan Road

Peoria, IL 61604

309-674-8730