Check out what's new with the PPS Foundation!

IMPACT Newsletter - January 2025

Thank You for Supporting This Year's Event!

We can not say thank you enough to everyone who supported the 10th Annual 365 Breakfast! We are extremely grateful. It is never too late to donate to the 365 Annual Giving Fund. Through your donations, you help fund uniforms and other clothes for students, food for the Little Free Pantries, our classroom grants, our student scholarships and so many more programs. Click on the button below to donate today!

DONATE TO THE 365 GIVING FUND

Watch a brief video recap of the event

PPS Foundation Scholarships Available!

Questions? Contact Jen at (309) 696-8681 or jennifer.adler@psd150.org

Adopt A School Program Highlight:

Making the Grade – An Opportunity for Direct Mentoring with Middle School Students

“Making the Grade” is a way for the members of the community to reach out to our young people to inspire them to pursue academic excellence.

During a Making the Grade event, volunteers will visit with identified students for one-on-one sessions and review their most recent progress report. During a 15-minute session with each student, volunteers discuss grades with students, cover topics such as homework, absenteeism, behavior, experience in school, and planning for the future.

Making the Grade is important because it provides students with a way to help them reflect on their academic performance and to motivate them for the rest of the semester. This personalized attention assists students in getting the help they need, if necessary. Past conferences have helped identify students who may need enrichment, tutoring, social support, or other types of assistance to help them reach their utmost potential. Our goal is to make sure that no student gets left behind in his or her schoolwork or “falls through the cracks” of Peoria’s support systems.

If you would like to get involved with Making the Grade, please contract Trish O’Shaughnessy at patricia.oshaughnessy@psd150.org.

Thanks to the Bradley University Interactive Media Department professors for supporting Making the Grade at Sterling Middle School.

Guest Speakers for Horizons Club Needed

Horizons Club is back for the second semester and we are in need of career speakers. Please share your career and education story with our middle school students during this lunchtime exploration program. Available dates are on the Sign-Up Genius web page with new dates added often. Click on the button below to sign up. Please contact Trish O'Shaughnessy at patricia.oshaughnessy@psd150.org if you have any questions.

PPS Foundation Hero of the Month: Steve Jackson

Congratulations to our first Hero of the Month for 2025, Steve Jackson!

Steve is the owner and CEO of the Prairie Home Alliance, a collaboration of home improvement companies that serves customers in three states. Steve has been a very generous supporter of the PPS Foundation. Because of his own generosity and his ability to encourage support from others, he made a big impact in the success of the 365 Breakfast. Prairie Home Alliance has also been a generous supporter for many organizations throughout the Peoria community. We are honored to award Steve Jackson as a PPS Foundation Hero of the Month.

Foundation Hero Steve Jackson accepting his award from PPSF President Cindy Morris at the 10th Annual 365 Breakfast

Jitske Miedema, Culinary Arts Director at Woodruff Career & Technical Center

Jitske Miedema, or Chef Jetty as she is often called, is the founder of the Culinary Arts Program at Woodruff. She also helped develop the Warrior Way Café, a student run dining service that serves hundreds of lunches to the public on select Thursdays. Chef Jetty's students has won multiple state championships hosted by the National Restaurant Association. She and her award-winning students were responsible for preparing the delicious food at the 365 Breakfast.

Thanks for speaking with us, Chef Jetty. For the first question, what’s your favorite thing about the Peoria area?

My favorite thing about the Peoria area are the people. The people are so friendly and we always receive a ton of community support for our program. I also really like the zoo and our parks.

Since you are a very experienced chef, what is your favorite local restaurant?

My favorite local restaurant is Hearth. The food is delicious, impeccable service, and it is a great place for a special evening. Hugh Higgins is always willing to take on an intern from our program. It's always fun to go there and see former students who are still working there even years later.

Do you have a favorite TV show or movie that you could watch over and over again without getting bored?

Top Chef on Bravo. I rewatch old seasons and get a lot of inspiration from it.

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which ones would you pick?

Gronda cooking app, Instagram (follow us @Woodruff_Culinary), and my trusty solitaire game.

Finally, if you could snap your fingers and immediately learn to do anything, what would it be?

Play a musical instrument or be able to sing. I love music, but I can't carry a tune to save my life. I'm in awe of people who can.

Thank you again, Chef Jetty, for taking the time to chat with us. We appreciate what you do for Peoria Public Schools and the rest of the Peoria community.

All proceeds from the sign advertisement go directly to help Peoria Public Schools' campaign to improve the stadium property. Please reach out to Jen Adler at jennifer.adler@psd150.org for more information on pricing, artwork or any other questions!